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MEMOIR 
 
 OP 
 
 CAPTAIN M. M. HAMMOND, 
 
 RIFLE BRIGADE. 
 
MEMOIR 
 
 / 
 
 CAPTAIN M. M. IMMOND, 
 
 RIFLE BRIGADE. 
 
 J U ^ '-^ ^'ilsL^f )^ VV^^^><^Ki.x'>-^^^ ' 
 
 " Come, I will shew thee a friend ; I will paint one worlh}- of thy trust. 
 IIow beautiful thy feet, and full of grace thy coming, 
 better kind conapanion ! Thou art well for either world. 
 There is an atmosphere of happiness floating round that man ; 
 Love is throned upon his heart, and light within his dwelling. 
 His eyes are ray'd with peacefulness; and Wisdom Maiteth on his tongue." 
 
 TrppERS Proverlial Philosophy. 
 
 NEW YOEK: 
 ROBERT CARTER & BROTHERS, 
 
 No. 530 BEOADWAY. 
 
 1858. 
 
10 
 
 A FATHER'S AFFECTION, ^ 
 
 THIS MEMOIR OP A BELOVED 80K 
 
 Is Insaitali 
 
 BY 
 
 A BROTHER. 
 
PEEFACK 
 
 The compiler of the following pages, while he 
 avails himself of the opportunity of acknowledging 
 the kindness of those who have contributed mate- 
 rials for his use, feels that some apology is due to 
 them for the long detention of their letters. 
 
 The idea of a Memoir of Captain Hammond's 
 life was suggested immediately after his death. 
 One by one those friends by whom it was hoped 
 that the work would have been undertaken were, 
 from various causes, compelled to relinquish it; 
 and it was not until it seemed probable that the 
 whole matter would fall through, that the writer 
 of the present volume consented to make the at- 
 tempt. 
 
 Under his hands the progress of the Memoir, 
 the materials for which were given over to him at 
 the close of the last year, has been brought to a 
 
Vm PREFACE. 
 
 conclusion. He submits it to the public, with 
 thankfulness to Him who has permitted him to 
 dwell for nearly twelve months on materials that 
 have been characterised by a friend as "full of 
 interest, sanctifying, and edifying;" and with a 
 humble hope that the voice of one, whose personal 
 example is no longer before us, may be foimd in 
 these pages addressing each of us in the spirit of 
 the Savioui* s words, " Go thou, and do likewise." 
 
 DsoKMBKa 185r. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 PAOI 
 
 Bably Days 1 
 
 CHAITER II. 
 Forest Scenes 18 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 CONVEESION 25 
 
 CHAPTER lY. 
 Changed Habits ^0 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 Doctrinal Views .... 61 
 
 CHAPTER VL 
 Love of Home 80 
 
 CHAPTER VIL 
 Letters ^^ 
 
CONTENTS. 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Emigrant Fever Ill 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 Usefulness 126 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 Choice of Friends . . . .144 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 Sympathy 154 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 Fervent in Spirit . . . .164 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 Prayer 187 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 Return to England .... 205 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 Marriage ...... 219 
 
 CHAPTER XVL 
 Conscientiousness 228 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 The Bulgarian Campaign . . 250 
 
CONTENTS. xi 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 PAOK 
 
 The Camp .267 
 
 CHAPTER XIX 
 The Hospital 293 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 The Harbinger . . . , .311 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 The Crimea 332 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 The Storming 342. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 Testimonial Letters .... 349 
 
CHAPTER L 
 
 " Visions of childhood, stay, oh ! stay, 
 
 Ye were so sweet and wild ; 
 But distant voices seem'd to say. 
 It cannot be ! They pass away — 
 
 Thou art no more a child." 
 
 LONQFELLOW. 
 
 Eighteen months have scarcely elapsed smce the last gun 
 was fired before Sebastopol. The smoke-wreaths, floating 
 off in thin filaments, have been gathered up into another 
 Avai' cloud, threatening another empire. 
 
 But all is quiet in the Crimea. Upon the heights of 
 Inkermann the listless Tartar again tends his flock. The 
 bustard and the plover have returned to the steppes; the 
 plateau is painted with purple and golden crocuses; there 
 is peace upon the hills once more. 
 
 From those deep ravines all living trace of the allied 
 armies has disappeared. But many a rude cross, for ages 
 to come, wall tell where, side by side, in sad array, the 
 mighty hosts are resting. There each, in his warrior's 
 shroud, sleeps till the earth shall give up her dead, and 
 the Lord shall gather His elect from the four winds of 
 heaven, 
 
 A 
 
2 EARLY DAYS. 
 
 The whole is now like a dream, and our minds, strained 
 with intense excitement, have for the most part ceased to 
 dwell upon the events of that unliappy period. 
 
 Yet " the memory of the just is blessed/' and if, after 
 this interval, in compliance with the urgent wishes of 
 many, we offer, in the following pages, a short memoii' of 
 one "who shall return no more to his house," it is not 
 that we may exalt him, but rather that we may set forth, 
 in the words of his simple epitaph — 
 
 *' The praise of the glory of His grace, 
 who gave a Christian lustre to his life, and a blessedness 
 to his honourable death.'" 
 
 Maximilian Montagu Hammond was the third son of 
 W. 0. Hammond, Esq., of St Alban's Court, Kent, and 
 of Mary Graham, eldest daughter of Sir H. Oxenden, of 
 Broome Park, Kent. He was born on the 6th of May 
 1824. His childish days are marked by an accident which, 
 while its effects were felt by him till his death, gave an 
 early indication of that unselfish and generous nature that 
 characterised his after life. A powder flask came within 
 his reach, and, aware that its contents were inflammable, 
 although ignorant of their dangerous nature, he attempted 
 to throw some into the fire, while in his mother's room : 
 an alarming explosion took place; fragments of copper 
 flew in every direction, deeply piercing the walls. The 
 mantelpiece was riven in two, and the glass of the win- 
 dows was shivered to atoms. As soon as the smoke 
 cleared, it was found that the child's hand was fearfully 
 shattered; the thumb was entirely removed, as far as its 
 junction with the wrist ; surgical aid was immediately sent 
 
SEVERE ACCIDENT. 3 
 
 for; and while a tenipoiary bandage was applied to the 
 wound, " How glad I am, mamma," said the sufferer, " how 
 glad I am that it was not you!" Great fears of lockjaw 
 were entertained, but through God's mercy the wound 
 healed favourably. It was not at first thought prudent to 
 communicate to the child the extent of the injury, and the 
 effect of breaking it to him was somewhat dreaded; but 
 he received the announcement without emotion, and with 
 perfect cheerfulness. In after years this loss w^as ever 
 present to him. His sensitive nature made him often 
 dread the surprise produced upon comparative strangers 
 with whom he might shake hands — misgivings little sus- 
 pected by those who felt his warm and hearty pressure. 
 With this one exception his childhood and boyhood passed 
 much as that of most other lads in his circumstances. 
 He was a high-spirited and manly boy, joining with his 
 brothers during their holidays in the favourite amuse- 
 ments of their home; and, with a spirit of enjoyment, 
 entering into all those initiatory sports, w^hich a country 
 home affords — ferreting rabbits, riding, keeping pets, &c. 
 He was a favourite with all, and his frank, honest, open 
 fiice was an index to his character. Maxy was at this 
 age full of strong impulse; rather impetuous, at times 
 passionate, but of an affectionate disposition, strongly 
 attached to his father and mother, his family, and his 
 home. 
 
 His bold, unflinching spirit shewed itself in a very early 
 trait. He was playing with a companion, the son of a 
 neighbouring gentleman, and with one of his brothers ; as 
 they were together, remembering that he had not said his 
 prayers that morning, Maxy suddenly knelt down in a 
 
4 EAKLY DAYS. 
 
 wood-lodge, where they were at the time, and repeated his 
 morning prayer, utterly fearless of ridicule. His inclina- 
 tion for a soldier's life shewed itself early, and his future 
 profession having been determined, he was sent to a school 
 at Woolwich, whence he was soon after removed to the 
 Royal ]\Iilitary College at Sandhurst. 
 
 The letters of a mere child written from school, dwelling 
 chiefly on the happier thoughts of home, his love for his 
 family, his amusements, ponies, dogs, and pets, are little 
 interesting to general readers, and there was nothing in 
 his letters at this time beyond his years ; yet there are 
 here and there some few touches of his natural character, 
 and some few allusions, which shew that he had received 
 the most inestimable of a parent's gifts — that he had been 
 *' brought up in the fear of God.'' Of his first school he 
 writes: "I do not like it very much, not so much as I 
 
 expected We went to the fair; two of the boys got 
 
 drunk; there are some very great blackguards at this 
 school. M * * * reads prayers every morning and night; 
 
 we don't ever kneel down Will you send me a 
 
 parcel," he says to his mother, "as soon as you can? I 
 ■will tell you what to send — an enormous plain plum-cake, 
 paper, pens, slate pencils, jam by plenty, and any extras 
 that you like; a little money would not he amiss." There 
 is something very illustrative here of his straightforward 
 disposition ; he does not like hinting, but he likes indul- 
 gence, and does not mince the matter. 
 
 At Sandhurst his progress at first does not seem to 
 have found favour with the authorities. He considered 
 the sergeants, whose especial duty it was to report the 
 delinquencies of the cadets, his natural enemies; and, 
 
PEOCrRESS AT SANDHURST. 5 
 
 loving fun, and full of a boy's spirit, he was from time to 
 time reported for faults, wliicli, though never in one 
 instance discreditable, yet told against him in the opinion 
 of the governor. 
 
 In his second year he writes : " I could not make out 
 what you meant in your first letter about my having got 
 into some scrape, but I suppose that * * * was alluding to 
 my character of last year. It did not frighten me in the 
 least, as I knew I had done nothing wrong.'' Still, as he 
 advanced, his desire to improve was evident, and the half- 
 yearly reports shew, that his efforts were not unobserved 
 by the professors. With all his love for amusement and 
 natural disinclination to study, he felt and understood his 
 own position, and the duty, not less than the importance, 
 of advancing himself by his own exertions. He gave 
 much attention to surveying, and was favourably men- 
 tioned in this department. His employment in this 
 service introduced him to the hospitality of a family in 
 the neighbourhood, and procured for him a subsequent 
 friendship, which, though strengthened little by personal 
 intercourse afterwards, was never lost. One of that 
 family, in a letter after his death, alludes to that early ac- 
 quaintance : " He has always borne so bright a place in my 
 thoughts since the time when I first saw him at our place 
 as a boy.'' 
 
 The examinations approached, and his thoughts turned 
 to his future appointment to a regiment. " I suppose," he 
 says in a letter to his mother, " there will be no chance of 
 seeing W « « * for two or three years ; a soldier must 
 not expect to be much at home. I wonder whether the 
 duke has done anything about putting my name do^vn for 
 
U EARLY DAYS. 
 
 the Rifle Brigade ; I hope he has, as I should very much 
 like to go into that regiment." 
 
 The approaching ordeal was a serious one, but Maxy's 
 naturally strong will enabled him to overcome all dif- 
 ficulties ; he passed creditably ; and was appointed to an 
 ensigncy, without purchase, in the 66th Regiment of Foot. 
 He never joined them, however, for his hopes w^re 
 crowned soon after by his appointment to a second lieu- 
 tenancy in the 2d battalion of the Rifle Brigade, at that 
 time quartered at Newport. 
 
 The period of a lad's "joining" is an important epoch 
 in his life. Emancipated from the restraints and dis- 
 cipline of school, at one step he passes from boyhood to 
 manhood. In that sunny morning of life, we can well 
 imagine the delight with which the young soldier, for the 
 first time, abandoning the garb of the cadet, j)uts on the 
 dark pelisse of the rifleman, and with lawful pride bears 
 on his breast the silver cross upon which are inscribed, 
 "Copenhagen, Monte- Video, Roli^a, Vimiera, Corunna, 
 Bosaco, Barrosa, Fuentes d'Onor, Ciudad Rodrigo, Badajoz, 
 Salamanca, Vittoria, Nivelle, Nive, Orthes, Toulouse, 
 Peninsula,, Waterloo;" in later times to be enriched by 
 names no less renowned, and of sadder import to many. 
 
 No letters of this period exist, which might describe his 
 first impressions on joining. The world with all its plea- 
 sures was now. open to him, and it was hardly to be ex- 
 ]:ected that his ardent temperament would escape its 
 dangers. Before him, as before us all, lay the broad and 
 the narrow way ; and, although his own natural good sense 
 and good taste led him to avoid those habits of life into 
 which lower natures too often fall, yet the biographer 
 
FRIVOLOUS LIFE. 7 
 
 would not be faithfully painting his character, if by his 
 silence he glossed over those passages of his early life, 
 " wherein in times past he walked according to the course 
 of this world, according to the prince of the power of the 
 air, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind." 
 After the completion of this memoir, some additional 
 materials were placed in the compiler's hands, and from these 
 one extract seems specially worthy of insertion, inasmuch 
 as Maxy makes use of the very same passage of Scripture to 
 characterise his early life. In a commentary on the 
 Ephesians, we find these remarks : " It is good for me to 
 remember how I walked in times past, ' according to the 
 course of this world, according to the prince of the power 
 of the air, fulfilling the desires of the flesh, and of the 
 mind, a child of wrath/ Oh ! how justly might I then have 
 been cut down as a cumberer of the ground — a rebel against 
 God — a wilful and an open transgressor of His holy laws 
 — and, oh ! how rich, how abounding has been the mercy 
 which spared me, and which, I humbly trust, has brought 
 me as a poor penitent to the foot of the cross of Christ." 
 That his citizenship was at this time altogether here 
 that his life was wholly given to amusement and pleasure, 
 might be gathered from the few letters which we possess. 
 These relate for the most part to the merest trifles, and 
 are scarcely worth insertion, were it not for the sake of 
 comparing them with those of a later time. 
 
 " Newpoet, 21 s^ June. 
 " My dear Father, — I could not answer your letter 
 earlier ; the pic-nic ended very badly, and I am heartily 
 sorry I did not go with you to Chepstow. » » * would not 
 
8 EARLY DAYS. 
 
 let the band wait for dancing in the evening ; so we were 
 obliged to content ourselves with a little dancing on the 
 
 wet grass." . . . 
 
 The battalion was soon after moved to Swansea ; and, 
 while there, orders arrived for foreign service. Bermuda 
 was their destination. Maxy announces this unexpected 
 change to his father in the following letter: — 
 
 " Swansea, 21 5^ August 
 " My dear Father, — We are to embark for foreign 
 service in about three weeks ; and where shall we go to, do 
 you think? Is it to Gibraltar, Malta, the Cape, or Canada? 
 We are not destined to any of these, but are going to tlie 
 Bermudas, of all unexpected places. It never even en- 
 tered anybody's head that we had the remotest chance of 
 going thei^e. Several expected to have gone to Gibraltar, 
 which would have been disgusting in the extreme, and a 
 sure stepping-stone to the West Indies. The Bermudas, 
 of course you know, is one of the best colonial stations we 
 have, and an unexceptionable climate. I, for my part, 
 would have preferred Canada; but I don't think we need 
 complain. We expect to march out of Wales in a few 
 days ; but where we shall go for embarkation I do not yet 
 know. I am rather sorry that we shall go out this year, 
 as I should have preferred the spring; and another thing, 
 I bought a very nice pony the other day, as cheap as dirt. 
 This would do very well for M. and C. to ride, and if we 
 embark at Portsmouth or anywhere else, I shall send her 
 down for their use. I will write and let you know, when 
 the 'route' comes, where we are to go for embarkation." 
 
EEMOVAL TO DOVER. 9 
 
 As far as he was concerned, his expectations of foreign 
 service were not so sjDeedily realised. The battalion 
 marched to Bristol, and from thence to Dover, where the 
 embarkation of the service companies took place; and 
 Maxy Hammond, having been told off for one of the 
 depot companies, remained with them at Dover. Here 
 he was quartered for some months; entering without 
 restraint into all the trifling vanities of a garrison life; 
 living as he saw others lived, without thinking or caring 
 how, and treading without the slightest misgiving the 
 broad paths where the shadow of the cross never fell. 
 That his pursuits were at best frivolous, his letters will 
 shew. We will extract some passages from these letters : — 
 
 " Dover, Sunday. 
 " My dear Mother, — I should have enjoyed, beyond 
 measure, going to the * * *'s ball, but I am perfectly 
 unable, as I am engaged to go to a ball here on the same 
 day at Mrs * * *'s ; I shall write to * * * to thank her 
 for asking me. We had a very good ball here on Friday; 
 about one hundred and fifty people ; but the room was 
 dreadfully crowded. There are no end of balls now. I 
 found six invitations when I got here (he was within 
 twelve miles of his home, and was consequently frequently 
 going backwards and forwards). If my pony is sound I 
 wish you would let me know, that I may send over for it ; 
 a capital ball at Canterbury. — Your afiectionate, 
 
 "M. M. Hammond." 
 
 " Dover, Uh June. 
 " My dear Mother, — I trust this frost will leave off 
 
10 EARLY DAYS. 
 
 before Lady * * *'s ball, or it will be very disadvanta- 
 geous to the people from the country ; however, I don't 
 think there will be niucli snow, as the glass is rising. We 
 had capital fun at the * * *'s juvenile dance last night. 
 . . . . — Your affectionate son, 
 
 « M. M. Hammond." 
 
 So passed the winter months. In the early spring the 
 battalion left Bermuda for Halifax, and Maxy Hammond 
 was ordered to join the service companies. He writes 
 again from Dover : — 
 
 " Since I was at home on Friday, another change has 
 taken place in our movements : a letter arrived from 
 B * * * yesterday, which said they were not going to 
 send us out in the Resistance, but that we were to go out 
 almost immediately in two transports, one of which is now 
 lying off Deptford, and the other expected daily from the 
 Mediterranean "" 
 
 "I have just learned that the names of the trans- 
 ports are the Premier and the Boyne. We expect to 
 embark from Deptford or Gravesend. One hundred volun- 
 teers from the 1st battalion arrived yesterday from 
 Dublin." 
 
 The embarkation took place some time after, and his 
 next letter is dated, 
 
 " Pkemier, June 16. 
 " My dear Mother, — Here we are, thus far having 
 made a very fair passage up to this time. We left Dover, 
 as you know, about seven o'clock, and arrived alongside 
 
AT SEA. 11 
 
 the ship about two. As soon as we got the men into 
 their places, we were told that we were to go off at f our 
 o'clock next morning, which was rather too soon to be 
 quite pleasant, as we had not brought any essentials for 
 the voyage. So I managed to slip on shore, bought sun- 
 dry things, and afterwards went to dine at the Clifton 
 Hotel, with * * * . We then went on board again, and 
 found that the medicine chest had not arrived, and that 
 the doctor would have to go to Chatham to fetch it; so 
 the vessel was delayed till the afternoon, and we at last 
 got fairly under weigh about half-past two. The wind 
 was then S.W., and so we went do^vn the river in grand 
 style, and came to an anchor about dusk, nearly opposite 
 Heme Bay. The next morning we got under weigh about 
 half-past two, the wind having chopped round to the N.E., 
 which was capital for us ; and as it blew pretty fresh, we 
 went round the foreland at the rate of about seven knots 
 an hour; put our pilot ashore in the Downs, and arrived 
 opposite Dover about eight o'clock. We passed in a 
 splendid manner, the breeze having freshened a little, and 
 we had almost passed by before the flag was hoisted at 
 the castle. I could see nothing of anybody except * * * , 
 who was at his window. I could see nothing of No. — 
 Marine Parade. I suppose they were in bed. We came 
 very well down as far as Dungeness Lighthouse, and then 
 the breeze slackened, and we came slowly as far as this. 
 The wind having chopped round to N.N.W., which is 
 against us. I am so sorry that I did not take poor Boxer, 
 as they made no objection to our putting dogs on board. 
 The captain is a very good sort of obliging sailor, and so 
 is the agent, who is sixty-one years old, and only a lieu- 
 
12 EAIJT.V DAYS. 
 
 tenant. A shocking thing occurred when we were at 
 anchor oft' Heme Bay. The corporal of the guard, who 
 Avas sleeping in the forecastle, got up in the middle of the 
 night half asleeji, and fell overboard ; and before the boat 
 could be lowered, the poor fellow had gone down. He 
 was a young man, and a very good steady soldier. The 
 only part of it that I don't like, is the horrid night watch, 
 which is a great nuisance indeed. The first and last 
 watches are well enough, but the middle watch, from 
 twelve to four, seems like an age. The feeding is decidedly 
 indifferent; but I believe it is considered quite good for 
 ship-board. We have four meals a-day — breakfast at 
 nine, luncheon at twelve, dinner at four, and tea at eight 
 — so that we do pretty well on the whole. We have 
 preserved milk wdiich is like oil, butter like tallow, and 
 yellow water. Imagine the triumph of having passed 
 three days without feeling sick, or ever feeling off" one's 
 feed; but the difference between this and a vile oily 
 steamer is indescribable. If there is any sea, there is pro- 
 bably wind, and you go through the water as smoothly as 
 possible. This vessel is a very fast sailer; we pass every 
 thing we come near. Her accommodation is very good 
 indeed; w^e have each a cabin to ourselves, and they have 
 plenty of light and air to them. The men amuse them- 
 selves in dift'erent ways; and after our dinner they come 
 aft, and, with the assistance of our Irish piper, dance reels 
 and sing songs and glees, play hunt the slipper, and all 
 
 such amusements We expect to arrive oft* St 
 
 Catherine's point very soon, so I must let go the anchor 
 and bring to, with my best love. — Ever your affectionate 
 son, M. M. B:' 
 
ARRIVAL AT HALIFAX. 13 
 
 On the 2d of August he writes again to announce his 
 arrival at Halifax : — ■ 
 
 "Here I am safely landed at last, after a passage of 
 forty-five days. We had nothing but contrary winds, bad 
 weather, and fogs, the whole way out ; if it did not blow 
 hard it was sure to fall a dead calm. I got on very com- 
 fortably till the Saturday night after we started, when a 
 gale of wind came on while we were off the coast of Ireland, 
 and from that time, for eight days following, I was in a 
 constant state of sea-sickness, without any intermission 
 from morning to night ; * * * and * * * were quite as 
 bad as myself. I cannot describe to you anything equal 
 to our misery; however, we at last began to recover, and 
 never had any return of it, and I think we all are as .c;ood 
 sailors now as anybody. After beating across the Atlantic, 
 we saw land for the first time on the 27th, and coasted 
 down here, and cast our anchor in Halifax harbour at twelve 
 o'clock P.M. on the 29th. We were very nearly missing 
 the harbour altogether; and if it had not been for our acci- 
 dentally falling in with a pilot, we should very likely have 
 passed it, as the Admiralty charts proved to be wrong; 
 and we made out by our own reckoning that we were 
 thirty miles to the north of where we really were. The 
 pilot told us that we had been close to some very danger- 
 ous rocks, which we knew nothing of. We amused oar- 
 selves on the voyage by shooting and harpooning porpoises; 
 and when we got to the bank of Newfoundland we began 
 to fish, and in two hours caught seventy large codfish, 
 averaging from 10 to 25 lbs. weight; as fast as you put 
 your lines down, you hauled up fish ; we caught enough 
 
] 4j early days. 
 
 for all the men and crew besides ourselves. But I have 
 said enough about the voyage. 
 
 " Halifax is a town of tolerable size, built on the side of 
 a hill, with the citadel at the top. There is a splendid 
 harbour with two or three small islands in the middle, 
 and depth of water enough to hold the largest ships of 
 war. A little higher up, about three miles, there is an- 
 other fine piece of water, six miles long, which joins the 
 basin by a narrow neck. Altogether this is a very pretty 
 place, and if the houses were built of stone it would be 
 beautiful. The houses are all built of brick with the 
 exception of the House of Parliament, which is a fine 
 building. The streets are good, and are at right angles 
 to one another. TJie shops are pretty good. The only thing 
 that I detest are the thousand hideous negroes, of every 
 shade and colour, from the Creole to the blackest nigger. 
 The women are uglier than the men ; and when you see 
 them dressed in white, they look most absurd. The Indian 
 squaws here astonished me at first. They are dressed very 
 curiously, with all their clothes embroidered with pearls. 
 They always walk in Indian file, one after the other, about 
 a yard apart, with their babies slung at their backs. 
 
 " All the barracks are full, and will be so till the Premier 
 is ready to take away the 76th, and the Gem comes with 
 the battalion from Bermuda. So at present we are in a 
 very uncomfortable state, with nothing unpaclced, and 
 living at an hotel. I am very glad to have a chance of 
 seeing poor little Boxer again. I must say I felt full of 
 compunction when I saw the frantic state he was in after 
 the boat shoved off at Dover. If he does reach this place, 
 you may depend upon it I shall not desert him again. 
 
INCIDENTS OF THE VOYAGE. 15 
 
 The rats on board the Premier became at last insuffer- 
 able ; and they arrived at such a pitch that they absolutely 
 came on my pillow when I was asleep ; and I have kno\vn 
 them to run over my body when I have been laying down 
 on watch. The noise they made was something extra- 
 ordinary ; but it will soon be stopped, as they are going 
 to be smoked out. We saw some very large icebergs 
 on our way out, and one day we were almost surrounded 
 by them. You can feel them a long time before they 
 come in sight, as the air is piercingly cold, when you 
 are anywhere in their neighbourhood. The Gem started 
 from Bermuda with the 2d battalion last Thursday; so 
 we expect them here on Thursday or Friday following. — 
 Ever your affectionate son, 
 
 " M. M. Hammond/' 
 
 In these and other letters of the period, we find nothing 
 to distinguish them from those of any other lad of eighteen. 
 In the simple and almost boyish narrative of his voyage, 
 scarcely a j^assage occurs which elicits from him one 
 thoughtful remark. Yet even now he was not without 
 occasional misgivings as to his spiritual state. He was 
 living without God, and he knew it The cloud would 
 steal over him from time to time. On this voyage, as he 
 afterwards said, he knev/ that he was not prepared to die ; 
 and he felt a desire, as the thought of eternity j^resented 
 itself to his mind, of leading a better Life. He had at 
 this time a respect for religion, and went to church ; but 
 Sunday was a weariness to him; and he always indulged 
 in *' castles in the air " during the service. 
 
 This first trip across the Atlantic probably gave him a 
 
1 G EARLY DAYS. 
 
 taste for the sea, which became afterwards very decidedly 
 developed ; and much as he suffered, as the Premier, with 
 the wind on her quarters, strained and rolled in the trough 
 of those mountain waves, all was soon forgotten, and he 
 entered with a sailor's zest and spirit into the professional 
 details of the voyage, noting how the ship ran her course, 
 taking a pride in her rapid sailing, and delighting to watch 
 her answer her helm. 
 
 He has mentioned in this letter more than once a 
 favourite dog Boxer. Through his life he had a strong 
 love of all animals, and especially of dogs. There is an 
 old northern proverb, " He is an ill chiel whom dogs and 
 bairns dinna love,'' and there is, perhaps, a good deal 
 of truth in this as in many other common sayings. 
 Maxy Hammond had a marked power of attaching ani- 
 mals to himself. His generous eye and countenance 
 enlisted their sympathies ; they felt at once his kind 
 nature, and returned it with the fullest confidence. This 
 extended even to birds, of which he always had one or 
 two ; usually a bullfinch ; taking them out with him even 
 on these long voyages. Boxer was a bull-terrier, who was 
 never absent from him, and on this occasion of his first 
 voyage, from a doubt as to dogs being allowed on board, 
 he was left behind. AVhen the ship lay in the ofiing, and 
 Maxy put off to her wdth his luggage in a small boat, 
 Boxer was not permitted to accompany him ; and, finding 
 that the boat did not return, he manifested the most 
 extreme emotion, running eagerly along the beach, and 
 jumping into various boats in the hope of getting off to 
 his master. He was brought back with us to our home, but 
 after remaining with us for some considerable time it was 
 
EARLY DAYS. 17 
 
 evident that his grief was deep-seated. He refused liis 
 food, pined away, became very thin, and, in short, was so 
 miserable, that we resolved to send him out to Canada. 
 Tlie first opportunity, therefore, was taken, and he was 
 sent under the care of another officer of the Rifles. On 
 reaching Halifax, and being restored to his master, Boxer's 
 joy was unbounded : a violent reaction took place ; and 
 he became so immoderately fat that it amounted to de- 
 formity. Every moans failed to reduce him, and poor 
 Boxer's fidelity led at length to his death. 
 
1 8 FOREST SCENES. 
 
 CHAPTER IL 
 
 Jfomt Bmm. 
 
 ** Hidden in the alder bushes, 
 There he waited till the deer came; 
 Till he saw two antlers lifted, 
 Saw two eyes look from the thicket, 
 Saw two nostrils point to windward, 
 And a deer came down the pathway 
 Fleck'd with leafy light and shadow." 
 
 Hiawatha. 
 
 After Maxy Hammond's arrival at Halifax, his time, 
 during the first two years, was passed much as it had been 
 in England ; pleasure and amusement was the great ob- 
 ject of his life. Writing on the 2d of September 1842, 
 he says : — 
 
 *'You can't think how I enjoy your accounts of all 
 
 the gaieties, cricket matches, races, balls, &c We 
 
 are still at George's Island. I went out the other day part- 
 ridge shooting, with* * * and « * *. We started at five ; 
 rowed to the Indian camp, and having got an Indian to 
 go with us, went into the woods. We soon came to a lake, 
 where we saw some very large trout ; * * * fished for them 
 for some time, but did not succeed in catching anything; 
 we then came to another lake, where we saw some part 
 
SHOOTING PAETIES. 19 
 
 ridges ; * * * and myself shot one. After this we found 
 nothing for some hours, but at last * * * shot two more, 
 which closed our day's sport. We passed through a track of 
 ground called the ' Barrens,' where there are no trees ; 
 here we tracked a bear, and soon after a moose. I saw a 
 hare with a huge snake after it. I am going out moose- 
 hunting, about thirty miles from here, the week after 
 next, which I expect will be much finer sport. I take two 
 Indians, and we shall stay about a week in the woods. . . . 
 AVe are now hard at work at drill, and I think that when 
 the men get their new clothing and caps, they will look 
 nearly as well as the service companies." 
 
 A few days later, he says : — 
 
 " Our winter has begun pretty severely ; but the cold 
 has hitherto been nothing more than in England; as 
 
 yet the sleighing has not been good We have 
 
 now nearly all got horses. I still continue to think 
 this the stupidest place in the world ; the people are not 
 the least civil to us, and do not seem to shew any desire 
 to become acquainted with us ; but what can't be cured 
 must be endured. The shooting is now nearly over, and 
 there is no amusement of any sort." 
 
 In some letters of this date, he says : — 
 
 " To-day is the first day of Halifax races, an event of no 
 small importance here; we muster about six horses for 
 it, among which is that well-known horse ' Who'd-have- 
 th ought-it,' the property of * * *. He is going to rido 
 for the hurdle-race, and I think stands a good chance 
 of winning We had a regatta licre last Tuesday, 
 
20 FOREST SCENES. 
 
 which Avas great fun. I sailed my boat ; but succeeded 
 only in coming in fourth. However, I had the satisfac- 
 tion of beating some very good boats. M * * * won 
 the prize with his schooner, which is a beautiful boat. 
 . . . , A dreadful accident happened to an officer of the 
 — th yesterday. He was out tracking moose, and came 
 to a small brook that he wanted to cross ; so he carelessly 
 placed the butt of his gun against a tree to support him- 
 self, luith the muzzle in his hands. The gun went off, and 
 the ball entered the palm of his hand, passed through and 
 shattered the bones of his wrist, and came out half-way 
 from the elbow. The poor fellow was by himself, and 
 about fifteen miles from home. All the sleighs are 
 driving about. There is a tandem club, which most of the 
 officers in garrison belong to. I do not myself; but I 
 have got a nice little sleigh that holds two people." 
 
 A brother officer and intimate friend of these earlier 
 years, says of him at this time: "He joined in all the 
 amusements and sports incidental to military life; and it 
 was always remarked of him, that to whatever object he 
 directed his attention, to it he devoted the whole of his 
 energies, with a zeal and earnestness that became the 
 leading features of his after life. He always appeared to 
 be alive to the reality of life and the necessity of action in 
 whatever he was engaged." 
 
 The pursuit which just now seemed to give him the 
 greatest zest and enjoyment was moose-hunting. His 
 active and athletic frame, and his sj^irit of enterprise, 
 fitted him especially for a sport in which the Eed 
 Indian needs all his subtle acuteness of sense, his keen 
 
MOOSE HUNTING. 21 
 
 eye, his liglit foot, his quick ear, his power of endurance, 
 to cope with the instinctive sagacity of one of the most 
 wary of the deer tribe. With some brother officer for 
 a companion, or alone, attended by his faithful old 
 Indian, Joe Coape, the hunting party would set out; 
 tracing the forests and desolate barrens ; camping at night 
 under the giant hemlocks; and sleeping, with their feet 
 towards the bivouac fire, upon beds of aromatic spruce 
 branches. He loved the stately grandeur of those northern 
 forests, strewn with huge fragments of rock; a perfect 
 network of trunks ; across whose fallen forms cushions of 
 moss and lichens formed a treacherous carpet, the favourite 
 bed of the sweet pyrola and the trailing linnsea; the whole 
 was thoroughly congenial to him. During his novitiate 
 in this sport he describes one of these excursions: — 
 
 "VJth October. 
 " I have been mo6se-hunting again, and with not much 
 better success. I determined to go alone, and took three 
 Indians. We started off about twenty miles from here, 
 and then struck into the woods. The first night we called, 
 but heard no moose ; the second morning I was awakened 
 by one of the Indians pushing me, and saying, ' Moose 
 coming.' I jumped up and listened, and soon heard him 
 coming through the wood; breaking the branches with 
 his horns, and answering us. T^vo of the Indians then 
 beckoned to me to follow them. We laid down by tlie 
 side of a narrow bog. The moose came nearer and nearer, 
 but I could not see him for the grass; at last the Indian 
 said, ' Moose smell us, shoot, shoot,' so up I jumped and 
 took a hurried shot at his head, and actually missed him I 
 
22 FOREST SCENES. 
 
 One of the Indians then fired and missed; and I had the 
 infinite satisfaction of seeing him bound off into the wood 
 again, untouched. I was furious at missing him; but 
 you won't know till you have tried what it is to shoot at 
 a moose. I was so nervous that I ahnost forgot myself, 
 and the Indian made me in ore so, by hurrying me to 
 shoot. He was a very large one, with uncommonly fine 
 horns. After this misfortune, we eat our breakfast, and 
 then went on further. Suddenly one of the Indians 
 stopped, ' I hear moose.' I listened very attentively, but 
 could not hear a sound. He said, ' There 's bull and cows 
 — we try shoot.' We took our packs off and followed 
 them a little way, and soon heard them distinctly, and 
 then we commenced creeping. I could now see the 
 branches moving where the moose were, but could not 
 see them, it was so thick; at last the Indian raised his 
 gun and fired : I rushed forward, and passed an enormous 
 brute kicking on the ground, but the cows had run off, 
 and it was so thick I could not see to get a shot. I stayed 
 out four nights longer, but we had no luck, and I went 
 home. I shall not go out again till the first snow, when 
 
 there are plenty of cariboo as well People say 
 
 Halifax is the best quarter out of England. I thhik it 
 detestable in every respect. I have not been out once 
 since I have been here. I want you or E * * * to look 
 out for me a couple of hard-working spaniels, as they are 
 the only dogs that are of any use. There is a fair sprink- 
 ling: of woodcocks." 
 
 About two years later, while on one of these hunting 
 expeditions, two incidents occurred which made a deep 
 
illKess in the woods. 
 
 23 
 
 and permanent impression on Maxy Hammond's mind; 
 the dawn indeed of those convictions which, at a not 
 much later period, by the blessed work of the Holy Spirit, 
 led to the ' bringing in of a better hope/ 
 
 These two incidents are thus described by a brother officer 
 who was Maxy Hammond's companion : " I was attacked by 
 a violent malady, incidental to the swampy and unhealthy 
 districts to which our sporting propensities had attracted 
 us, and being far beyond any medical assistance, I naturally 
 caused a good deal of anxiety, and no little alarm to my 
 fellow-sportsmen. There was no alternative. We had to 
 halt on the ground, and send one of our party some 200 
 miles for advice, and allow the fever to run its course. 
 The utter helplessness of my condition, the solitude of the 
 woods, the unavaiUng efforts of my companions to relieve 
 me, appear to have exercised a great effect on Hammond; 
 and in a conversation I had with him years afterwards, I 
 found that the impression caused by that illness in the 
 
 silent woods, had never entirely left his mind At 
 
 the time, I would not allow my sufferings to interfere with 
 the sports of my companions: and as watching for game 
 by night was a great part of the sport, I used to be left at 
 three°o'clock in the afternoon, to allow them to get to a 
 distance from our camp before night-fall, and they seldom 
 returned before twelve o'clock; thus leaving me alone 
 till assistance came by the woodman whom we had de- 
 spatched. He, poor fellow, travelled day and night, and 
 never rested until he had returned with such medicines as 
 a doctor could recommend for a patient he could never 
 see. In after days, I was enabled, personally, to repay that 
 debt of gratitude. It was in reference to one of these 
 
2-l! FOREST SCENES. 
 
 dreary nights, and in a conversation I had with Hammond, 
 at a future period, that he earnestly, but most feelingly, 
 expressed to me his desire that I should not let such a 
 warning pass. He himself had a very narrow escape of 
 his life in crossing a torrent with a very heavy load of 
 moose-meat, upon a single tree, accidentally fallen across 
 the stream. He lost his balance, and had not a hanging 
 branch arrested his fall, though nearly breaking his leg, 
 his fate was inevitabb ; and all present looked upon his 
 destruction as certain. The fallen branch merely held on 
 long enough to allow the Indians to come to his rescue ; 
 when it gave way, and fell into the torrent below. The 
 very insignificance of the means of rescue left a deeper 
 impression ; and from that time he dated his determined 
 seizure of the means of escape for himself from a greater 
 if not so apparent a danger." 
 
CONVEliblON. 25 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 *' He was the Freeman wliom the Truth made free : 
 Who burst the bonds of sin ; and for his soul 
 In spite of fools consulted seriously : 
 In spite of fashion, persevered in good : 
 Who did as Reason, not as Fancy bade: 
 Who heard Temptation sing, and yet turn'd not 
 Aside; saw Sin bedeck her flow'ry bed. 
 And yet would not go up ; seeking one thing 
 Alone, the approbation of his God. 
 A heart by Grod's renewing spirit touched, 
 A Christian heart awaked from sleep of sin, 
 A soldier, listed in Messiah's band. " 
 
 Pollok's Course of Time. 
 
 Hitherto, in the bustle and gaiety of a garrison, Ham- 
 mond had had no difficulty in passing his time from day 
 to day, if not with satisfaction, at least with unconcern. 
 But it was not to be so long. Already the events above 
 related had made a strong impression. There was an 
 imsatisfied feehng, a longing after happiness stealing over 
 him, which the excitements of this life will not, cannot 
 bring. Like the wise man, he had said in heart : " Go to, 
 I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure; and, 
 behold, this also is vanity." Now a new voice staiiles 
 
26 CONVEKSION. 
 
 him, strange indeed to his car and imperfectly heard, but 
 yet unquestionable in its still and solemn pleading, " Be- 
 hold, I stand at the door and knock/' The Spirit was 
 commencing in his heart a new and a blessed work ; con- 
 viction had begun; "There was a noise, and behold a 
 shaking, and he said unto me, Son of man, can these 
 bones live ? " 
 
 The year 1 844* was to be a memorable one in Maxy Ham- 
 mond's history. His outward life went on as usual. But 
 in the altered tone of his letters, we can now, for the first 
 time, trace signs of a coming change. 
 
 ' On the 2d of November, he writes to his father from 
 Halifax : — 
 
 "I am sorry to find, on reckoning up my bills, that 
 they amount to more than I can pay ; and although I have 
 for some months been trying to retrench, by selling my 
 horse and giving up various amusements and expenses, 
 yet I find that I am at last obliged to come to you for 
 assistance. Sorry as I am to be obliged to write on such 
 a subject, yet I know that it is my duty to make a full 
 confession, and that you would not wish me to do other- 
 wise You don't know what pain it gives me to send 
 
 home such a letter as this, especially after the kindness you 
 have always shewn me ; but / will pledge my word that I 
 will, for the future, to the utmost of my power, strive to live 
 with economy and prudence. I have been for the last 
 three months living at no expense whatever, and I am 
 fully determined to continue in the same way. You may 
 depend upon it that it shall be my constant endeavour to 
 prevent giving cause for reproof All I can now do is to 
 
CONVICTION. 27 
 
 ask your forgiveness, and to trust that you will believe in 
 my sorrow for my foolish extravagance/' 
 
 In after years, when referring to the great change which 
 took place in him while at Halifax, he said he thought 
 that his debts, and the compunctions he felt on that ac- 
 count, were among the first glimmerings of conviction that 
 dawned upon him. The next letter will shew that fear 
 had no part in tliis last appeal to a father, whose whole 
 life had been one of unvaried kindness and affection to 
 his children : — 
 
 " Many many thanks, my dear father, for your most kind 
 and welcome answer to my letter, for which I am truly 
 grateful. It was with great reluctance that I fomid my- 
 self obliged to ask you for assistance, but I thought it 
 better to do so than to struggle on making up my arrears. 
 You don't know what a weight is now off my mind, or 
 how happy your kind letter made me; and now I am 
 resolved to make amends for my past extravagance by my 
 future economy; and that this shall be a lesson and a 
 warning to me which I will not forget. Your offer of 
 uniforms are most kind, and I can hardly thank you suffi- 
 ciently. I shall ask for leave next year, as I am begin- 
 ning to get rather home-sick, and proportionately tired of 
 blue-noses: but after all it is not fair to grumhle, as I 
 really like this place very well, so that I shall be happy to 
 remain here for some time. The bishop is very civil to 
 
 us, and they are very nice people And now I am 
 
 going to relate to you a death, which is that of my 
 nearest relation on this side the Atlantic, poor Boxer. 
 He had grown so fat that it was feared he would share 
 
28 CONVERSION. 
 
 the fate of M. Vieux Bois's horse, if he was allovrecl to 
 live; he was so fat that he could hardly walk; his diet 
 was reduced to half a pint of milk every other day, but to 
 no i^urpose ; he grew fatter and more fat, until at last he 
 was unceremoniously condemned to death. I shot another 
 moose last month, &c. &c. We had a very enjoyable fish- 
 ing expedition, I hooked two salmon, but, breaking the 
 tackle, they both got away; * * * caught one of 15 lbs. 
 
 and one of 7i lbs I am now a gentleman at large, 
 
 having given up the situation of quarter-master; I have 
 been doing duty as adjutant ever since last July, and 
 am rather loth to give it up. However, there is the satis- 
 faction of knowing that I have learned more of my pro- 
 fession than I should have done in five years' ordinary 
 duty as a subaltern. But I cannot complain when my time 
 is up.'" 
 
 These last letters are written in a strain very different 
 from those which have preceded them; and the way in 
 which he speaks of Halifax and its society now, as con- 
 trasted with his impressions two years before, is not alto- 
 gether without significance. He was beginning to seek 
 after that which he afterwards, through grace, most fully 
 attained — " in whatever state he was, therewith to be con- 
 tent." His interest in his profession was also increasing. 
 He had held two temporary appointments of responsibility 
 in his regiment, and in a letter of 16th July 1844, he 
 adverts with evident pleasure to regimental duties in the 
 field. He says : — 
 
 " The only news I know of is a capital sham-fight we 
 had last week, in which the 2d battalion were signally 
 
FIELD-DAYS. 29 
 
 defeated by the reserve ; * * * had prepared some irre- 
 gular cavalry, consisting of our men dressed in smock 
 frocks, with a belt round the waist, and each carrying a lance, 
 who behaved most valiantly; actually charging right up 
 to the squares, and one horse got pricked by one of the 
 swords. The worst of it was, that they were invincible, 
 and though always repulsed, they were at you again. 
 Subjoined is a plan of the attack."* (This plan, rudely 
 illustrated in his letter, shews at the same time, that he 
 had not allowed his Sandhurst acquirements to slip away.) 
 . , . . " Next Monday," he continues, " we shall have a 
 great display, and wind up with a lunch in the mess-rooms. 
 * * * is going home immediately on leave. I am to 
 have charge of his company, which will by no means be 
 disagreeable, .... and, besides, I like to have something 
 to do." 
 
 His next letter is to his sister : — 
 
 "December 2, 1844. 
 
 " Our usual fortnightly correspondence must soon cease, 
 as we have only one packet out this month. I must here 
 confess my own selfishness, but if you knew with what 
 difficulty I write even one short letter, you would easily 
 imagine it. I always wish (secretly) that we had one 
 l^acket home and two out; but you must think me a most 
 selfish and ungrateful boy, and so I am, viz., in the greedi- 
 ness with which I seize on my letters, and the reluctance 
 with which I sit down for an hour to answer them. I 
 have felt much happier for the last few weeks, as I have 
 begun a regular course of reading, of which I find the 
 benefit more and more every day; instead of the time 
 
so CONVERSION. 
 
 passing slowly and heavily, I only regret that it passes so 
 quickly. I generally find every day that I have not done 
 half what I intended. I have also got into a habit of get- 
 ting up early, which I find invaluable : a quarter past seven 
 is my hour for jumping out of bed; which, though difficult 
 at first in this cold climate, I have succeeded in over- 
 coming; this gives me an hour good before breakfast 
 for reading, &c. . . . How I long to be with you all at 
 Christmas, but it is no use thinking of these things when 
 they are impossible. I am sure I ought to feel most 
 thankful for having such kind friends as L * * * and 
 Mrs L * * *. I wish you could know them; they are 
 all kindness and good nature to us, and have no other 
 
 object but that of doing good to others We have 
 
 had the most beautiful winter here that has been known 
 for twenty years. Fancy a sky without a cloud, a warm 
 sun, the thermometer at 15° or 20°, with dry hard ground 
 without snow to walk upon, and you have before you the 
 beauties of a blue-nose winter, of which we have had 
 nothing else yet. But fancy a dark, black day, a stormy 
 northerly wind, no sun, and the thermometer at 0°, up to 
 your knees in snow, and drifting so that you can hardly 
 see a yard before you, with your nose and chin in danger 
 of being frost-bitten, and you have the dark side of the 
 picture. This is all to be expected. ... I am at present 
 living out of my, room, having giv-en it up to my friend 
 * * *, who is very ill." 
 
 We have now reached the great, the all-important epoch 
 of his life. That crisis was rapidly approaching, incalcu- 
 lably solemn in its import, when his future character was 
 
APPROACHING CHANGE. SI 
 
 to be decided. "A variety of circumstances," says a 
 brother officer, before quoted, "appears to have uro-ed 
 upon his notice the impossibility of human efforts alone 
 to attain to a state of happiness, for which he had long 
 felt an earnest desire." He had already begun to forsake 
 the noise and late hours of his mess companions for the 
 retirement of his own room, and his changed habits had 
 not escaped their observation. At this time an officer, 
 then a captain in the regiment, whose consistent and 
 earnest Christian character had long been well known, 
 returned from England with his young wife, and they be- 
 came the honoured instruments, in God's hand, of leading 
 Maxy to the knowledge of his Saviour. Arriving at 
 Halifax, he found that there were in the regiment those, 
 whose steadier habits seemed to hold out a good hope 
 that they might receive the word with gladness; and 
 among them was Maxy Hammond. He was at this time 
 in the heyday of his youth — his figure was tall, his face 
 handsome, and his countenance was singularly bright and 
 prepossessing. The officer alluded to thus describes him: 
 *' He was the most popular man in the regiment, and a 
 great favourite in general society. He had never known 
 sorrow, but he felt the unsatisfactory nature of his life, 
 without God and without Christ, and he yearned for some- 
 thing better. I can see him now," he goes on to say, 
 "followed by his favourite 'Smut' (if not by a second 
 bull-dog) through the streets of Halifax, where we met him, 
 and I first introduced him to N * * *. He was said to 
 be among the steady ones at that period; and, with the 
 faint hojoe that he might be induced to listen to the truth, 
 we invited him to come and drink tea, and read the Bible 
 
32 co^^VERSION. 
 
 afterwards. On the niglit in question he v/as in the woods 
 moose-hunting; but, almost beyond our hopes, he made 
 his appearance the next Saturday evening, and joined with 
 us in searching the Scriptures." 
 
 Maxy Hammond's part was now taken; there was no 
 hesitation which to choose; of him no one could say, 
 '' How long halt ye between two opinions ? If the Lord 
 be God, follow him ; but if Baal, then follow him.'' Hence- 
 forth the Lord was his portion. On the 17th December 
 184^4, he begins a letter to his father. " There was joy in 
 the presence of the angels of God" when that letter was 
 written. It was the open avowal of one who was first re- 
 joicing in the hope set before him. He fills a page with 
 general topics, and then abruptly says : — 
 
 " It is now nearly Christmas, and I can hardly believe 
 that this will be the third that I have passed in America. 
 But I feel happier now than I have ever before ; and al- 
 though I should like, above all things, to spend Christmas 
 at home, I feel that I shall enjoy it here very much. And 
 now I must tell you the cause of my happiness. Last 
 October, towards the end of it, I found on my return from 
 a moosing-expedition a note from L « * *, who, with his 
 usual kindness, wished, if he possibly could, to be the 
 means of doing some good to us. The note contained a 
 most kind and friendly invitation to go up to his house, 
 which I will here copy. ' Dear Hammond, — We purpose 
 devoting an hour on Saturday evening to reading the Bible 
 with J***r***, and if you will join our party 
 after mess, it would give us great pleasure. At the same 
 time, I would not wish you even to send an answer to this. 
 
SEARCHING THE SCRIPTURE. 33 
 
 should you not feel inclined ; or, if you should feel disposed 
 to come to us this evening, that you should consider your- 
 self the least tied to do so the following Saturday. AVe 
 feel the value and comfort of these things, and we would 
 gladly share them with you : I shall write a note to * * * 
 to the same effect." I received this note just as I came 
 back, but it was so late that I could not go that Saturday ; 
 however the next week I summoned up resolution, and in 
 fear and trembling went. I did not much like it the first 
 night, as I then found my utter ignorance of the Bible, 
 which (shocking as it is to think of) I do not mind con- 
 fessing to you, I had scarcely ever looked into for years ; 
 and, when I had, it was merely from a feeling of duty and 
 compulsion, and as a sort of ' lull ' to my sinful conscience. 
 I then began to read every morning and evening iii my 
 own room, and to write notes on the most striking pas- 
 sages; which I found of great assistance. This awakened 
 my conscience ; and by earnest prayer to God, He at length 
 opened to me my awfully sinful state, and shewed me the 
 sinfulness and corruption of my heart. Every day shews 
 me more and more my own natural weakness and inherent 
 depravity, and makes me feel the necessity of trusting in 
 myself for nothing, but constantly to seek God's assistance, 
 without which, I should fall back into my former state 
 of sin. Oh ! how I bless God for His mercy in having 
 brought me to a sense of my awful state. I may now, 
 through God's assistance and mercy, be enabled to pass 
 the remainder of my days in His fear and love; and so be 
 rendered fit for eternal happiness when I die. But before 
 this, I had been rushing headlong to my own destruction; 
 and should inevitably have fallen but for God's loving-kind- 
 
 o 
 
34 CONVERSION. 
 
 ness and mercy. I received the sacrament a few Sundays 
 ago for the first time since I joined the regiment. I hesi- 
 tated for some time whether I thought myself worthy or 
 not, and at length made up my mind to take it: my feel- 
 ings then I cannot describe ; but I was deeply impressed 
 with the solemnity and importance of this blessed ordi- 
 nance, and afterwards experienced a comfort which I had 
 never till then known. I shudder to think how awfully I 
 have sinned in receiving it unworthily at home, merely 
 because I was afraid to decline doing so to you. But I 
 never then knew what danger I was incurring, and how I 
 was provoking God's anger against me. You will be as- 
 tonished at my writing such a letter as this, especially after 
 beginning it on such trifling subjects ; but I did not then 
 intend to confess what I have now done. I daresay I have 
 written great nonsense, but you must forgive me, as I can- 
 not express on paper what I feel ; but be assured, dear 
 father, that I am sincere in what I have said. Our parties 
 at L * * *'s are more delightful every time, and we de- 
 rive great comfort and instruction from them. Our circle 
 consists of five persons. We read a portion of some chap- 
 ter, and afterwards comment upon it, and join in general 
 conversation. We also read a chapter every night in one 
 of our rooms, which is most enjoyable. You may read 
 this letter publicly or not as you like. I wish to conceal 
 nothing from any one ; and now I shall wait, longing for 
 your answer to this. — Believe me, ever your most affec- 
 tionate son, M. M. Hammond." 
 
 In connexion with this letter and the new birth, the 
 great change, which Maxy had undergone, we may appro- 
 
EEGENERATION. 35 
 
 priately introduce an extract from his commentary on Eph. 
 ii. 10, written several years later. He says : " The heart 
 being evil, out of it proceed only evil thoughts and sinhd 
 practices. Hence the necessity of that mighty change 
 which is wrought in the believer by the Spirit of God. 
 The heart being renewed by Divine grace, and created 
 anew by Christ Jesus unto holiness, good works follow, 
 as the natural result. And this is according to the pur- 
 pose of God, who hath predestinated His own people to 
 be conformed to the image of His Son. It is good to 
 be reminded of what we were by nature, and what we 
 have become by the free and sovereign grace of God. By 
 nature, ' Gentiles in the flesh,' spiritually ' un circumcised/ 
 ' without Christ," being ' aliens from the commonwealth of 
 Israel,' separated from the family of God, ' strangers from 
 the covenant of promise,' ' having no hope, and without 
 God in the world; ' but now, by grace ' made nigh by the 
 blood of Christ.' The blood of Christ, sprinkled upon the 
 conscience, received by faith, and applied by the Holy 
 Spirit, removes guilt, softens the heart, brings the soul 
 into covenant with God, and brings reconciliation, pardon, 
 and peace." And again, on Eph. ii. 19, he says: "Once 
 I was far off" from God — His enemy by wicked works — a 
 stranger to His grace, ' His ways, and His people — a 
 foreigner in His dominion, having no claim to the title 
 of a subject; but now, through abounding mercy, how 
 great is the change ! The alien is become a citizen — the 
 foreigner a free subject — numbered with the household 
 and family of God— partaker of all the glorious privileges 
 and hopes of the gospel." 
 
 The Saturday evenings at Captain L * * * 's quarters 
 
36 CONVERSION. 
 
 became now stated periods for reading the Scriptures and 
 for prayer. Three or four officers of the regiment, and 
 one or two others belonging to the garrison, in process 
 of time, joined; and at these happy assemblies Captain 
 L * * * and his wife received with joy those young 
 searchers after the truth, " and expounded unto them the 
 way of God more perfectly.'" 
 
 Of the early meetings, Mrs L * * * writes thus : 
 "The person in whom I am most interested is young 
 Mr Hammond. His mind is so honest, his disposition 
 so frank and open, his character so firm and decided. 
 He is no sooner convinced of the truth than he em- 
 braces it, owns it before all the world, and resolutely acts 
 
 up to it You will be glad to hear how well our 
 
 Saturday evening went off; Mr Hammond talked and 
 asked questions with great animation: he found many 
 references on prayer; dwelt on the freeness of our access 
 to God, its privileges, and the happiness of receiving 
 blessings in answer to our prayers. In the course of con- 
 versation the text was quoted, ' He that saveth a soul from 
 death, shall hide a multitude of sins,' and the two young 
 gentlemen seemed quite astonished when A * * * alluded 
 to the idea of ' hiding sins,' meaning ' our own sins being 
 passed over,' as not correct : also that ' charity covereth a 
 multitude of sins,' did not mean that our own sins should 
 be forgiven if we were charitable. Mr Hammond looked up 
 with his open, noble countenance, all wonder and inquiry : 
 * Well, doesn't it mean that?' A * « * explained what is 
 evidently the correct meaning, and Mr Hammond ex- 
 claimed, ' Well, to be sure, I wonder I did not see.' A * * * 
 
SATURDAY READINGS. 87 
 
 laughed, and said he had heard the text used in the other 
 sense often enough, when he went into the mess-room to 
 get a subscription: 'Oh, charity covers a multitude of 
 sins ; put me down five dollars ! ' They laughed heartily, 
 at the recollection probably of how^ often they had said the 
 same. In speaking of the 'strait' gate, it struck them for 
 the first time, that 'strait' meant 'narrow,' not the con- 
 trary of crooked. The following Saturday, November 9 th, 
 both Mr Hammond and Mr * # * talked more, and 
 seemed even more earnest. Mr Hammond said that one 
 morning while out with the troops, he felt very much 
 out of spirits. He met Captain F * * *, whose remark- 
 able change had made an impression on the most thought- 
 less, and told him he felt very miserable. Captain F * * * 
 replied, ' Oh ! I am sorry you are miserable, I am always 
 happy nowT Mr Hammond said he went home, and 
 thought there must be something in religion, if it could 
 make a man aliuays happy; I said it was indeed a great 
 proof of its reality and power ; he said, ' Yes, and when 
 people will confess it too in conversation.' I am sure the 
 noise they all made when they went, might have convinced 
 any one that our serious conversation had not had a very 
 bad effect on their spirits." 
 
 In another letter, the same writer says : — 
 "A little while ago, Mr Hammond told us it was 
 quite impossible he could ever get up early in the morning. 
 He acknowledged the value of a quiet hour before break- 
 fast, and that he was liable to be interrupted all the rest of 
 the day: but get up early he was certain Jie never could. 
 
38 CONVERSION. 
 
 A * * * said, * When you have a motive strong enough you 
 will find you can \ and last Saturday he told us that, for 
 several months, he had risen at seven, cold and dark as it is. 
 We congratulated him, and he laughed ; and said, ' I assure 
 you when I turn out at seven, I am astonished at myself.' 
 Mr Hammond had made an engagement to go out moose- 
 hunting for a fortnight; but now he wants to get off: 
 'not," he says, 'that I do not enjoy the woods; but hunting 
 on Sunday is out of the question ; and, besides, it is a long 
 time to sjDend in idleness/ Neither A * * * nor * * * 
 have ever urged Mr Hammond or Mr # * * to give 
 up anything of worldly amusement ; and the subject is 
 never mentioned, except when introduced by the young 
 men themselves; and then A * * * tells them to give 
 nothing up till they can see their way clearly ; till they know 
 why, and for what they are giving it up. We had a most 
 happy evening last Saturday. I am sure no one who ever 
 saw our little band, could ever again dare to say, that 
 rehgion is a gloomy thing. Captain W * * * says, 
 that he has now, for the first time, a faint idea of what 
 happiness is. Mr Hammond comes in with a counte- 
 nance perfectly radiant, and many a hearty laugh we have 
 together. The other day when the ladies dined at the 
 mess, poor Mr Hammond got sadly bullied ; they happened 
 to hear him say that h^ should give up smoking, and this 
 formed the signal for attack Many unkind and cutting 
 things were said, and he is a person to feel it deej)ly ; but 
 his is a most unflinching spirit. He told A * * * after- 
 wards, that when he went to his room he found greater 
 comfort in prayer, than he had ever done before; and 
 
EARLY TRIALS. 99 
 
 added, that he ought to rejoice in being able to suffer 
 anything for Christ's sake. You know I always admire 
 firmness and manliness of character, and to find it in one so 
 young, and united to so much gentleness and humility, is 
 very beautiful. He is indeed a devoted young Christian, 
 and his one desire seems that his tongue and his pen, his 
 heart and his head, should be given to liis Master's 
 service." 
 
40 CHANGED HABITS. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 " Old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new,**— 
 2 Cor. v. 17. 
 
 Heee then in Halifax, among the deadening influences of 
 a garrison life, as at Corinth or at Ephesus in the early 
 morning of Christianity, a little Church was forming: a 
 brotherhood marked by one especial feature common to 
 the Church of old — the inseparable signet of every one that 
 is born of God, love to each other — " They knew that they 
 had passed from death unto life, because they loved the 
 brethren ;" and of these there was one whose heart, bound 
 up with him in Christ, was knitted to Maxy's with a love 
 like that of David's toward Jonathan ; of whom it might 
 be truly said, " There is a friend that sticketh closer than 
 a brother." Of these pleasant days that friend and brother 
 writes : — 
 
 ''October 29th, 1855. 
 
 " I think it was towards the end of 1 8-44<, I recollect the 
 day, a very, very bright one, when Colonel (then Captain) 
 L * * * told me that he and his wife had written a note 
 to Hammond and * * *, requesting them to come to his 
 
LEAENING AND TEACHING. 41. 
 
 house on Saturday evening after mess, and converse over 
 a portion of Scripture with prayer. I may state that 
 L * * * and I, previous to his marriage, had been in the 
 habit of thus meeting; and now, much to my delight, I 
 found that his marriage was not to be a hindrance to a 
 renewal, on a larger scale, of our little reunion. They all 
 agreed to come; and continued to do so, unless prevented 
 by duty or some other urgent cause. Very shortly these 
 simple, yet powerful means began to tell on their hearts 
 and consciences, and their conversation began gradually to 
 change. Very soon we all four got into the same staircase 
 in barracks, and I have a lively recollection of dearest 
 Hammond coming to my room, with difficulties about texts 
 of Scripture in regard to the communion. * * *'s room 
 was next to mine; and for some weeks we met every night 
 in his room, reading the Word, searching it as a new book, 
 as it were opened now for the first time in their lives. 
 At this time a lady gave him M'Cheyne's Memoir to read, 
 and he and W * * * were deeply impressed by it. 
 About this time, also, a garrison Sunday School for the 
 soldiers was in operation, under the superintendence of Dr 
 T * * *, the garrison chaplain; assisted by officers be- 
 longing to different regiments, as well as to the civil 
 branches of the service. We used to meet in the week- 
 day with Dr T * « *, at the Ordnance Office, tor some 
 study of the lesson of the following Sunday. Our young 
 recruits joined and gave their assistance, being taught and 
 watered themselves whilst teaching others. Some Chris- 
 tian families in the town, belonging to Mr C * * *'s 
 congregation, had also a Wednesday evening, at each 
 other's house alternately, of a very instructive and re- 
 
42 CHANGED HABITS. 
 
 freshing kind; very useful to Christian officers, who were 
 thus, at once, introduced to religious friends. These were, 
 indeed, four bright, happy, and useful years spent in 
 Halifax; when the Spirit came down in many places in 
 the town, and from time to time we knew of souls being 
 
 added to Christ, in the garrison and without it 
 
 From the outset of his religious course, Hammond was 
 always clear and decided ; there was no doubt who was his 
 Master. His light began very soon to shine brightly. 
 Indeed, the change was so striking, so marked, so very real, 
 that often when my mind has been in doubts, and fears, 
 and misgivings, I had only to turn to this living example 
 daily before me, and I no longer doubted of the truth of 
 a change of heart and life wrought by the Spirit of God." 
 
 An instance of the heartiness with which Maxy Ham- 
 mond threw himself into the practical duties of the new 
 life upon which he had just entered, is related in the 
 following extract from the letter of an officer: "The 
 Sunday School, of which I spoke, was intended for the 
 soldiers of the various regiments in the garrison of Halifax, 
 and was held in a large room within the barracks. Ham- 
 mond, with several officers of the Rifle Brigade, and a few 
 more belonging to the garrison, occupied themselves in 
 teaching classes. About this period an order was issued 
 prohibiting officers, in the Rifle Brigade, from instructing 
 their men as they had been doing: in the mistaken idea, I 
 believe, that it would cause too much familiarity among 
 officers and men. Those who had the privilege of teaching 
 in the same school will remember the deep grief which the 
 order caused to Maxy Hammond, when deprived of the 
 
THE HAPPY CHAEACTEE OF HIS CONVERSION. 43 
 
 work in which he took so much delight. Nor will the 
 remark be forgotten which he made, after the prohibition 
 to teach : ' Well/ he said, ' if I must not teach, I suppose 
 there is no order to prevent my learning;' and, accord- 
 ingly, he sat down at one end of the form on which some 
 of his own men and others were seated, and listened to the 
 teaching of one whose position should have been at his 
 feet." 
 
 In various ways and at various times, it pleases the 
 Lord to call into His fold one and another of His people. 
 And, next to the immediate instrumentality of His Word, 
 perhaps no means is so commonly used as some afflictive 
 dispensation. Long wanderings through the wilderness, 
 bitter draughts at the fountain of Mara, are the portion of 
 many before they find " light in the evening time." But 
 it was not thus with Maxy Hammond. In the summer 
 of his life he listened to the voice of the Beloved—" Else 
 up, my love, and come away ; for lo ! the winter is past, 
 the rain is over and gone, the flowers appear on the earth, 
 and the time of the singing of birds is come." He loved 
 to dwell on this himself. He was drawn with the bands 
 of love. 
 
 Speaking of her happy acquaintance with him, a lady 
 says: "I shall never forget him, or the impression he 
 left upon me ; so earnest, so single-minded, so very lovely 
 in manner and expression, and such deep, devoted love 
 to the Saviour and His cause. He recalled M'Cheyne; 
 breathing the very spirit of holiness. I remember so well 
 one day his sitting with me at Belmont, near Quebec, and 
 speaking of the trials and joys of young converts, his 
 whole face beaming with bright expression, he drew my 
 
44 CHANGED HABITS. 
 
 attention to that passao-e in Deut. xxiv. 5 : ' When a man 
 hath taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war, neither 
 shall he be charged with any business ; but he shall be 
 free at home one year, and shall cheer up his wife which 
 he hath taken.' You cannot think how often his voice 
 and words have recurred to me since. His day or year of 
 espousals to Christ, was, he said, so bright, so clear a one." 
 The first avowal of his new opinions among his old 
 friends brought with it its trials. Warmly attached to 
 many of his brother officers, he viewed with sorrow and 
 anxiety their continuance in the way that leadeth to de- 
 struction: 
 
 " Jesus, how my heart is pained. 
 
 How it mourns for souls deceived ; 
 When I hear Thy Name profaned. 
 When I see Thy Spirit grieved;" — 
 
 and having been mercifully enlightened himself, and having 
 tasted of the heavenly gift, he prayed, if it were possible, 
 that they should be partakers of his joy. He relates, him- 
 self, a conversation with a brother officer, which is very 
 interesting — " We were sitting together, and at last I said 
 to * * * 'I wonder you never think of the life we are all 
 leading.' * * * started up and said, bitterly, ' If yr u are 
 going to preach, I m off.' His tone and manner wounded 
 my very heart ; but I called him back, telling him, I was 
 not going to preach, for I could not. I told him, I meant 
 to give up my own ways, that I was much happier reading 
 in my own room, than I ever had been drinking and 
 smoking with them; I said, I knew I must lose the 
 friendship of my old friends, but that I was quite pre- 
 
THE EEPKOACH OF THE CROSS. 4§ 
 
 pared for. ♦ * * said, 'Oh no, every man has a right to 
 his own opinions/ Afterwards, * * * was not only- 
 softened, but affected. We parted good friends, but from 
 that time he became distant and reserved.'' It was, per- 
 haps, owing to what has been characterised, by one who 
 spoke of him long afterwards, as " the lofty simjilicity and 
 genuine unaffected piety of his character,'' that he was not 
 so frequently exposed to scenes of this nature, as might 
 have been expected. Still we can quite understand that, 
 to his warm and affectionate disposition, such scenes as 
 these must have been sore trials. But he had taken up 
 the cross, and rejoiced to bear its reproach. 
 
 In a letter to his mother from Halifax, he alludes to 
 these trials as well as to the new source of happiness now 
 opened to him : — 
 
 " January 2d, ] 845. 
 " I often think how ungrateful I have been to you and to 
 Father, in neglecting your kind advice, and in having been 
 the wilful cause of so much trouble and anxiety to you 
 both. I pray to God, that this may never be the case 
 again, and that I may make up for my past want of atten- 
 tion and ingratitude by my future conduct. I wish you 
 could know Mrs L * * * ; she is the sweetest and kindest 
 person I ever met with in my life ; I really love her as 
 much as a sister. But you may easily imagine what it is 
 to meet with a person you can really call a friend, in a 
 foreign country, where you meet with nothing but the 
 coldness and formality of the world ; we have also re- 
 ceived great kindness from several other people, and I see 
 more and more every day, what a different kind of friend- 
 
46 CHANGED HABITS. 
 
 ship this is from that of the world in general. But we 
 cannot expect to have our happiness unmixed with annoy- 
 ances and indeed sorrow, or to receive it without trials ; 
 and you well know, no doubt, that we do not receive any 
 encouragement from our brother officers. It is very pain- 
 ful to see plainly a reserve and coohiess among many who 
 were before our greatest friends; but it is quite impos- 
 sible to keep on the same terms of intimacy as before, as 
 our tastes and ideas are so opposed, that we cannot associate 
 with them as we used. This, certainly, is very painful; 
 but when we consider what it is for, it is also very neces- 
 sary ; for what sacrifices ought we not to make, if it inter- 
 fere in any way with oiu^ duty to our God ? But we may 
 still hope and trust to be as great friends as before, though 
 not to the same extent. . , . Ever your affectionate son, 
 
 " M. M. Hammond." 
 
 Maxy often alluded to the very great difficulty he experi- 
 enced in abandoning the habit of swearing. He used to 
 think that nothing could make hun give up this habit. 
 But he overcame it ; and once only was he betrayed into 
 its commission. And then, when under circumstances of 
 great provocation, an oath passed his lips, his remorse 
 and humiliation were most poignant. He soon became 
 very jealous of his time ; regarding it as a gift to be em- 
 ployed in the service of his Master. He was excessively 
 fond of music ; and had hitherto frequently spent whole 
 afternoons in listening to the band practising ; but this he 
 now abandoned. Yet his strong love for music remained 
 unchanged. Shortly before leaving England, in 1853, 
 when speaking of music, he said that the opera was the 
 
LOVE OF MUSIC AND HABITS OF PEAYEE. 47 
 
 only worldly amusement whicli had cost him some self- 
 denial to give up. " Not/' he added, " that I could en- 
 joy it now, were I to go ; for I could not help thinking of 
 the evil connected with it." And then he added, with 
 much animation, " / always feel that I must wait till 1 
 get to heaven, to enjoy music. I often feel a craving for it 
 which cannot be satisfied here, and I am sure that the 
 love of harmony cannot have been implanted in our natures 
 for nothing." 
 
 Speaking afterwards of the change wrought in his whole 
 mind by his conversion, he instanced the interest he began 
 at once to take in books of general information, history, 
 poetry, &c., whereas, he had scarcely before read anything 
 except the newspaper. Prescott's " Ferdinand and Isa- 
 bella," D'Aubigne's "Reformation," Butler's "Analogy," 
 Pollok's " Course of Time," were some of the first books he 
 read at Halifax. And the habit of reading books of this 
 character, adopted in the first instance from a sense of 
 duty, very soon became as attractive as it had previously 
 been irksome to him. The natural cast of his mind, in- 
 deed, appears to have been remodelled, and fresh habits to 
 have been adopted, based upon principles altogether new. 
 The responsibility of man, in regard to the use of those 
 gifts with which the Creator has endowed him, appears 
 to have presented itself now for the first time. Hitherto 
 his mind had been lying almost fallow. He perceived 
 now the inestimable value of those talents entrusted to 
 him ; and he resolved, as far as in him lay, to " redeem 
 the time," — to be " watchful, and strengthen those things 
 that remained, that were ready to fall." 
 
 The want of sympathy among brother officers before 
 spoken of, is, of course, intended to apply in general 
 
48 CHANGED HABITS. 
 
 terms to the majority of Maxy Hammond's companions. 
 His position in the Rifle Brigade at this time was indeed 
 one for which he had abundant cause for gratitude. There 
 were certainly not less than four or five officers, who, both 
 in profession and practice, gave evidence that the love of 
 God was uppermost in their hearts ; no small proportion 
 in one regiment, at a time when the religious tone of the 
 army was very much lower than we have reason to believe 
 it is, by God's grace, at present. We should be doing a 
 grave injustice to the memory of a good and Christian 
 man, now no more, if we omitted to state that in Colonel 
 I * * *, at that time in command of the battalion, 
 Maxy Hammond, and others similarly circumstanced with 
 him, found a most kind and important support. Some 
 extracts from a letter of Colonel I * * *'s will also shew 
 that the change which Maxy Hammond had undergone, 
 had in no ways the effect of deteriorating his colonel's 
 former opinion of him. In speaking of him to his father. 
 Colonel I * * * says : " I am sensible of the advantage 
 and satisfaction derived from his presence with the corps. 
 Now that I have known him and had experience of him 
 some years, I think it due to j^ou as well as to him to ex- 
 press my opinion of him ; more especially as I am given to 
 understand that certain reports are in circulation respect- 
 ing the religious opinions of some of my officers. Appre- 
 hensive that these may reach you, I desire to state how he 
 stands in that respect. Some of my officers have been 
 reputed to hold extreme opinions, and to exercise a corres- 
 ponding extravagance of conduct in regard to religion. 
 There are no grounds for any such imputation upon any 
 member of the corps. I am anxious, for your son's sake, 
 
LETTER FKOM COLONEL I * * *. 49 
 
 to assure you that he is free from anything of that kind. 
 I have some knowledge of his mind ; and I believe him to 
 be actuated by just notions of religion, in strict accordance 
 with the doctrines and teaching of the Established Church ; 
 and in all respects doing his best endeavour (to use the 
 words of our old catechism) to do his duty in that state of 
 life to which it has pleased God to call him. That he has 
 become more devoutly disposed of late than formerly, is 
 most true ; and casual observers may have drawn wrong 
 inferences from the fact. But I rejoice, as he himself 
 does, in the establishment "within him of a sound principle 
 
 of mental and active life There are people who 
 
 might describe him, as they v/ould other men, who desire 
 to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present 
 world, otherwise than they are ; but there can be no mis- 
 take in the family of a young officer, who in all points 
 shews himself to be neither more nor less than what a 
 Christian gentleman must needs be, who has any claim to 
 the name." 
 
 With some anxiety Maxy Hammond had waited for an 
 answer to the letter which announced to his family the 
 change that had taken place in him. He writes again to 
 his father : — 
 
 ''February I, J 845. 
 " I sincerely thank you for all your kind letters which 
 I received by the last mail. The sympathy and encourage- 
 ment from all, were the source of the greatest joy and 
 happiness to me, and I feel most grateful. Your kind 
 advice as to jDropriety of conduct, and the necessity of 
 avoiding everything which might offend or disgust my 
 
 D 
 
50 CHANGED HABITS. 
 
 brother officers, is most thankfully received. I entirely 
 agree with you on this subject. Nothing would pain me 
 more than by injudicious conduct to give cause of offence 
 or to make anything like a party feeling in the regiment. 
 Nobody can feel more than I do the propriety of an unos- 
 tentatious religion; particularly when I am such a begin- 
 ner in these things. At the same time I feel that my con- 
 fession of Christ should be decided. I have desired to 
 make no profession; but still it is well known in the 
 regiment that I am striving to serve God ; and therefore 
 every inconsistency is, and will be, remarked upon. Our 
 readings together have been a blessing to me, and were, 
 moreover, the means by which God first shewed me the 
 state of my heart. I should be very unwilling to give 
 them up, and I cannot help thinking that if we search the 
 Scriptures in a humble, teachable disposition, we shall have 
 God's blessing with us. We are all agreed that these things 
 cannot be done too quietly."" 
 
 In the beginning of May he gets leave for a short tour 
 through some of the States, in company with a brother 
 officer. Describing this trip in a letter dated Jmie 12, 
 1845, he says : — 
 
 " The Cambria arrived a day sooner than I expected. 
 I had only half packed up ; and had a great many things 
 to settle, and barely succeeded in getting ready before she 
 was off. In small matters, as well as in great, it is danger- 
 ous to put off anything to the last. We left Halifax on 
 the 1st of May. * * * was my fellow-traveller, and we 
 shared a cabin between us. We passed our Sunday very 
 comfortably, the captain reading morning service, and an 
 
TOUR THEOUGH THE STATES — BOSTON. 51 
 
 excellent sermon of Blunt's. We made the land in tlio 
 afternoon, and made fast to the wharf at Boston at nine 
 P.M., having made the run of four hundred miles in thirty- 
 three hours. Boston is a fine town, quite English ; I sup- 
 pose about the size of Bristol. I could hardly fancy my- 
 self in a foreign country, but for the peculiar dress, long 
 hair, and beards of the people. The hotels are all on the 
 French system. We brought with us several letters of 
 introduction for different places, one of which produced 
 an invitation to tea from a Mr * * ♦, one of the most in- 
 fluential men in Boston ; nothing can equal the cordiality 
 and friendship with which they received us ; we found them 
 particularly nice people. In this country there are no 
 dinner-parties, and they meet in this sociable way at tea; 
 breaking up at ten o'clock, which I think a very agTeeable 
 and sensible custom. I have not room to describe all we 
 saw, so must be as brief as possible. The burying-ground, 
 Momit Auburn, is a very pretty spot; perfectly natural, 
 full of fine trees, and intersected with drives and walks; 
 with tombs and monuments in all directions, for the most 
 part quite plain and simple. The dockyard is small : we 
 saw there a large steam-frigate mounting twenty-two guns, 
 and a line-of-battle ship building. We went to see the 
 Bunker's Hill Monument, a fine granite obelisk 220 feet 
 high, with a good view of the town from the top. The 
 State prison was well worth seeing, the cells very clean, 
 all the prisoners employed at different trades, as shoe- 
 makers, blacksmiths, weavers, upholsterers, &c., each de- 
 partment having its separate building; they are not allowed 
 to speak to one another ; each has his own cell, where he 
 takes his meals and sleeps. The thermometer that day 
 
52 CHANGED HABITS. 
 
 was 89°; rather sultry. We stayed at Boston two days, 
 and went on to New York, where we arrived on the 4th 
 of June, and jxit up at an immense hotel, where we sat 
 down about one hundred and forty to dinner. New York 
 is quite a different description of city from Boston, larger 
 and more bustling. Here you see something more of 
 the real Yankees, of whom I must give a short descrip- 
 tion. To begin with their good qualities. They are very 
 civil to strangers, for the most part well informed, good 
 men of business, and a remarkably energetic and enter- 
 prising set. I believe them to have been much wronged 
 and misrepresented by authors, from a national prejudice 
 that we 'Britishers' should not condescend to. I am 
 sure it makes the whole difference whether a person ctarts 
 to travel with a determination to criticise, and be disgusted 
 with their peculiarities and oddities; or whether, with a 
 more charitable feeling, he goes determined to be pleased 
 and to * be to their faults a little blind.' Although I must 
 confess I often find myself much disposed to judge by 
 comparison, I am inclined to wish to see the best side of 
 the picture, and to leave the rest to wiser and more expe- 
 rienced heads to determine. In conversation the Yankees 
 are very cool and free, using many extraordinary expres- 
 sions, which amuse me much. This freedom is not meant 
 impertinently, though it might appear so to a stranger. 
 One must always recollect that it is a free country, where 
 every one thinks as much of himself as his neighbour, and 
 therefore you are seldom 'Sir'd,' or spoken to otherwise 
 than as an equal. The fact of being a British officer is a 
 passport that secures the national civility at all the public 
 institutions, and indeed everywhere. Some of the notices 
 
AMERICAN PECULIARITIES. 53 
 
 and signs amused me much ; such as on the railway, * Look 
 out for the locomotive ! ' and over a shop, ' Society for the 
 encouragement of wearing clean shirts!' New York is 
 not to be compared with London as a city, and very dirty, 
 there being no sewers to carry off the dirt; so that in 
 front of the best hotels everything is thrown into the 
 street, the pigs being the only scavengers. We went over 
 a first-rate line-of-battle ship of ninety-two guns, forty- 
 two pounders ; not to be compared with our own men-of- 
 war in point of neatness and cleanliness, though a very 
 fine ship. The armoury was composed of muskets ' taken 
 from the English' Very unlike the armoury on board 
 the Inconstant. After viewing some more of the lions 
 here, we went on to Philadelphia, where we arrived on the 
 7th, and put up at a remarkably clean and quiet little 
 hotel, with not more than a dozen people in the house. 
 We were much pleased with this town, from its quiet and 
 cleanliness ; and the trees in all the streets are some shelter 
 from the burning heat. While we were there the ther- 
 mometer was 96° in the shade; and indoors, in the coolest 
 passage, at 93°. The most intolerable part of the heat is 
 that the nights are as hot as the days; so that, in the 
 morning, after having laid on the outside of the bed all 
 night, you awake as little refreshed as if you had never 
 been in bed at all. Here we spent our second Sunday, 
 and were fortunate enough to hear a sound, faithful ser- 
 mon. Their liturgy is the same as ours, with the excep- 
 tion of some little alterations and omissions. The Lord's 
 Prayer is omitted once or twice. The singing was good : 
 the psalms of a different version from ours. The Sabbath 
 appeared to be well observed. We went on to Baltimore, 
 
54i CHANGED HABITS. 
 
 and thence to Washington, the capital and seat of govern- 
 ment; well worth seeing. We returned to Philadelphia, 
 having been fairly driven out by the heat — 98° in the shade 
 — and saw the State prison Dickens spoke so much of. 
 The plan is very good, all the passages radiating from the 
 centre, so that one keeper could have his eye on the whole 
 at once ; all solitary confinement, of different periods, up 
 to twenty-one years. And here we are back at New York, 
 expecting to go up the Hudson to-morrow to visit the 
 Royal Military College of the United States, and thence 
 to work on to Niagara, Canada, &c/' 
 
 " NiAGAEA Falls, 2Uh June, 
 
 "We left New York on the 14th and started for West 
 Point, where is the Military Academy. We had letters to 
 two of the officers of the establishment, who devoted them- 
 selves to us ; shewing us and explaining everything with 
 the utmost kindness. From having been ourselves at 
 Sandhurst we found this very interesting ; and it so hap- 
 pened, that we arrived at a very lucky time, during the 
 examinations, when all the bigwigs, commander-in-chief, 
 &c., were there. We heard some of the examinations, which 
 were remarkably good, and made those of Sandhurst appear 
 very insignificant. There are about 280 cadets, formed 
 into a regular battalion, with captain, subalterns, sergeants, 
 and staff, found by the cadets. They have, besides, a com- 
 mandant, and a commissioned-officer over each company. 
 We were treated like generals. The commandant called on 
 us, drove us to see the parade, and we were invited to in- 
 spect the battalion. None are admitted under sixteen ; so 
 that, on the whole, they are a really fine-looking regiment. 
 
TOUE THEOUGH THE STATES — WEST POINT, NIAGAEA. 55 
 
 Their dress is a Frencli gray bobtailed coat, cotton belts, 
 caps like our new ones, and white trousers. They look 
 very well in a body, though very bad singly. They are 
 worked hard, having only two months' vacation out of 
 the four years they are there ; except two months when 
 they are encamped in summer, and practise nothing but 
 military duties. Unlike our colleges, they pay nothing; but 
 are paid by government enough to find them in everything 
 while they are there, and to have an overplus sufiicient 
 to pay for their outfit after they leave. West Point was 
 Washington's greatest stronghold during the rebellion, by 
 which he completely prevented any junction of the British 
 between New York and Canada, and where he always 
 found his winter quarters. It is therefore a place of which 
 the Yankees are not a little proud We went on by Al- 
 bany, Utica, Auburn, Eochester, and Bufialo to this place, 
 where we arrived on the 20th. It is quite useless my at- 
 tempting to describe Niagara. I have hardly yet collected 
 my senses. It is divided into two falls, the American and 
 the Horse -shoe, with an island between. Their height, 
 which is about 160 feet, is not so striking as the immense 
 body of water which unceasingly tumbles over. To give 
 you an idea of the weight of the falling water, the room 
 where I am now sitting is shaking like the vibration of a 
 steamer. Yesterday we went through the ordeal of going 
 under the great sheet, which nothing but the foolish curio- 
 sity of the English would ever tempt one to undertake. 
 On arriving close to the Fall, there is such a rush of wind 
 and water as almost to knock you down; however, by 
 keeping your head down, and going boldly on, you soon 
 get through the worst part, and find yom^self 230 feet 
 
56 CHANGED HABITS. 
 
 imclerneath. Our sable guide stripped us of everything 
 except a flannel shirt, and we enjoyed the shower bath 
 uncommonly; and that is about all that you get by going 
 under. The deep emerald colour in the centre of the 
 Horse-shoe Fall, occasioned by the depth of the body of 
 water, is unlike anything else in the world. We could not 
 help longing that our Transatlantic friends could have 
 seen them. I am very much pleased with the tour; but I 
 also feel what a blessing were the various opportunities 
 and privileges of which I am now deprived. But this 
 is a good lesson, to teach us how we should value those 
 things while we possess them ; and also that we must 
 not lean upon outward ordinances, but that our sole 
 trust must be in Him alone v.^ho is able to keep us from 
 falling. There are many temptations in travelling which 
 are apt to lead us to be too much occupied with the 
 things of this world, and so forget God. I need all your 
 prayers as well as my own. . . . I am often filled 
 with doubts and fears, but I am convinced they are tempta- 
 tions of the devil, and the remaining imbelief in my heart. 
 May the Lord grant that, in the day when He shall 'make 
 up His jewels,' we may be found looking and leaning on 
 Jesus as our only hope ! — Ever your affectionate son, 
 
 " M. M. H." 
 
 Tew persons will have read this letter without being- 
 struck, no less with the holy Christian spirit of charity, 
 than with the wisdom which characterises the comments 
 upon the American people and their social peculiarities. 
 The wpiter of the letter was scarcely twenty, and his spi- 
 ritual life was of hardly a year's growth. Yet is not this 
 
SPircIT OF CHARITY. 57 
 
 the fulfilling of that law of love which worketh no ill to 
 his neio-hbour? Is not this indeed an evidence of that spirit 
 of wisdom which " sheweth out of a good conversation his 
 works with meekness of wisdom''— the wisdom that is 
 from above— "pure, peaceable, and gentle, without par- 
 tiahty and without hypocrisy?" 
 
 On his return from this expedition, Maxy Hammond 
 writes again to his youngest brother, at that time an 
 Eton boy, a letter remembered and treasured by hnn as 
 one of especial interest — as the first affectionate encou- 
 ragement from Maxy to consecrate to his Creator the 
 days of his youth. Full of affection indeed he always 
 was to all his family. But now a new spring of love 
 welled from his heart. The warmth of his love towards 
 his father and mother daily increased, and, having tasted 
 of the heavenly gift, he anxiously longed that each one of 
 his family should be partakers with himself. In after 
 years this wish was strongly expressed by him. He said, 
 that so great was his faith in prayer, that he felt persuaded 
 that all his family would at last be brought to the saving 
 knowledge of Jesus. This early letter was the first over- 
 ture, the first exercise of that tender care with which he 
 watched over his young brother's years— a care which was 
 not bestowed in vain. 
 
 " Halifax, August 17, 1845. 
 "I don't know whether you will have gone back to 
 Eton or not before this reaches you. I am looking out 
 for the packet to hear all about your doings at home 
 during the cricket-week. Of course, you, as an Etonian, 
 are by this time a crack player. How does the pulling 
 
HS CHANGED HABITS. 
 
 get on ? We have nothing like your skiffs here, but if 
 we had, they could only be used in a dead calm. Sailing 
 is the thing, and that we have to perfection. * # * * 
 (who, by the by, is an Eton man) has just built a good- 
 sized cutter, about thirty- two tons, in which he has just 
 gone to Cape Breton. The distance is about 200 miles, and 
 as she has double the canvas that a boat ought to have for 
 sea-going, I should be sorry to be caught in a gale in her. 
 Yachting is rather an expensive hobby. This boat will 
 cost him little less than J?600, which, for the few months 
 of summer, is decidedly dear. Our moose-hunting is just 
 coming on, but I don't intend to go out this year. It 
 takes up too much time, and the novelty of the semi- 
 savage life has worn away. I look forward with much 
 pleasure to going home. Three years is a long time to be 
 separated from one's relations, and yet it has passed won- 
 derfully quick, and I may say very happily, especially 
 the last part of it. Depend upon it, dear H * ♦ *, that 
 a man can never be truly happy until he has found a 
 higher object to live for than what the world affords. I 
 used to think myself quite happy, and so I was. But 
 where would it all have been, if I had been deprived of 
 health, and had been unable to enjoy the things that con- 
 stituted that happiness? No; if we wish to find that 
 peace which the world can neither give nor take away, wo 
 must live to Him who died for our sins; for then only 
 can we find what real happiness and a clear conscience is. 
 And surely we are never too young to begin a good work, 
 though if v/e put it off, we may lose it for ever. Just 
 look at Eccles. xi. 9, 10, and xii. 1, 13, 14; and read what 
 Christ said, Matt. xi. 28, 29, 30. Forgive this sermon. 
 
ADVICE TO A YOUNG BROTHER. 69 
 
 I have said so much to you because I love you, and would 
 do to you as I would be done by. And now, my dear 
 H * * *, good bye. — Your affectionate brother, 
 
 " M. M. H." 
 
 The next letter is to a brother who was just at that 
 time preparing for the ministry : — 
 
 "Halifax, August 18, 1845. 
 
 " I want to know your plans this autumn ; whether you 
 are going to C * * *'s; when, and for how long; and also 
 when you are to be ordained. I remember making an 
 agreement with you, that I would go and hear your first 
 sermon. I still have some hopes of doing so, and, if all 
 goes well, I should like very much to confirm it. Wherever 
 you are, I hope you will be well out of the range of 
 Puseyism, which seems spreading everywhere in England, 
 and has even reached this country. In Canada, I heard a 
 sad specimen, and was horrified at finding what Puseyism 
 really is. 
 
 " Yesterday being the 12th of August, reminded me of 
 W * * *, who said he was going up to Scotland for 
 grouse. My sporting consists in about five hours' target 
 practice two or three times a-week, which, though the 
 game is always in sight, is rather tedious. . . . Just 
 
 before my return, a young officer of the was taken 
 
 suddenly ill, and died after a few hours of fever and 
 delirium. I don't think I ever mentioned to you the death 
 of Mrs F * * *, who also died at a moment's notice at 
 the hotel, just before I went to the States ; and the other 
 day two poor men broke into the cabin of the ifary, 
 
60 CHANGED HABITS. 
 
 drank some wine, and were capsized in a skiff afterwards, 
 and drowned. Do not these seem to be solemn warnino-s 
 to US ? and yet all have passed by unheeded. They call 
 religion madness and enthusiasm ; but what can be greater 
 madness and enthusiasm than to be devoting one's life to 
 the affairs of this world? And yet, how carelessly we all 
 live, while we are in health and strength, and enjoying all 
 the luxuries and comforts of life ! I wish I could say, * To 
 live is Christ, to die is gain;' but I feel so much cur 
 blessed Lord's injunction, ' Watch and pray, for ye know 
 not when the time is." We are told to exhort one another, 
 and to pray for one another. I should be very thankful 
 if you would urge, advise, and instruct me, as I value and 
 enjoy it much; and I wish you all to pray for me. I am 
 very weak and sinful, and need all your prayers/' 
 
DOCTRINAL VIEWS. 61 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 ^odrhral fitfos. 
 
 ** Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason 
 
 of the hope that is in you." — 1 Pet. iii. 15. 
 " Prove all things: hold fast that which is good." — 1 Thess. v. 21. 
 *' Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit." — 
 
 Col. ii. 8. 
 
 Theee is in the letter which closes the last chapter, an 
 expression regarding the doctrinal teaching of a large sec- 
 tion of our Church, which appears to afford a very natural 
 opening for some remarks on the individual views and 
 opinions of the subject of this memoir. 
 
 Perhaps there is no more difficult task, in these times 
 of party spirit and unhappy differences in the Church of 
 Christ, than to define the peculiar views of any person in 
 such a way as that, in their large and general scope, as 
 well as in their practical bearing, they should be fairly 
 stated, and run no risk of misconstruction. At the same 
 time, if they were represented solely by such passages, 
 more or less isolated, as occur in a very limited selection 
 of his letters, there would indeed be no little danger that 
 false conclusions might be drawn. 
 
 The compiler of this sketch approaches, therefore, this 
 portion of his subject not without much diffidence, yet 
 
62 DOCTEINAL VIEWS. 
 
 with an earnest desire, as far as in him lies, to exhibit 
 his subject with an impartial honesty of purpose. A 
 friend, before quoted, has attributed Maxy Hammond's 
 catholicity of spirit, and the clearness of his spiritual 
 views, to his learning his first lessons directly from the 
 Scriptures, unbiassed by any ecclesiastical system; with 
 singleness of purpose seeking for the truth. His views, 
 founded upon Holy Scripture, earnestly searched, and 
 doubtless blessed by the teaching and guidance of that 
 Holy SjDirit which is given to him that asketh, were 
 clear, fixed, and decided. They might be almost em- 
 bodied in these texts : " By grace are ye saved through 
 faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not 
 of works, lest any man should boast ; '' and, " Faith, if it 
 hath not works, is dead, being alone.'' His views on 
 baptismal regeneration are thus stated by himself, in a 
 short commentary on the Eomans (chap. ii. 25), written in 
 August 1854, and probably were adopted at the very 
 commencement of his religious life : — " The outward ordi- 
 nance of circumcision was a sio^n of the inward cleansinor 
 which must be wrought in the heart, and it was a visible 
 seal of God's covenant of mercy with His believing people. 
 Like baptism, the outward rite, unless accompanied with 
 inward grace, was in itself nothing beyond the mere ad- 
 mittance of a person into the visible Church of God. But 
 circumcision (and, in like manner, baptism) was indeed 
 profitable, when those who had received it were enabled 
 by grace to keep the law, and to walk by faith in, and in 
 the fear of, God. There was a tendency in the days when 
 the apostles wrote, as there is now, to rest in the outward 
 ceremonies rather than in the spiritual things they are 
 
BAPTISM. 63 
 
 intended to signify and convey." Again, on Rom. ii. 28, 29, 
 " He is not a Jew, which is one outwardly," he writes : 
 *' There have ever been two distinct classes in the Church 
 of God — those who serve Him in spirit and in truth, and 
 those who only call themselves by His name, but who 
 have never yielded to Him their hearts. The tares and 
 the wheat must grow together until the harvest, and it 
 may be difficult to distinguish the one from the other 
 when both profess the same faith, and both conform to 
 the same outward observances of religion. But a time is 
 coming when a separation will take place, and then the 
 distinction will be clearly and eternally made 'between 
 him that serveth God and him that serveth Him not' 
 (Mai. iii. 18). It is of the highest importance to discern 
 between the outward and inward parts of religion. Many 
 satisfy their consciences Vvith the outward form, and, not 
 being born again, they come short of the kingdom of 
 heaven. Applying these words to professing Christians, 
 we may read — ' He is not a Christian, who is one out- 
 wardly; neither is that baptism, which is outward in the 
 flesh : but he is a Christian, who is one inwardly ; and bap- 
 tism is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the 
 letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.' " 
 
 Holding these opinions, Maxy Hammond regarded with 
 some apprehension, and with the strongest disapproba- 
 tion, the system and tenets of the Tractarian party; and, 
 in the sphere of his own humble duties, he endeavoured, 
 as far as possible, to exclude and discountenance any such 
 influences. In a letter written two years later, he again 
 comments on the doctrines brought forward by the Trac- 
 tarians as, in his opinion, pregnant with danger. In allu- 
 
64 DOCTEINAL VIEWS. 
 
 sion to his youngest brother's approachmg entrance at 
 the University of Oxford, he says — "I long to hear of 
 H * * *'s getting settled at Merton, and hope he will 
 write soon. The trials and temptations of a college Hfe 
 are greater than in a regiment; but I trust he will be 
 preserved from the worldliness and ungodliness to which 
 he will be exposed. Nothing but a sense of the danger, 
 and one's own utter weakness, with a continual looldng 
 up to Christ, can enable one to hold on in the narrow 
 way. The Tractarian teaching is another most serious 
 danger, particulaily to one of so open and humble a dis- 
 position as H * * * ; but, with the Bible for his guide, 
 I trust he may be preserved from imbibing any of their 
 erroneous doctrines. These are days in which there is 
 great need of proving all things by the only test of truth, 
 as well in what we hear as in what we read ; for, alas ! 
 many deceivers are entered into the world who abide not 
 in the doctrme of Christ." 
 
 A friend, in a letter after his death, says — " As to his 
 views, he strongly sympathised with those in our Church 
 who hold Evangelical sentiments; and censured Tracta- 
 rianism as a system which placed the sacraments between 
 the sinner and Christ, hiding Him from view ; and as in- 
 culcating essentially Eomanist doctrines, and a religion of 
 mere form and ceremony, instead of the pure and simple 
 doctrines of the gospel, and the service of the heart and 
 affections required of God." 
 
 But, although an avowed opponent of that party and 
 their doctrines — if, indeed, such a term can be applied to 
 one of his gentle and humble disposition — he was ever 
 ready to hold out the hand of fellowship to all indivi- 
 
CATHOLICITY. 65 
 
 dually who loved the Lord Jesus in sincerity and truth. 
 Eegarding in this light members of all parties in the 
 Church of England, as well as those who dissented from 
 her communion, he received them as all baptized by one 
 Spirit into one body, whether Jews or Gentiles, whether 
 bond or free, looking with a comprehensive love to the 
 one great Church of Christ, and persuaded that 
 
 " The saints on earth and those above 
 
 But one communion make ; 
 Join'd to their Lord in bands of love, 
 
 All of His grace partake. 
 One army of the living God, 
 
 To His command they bow; 
 Part of the just have cross'd the flood, 
 
 And part are crossing now." 
 
 In this spirit he co-operated with Dissenters in many 
 societies — e.g., the Mic Mac Society, Halifax, and the 
 Tract Society, British and Foreign Bible Society, and 
 City Mission ; and he was favourable to the Evangelical 
 Alliance. He was enabled to recognise in those who be- 
 longed to different communions from himself, that they 
 are copartners in the kingdom of God. And so he writes, 
 three years afterwards, from Kingston, in reference to 
 Tractarian doctrine : " Amid the mourning over so many 
 who are possibly affected, both among bishops and clergy, 
 is it not rejoicing to one's heart to read such a speech 
 as that of the Primate of all England at the meeting of 
 the Bible Society ? It is indeed matter of praise that the 
 head of the Church of England should boldly stand up 
 for the truth, and not be ashamed to acknowledge and 
 
66 DOCTRINAL VIEWS. 
 
 co-operate with those of other denominations who love 
 the Lord Jesus, and seek the extension of His kingdom. 
 The more I consider the matter, the more I feel assured 
 that a catholic spirit is that which most accords with the 
 mind and spirit of Christ and His Word." But, with 
 this large and catholic spirit, Maxy Hammond was warmly 
 attached to the Church of England, feeling it to be the 
 purest and most honoured section of the Church of Christ. 
 He felt and deeply lamented the immense evil of schism, 
 and did all in his power to promote the unity of the 
 Spirit, feeling, with the poor peasant at Stockholm, " that 
 when we come to die, all our theology will be contained 
 in a drop — a drop of the blood shed for sinners." 
 
 Of the unity of Christ's Church, Maxy thus writes, in a 
 commentary on Eph. iii. 14<, 15: — • 
 
 "The Church of Christ forms one universal family. 
 The Church militant and the Church triumphant are alike 
 members of the same family. How sweet the thoughts 
 of our communion with the whole family of the redeemed ! 
 — all drinking from the same living fountain — ail par- 
 takers of the same Saviour's fulness — all heirs of the 
 same eternal glory. Love to the brethren is one of the 
 badges of discipleship. ' By this shall all men know that 
 ye are my disciples, because ye have love one to another.* 
 Again — * We know that we have passed from death unto 
 life, because we love the brethren.' I humbly trust I do 
 feel a love to all the family of God, without reference to 
 sect or party. I believe I can with sincerity wish grace 
 and peace to all who love the Lord Jesus. The fellow- 
 ship of those belonging to my own communion is cer- 
 tainly tiie most pleasing, where there is agreement in the 
 
CONTEOVEESY. 67 
 
 minor points as well as in the essential verities of religion. 
 And I certainly do love my own Church, and prefer it to 
 all others, because I think it is, on the whole, most in 
 accordance with my own views of the purity and simpli- 
 city of the truth of God in Christ. But at the same time 
 I can heartily join hand in hand with any brother who, 
 though differing in externals, is one with me in faith. 
 Alas ! how sad that the family of Jesus should be so dis- 
 united — that there should be such heartburnings — such 
 dissensions — such unhallowed and unholy emulations — ■ 
 such a spirit of controversy — such an absence of charity ! 
 Oh, Spirit of love ! let my spirit and principle be based 
 upon the holy law of love laid down in Thy Word; let 
 1 Cor. xiii. be my constant rule and guide; and grant, 
 Lord, that all bitterness and jealousy may be removed 
 from Thy Church, that each may esteem his brother better 
 than himself, and, ' forbearing one another in love,' may 
 grow up unto Christ in all things." 
 
 He was indeed very much opposed to anything like 
 religious controversy — it was wholly at variance with the 
 spirit he strove after. " Alas ! " he says, in one of his 
 letters, " how opposed is the spirit of controversy to the 
 meelmess and gentleness of Christ ! This is the spirit we 
 want to cultivate, and it will be obtained rather by drink- 
 ing in the milk of the Word, than from the heated pages 
 of angry discussion." .... Then he adds, with singular 
 truth, " Satan is glad to take men's minds off the vital 
 points of religion, and to give us the husks of empty dis- 
 cussion in their place." 
 
 Halifax races v/ere approaching, and, glad to escape 
 from an atmosphere so little congenial to his present 
 
68 DOCTEINAL VIEWS. 
 
 frame of mind, he plans a short cruise in his boat tne 
 Mary. There at least, avoiding a season of riot and noise 
 which his soul abhorred, he could enjoy an opportunity of 
 happy communion with Him whose " way is on the sea, 
 and whose path is in the great waters/' Notwithstanding 
 that grievous enemy, sea-sickness, who never failed to 
 exact his tribute, Maxy's love for the sea never forsook 
 him ; and we can fancy him lying back in the little Mary 
 — named with affectionate fondness after one of his family 
 — ^watching, as the breeze freshened, the yeasty foam that 
 gathered under her gunwale, as she ran before the wind 
 under the bights and bays of the coast of Nova Scotia. 
 
 *' September 2, 1845. — I have been enjoying myself in 
 a short cruise in the Mary during the races, which I was 
 delighted to escape. We v/ent to St Margaret's Bay, and 
 into Lunnenburg. We had delightful weather, and fair 
 winds followed us in going and coming back. Of course 
 I was sick the first day, but I have got so accustomed to 
 it, that I don't mind it in the least now. The Bishop of 
 Massachusetts has been here (Halifax) on a visit, and I 
 never met a more delightful person. He is a man of 
 great ability and deep piety, which, with his candid and 
 unaffected manner, delighted everybody.'" After inquiring 
 about the health of a relation, he concludes: "What a 
 blessed consolation it is to know that whom the Lord 
 loveth He chasteneth ! Her case seems to be a wonderful 
 instance of the comfort and peace of mind which a firm 
 and confident trust in the merits of a Eedeemer alone 
 can give. I often wonder how my faith would stand if 
 tried in the furnace of afiliction. It is so easy to talk 
 while in full health and strength. How necessary it is 
 
PEACEFULNESS OF SIIND. 69 
 
 for him ' that thinketh he standeth, to take heed lest he 
 fall/ " 
 
 Some expressions in his late letters seem to have been 
 misunderstood by some of his friends at this time; and he 
 writes to his father : — 
 
 " Halifax, September 17, 1845. 
 " I feel very sorry that I should have said anything to 
 produce the impression that I am labouring under de- 
 spondency and melancholy of feeling. I assure you that 
 such is not the case; as I can truly and sincerely say, 
 that since, by the mercy of God, I have been brought to 
 think seriously on these matters, I have never felt before 
 such happiness and peace of mind as, thank God, I now 
 enjoy. I doubt not I have been unguarded in some ex- 
 pressions; and perhaps in endeavouring to describe the 
 sinfulness and corruption of my heart, I may have led 
 you to suppose that my mind was oppressed with gloom 
 and mistrust. But although the Lord shews me, more 
 and more every day, the deceitfulness and desperate 
 wickedness of my heart, it produces a very different feeling 
 in me from that of unhappiness; for so is my faith in- 
 creased, and my firm and joyful hope in my Redeemer 
 strengthened and established: and, as you say, the gospel 
 is a message of ' glad tidings;' and the 'fruit of the Spirit 
 is joy and peace,' such as 'the world can neither give nor 
 take away;' and although the way may be 'strait' and the 
 paths rugged, yet ' its ways are ways of pleasantness, and 
 all its paths are peace.' S.> that for religion to produce a 
 morbid melancholy spirit is entirely opposed to the Word 
 cf Christ. The sin of our hearts, and the fatal security of 
 
70 DOCTRINAL VIEWS. 
 
 SO many around us, must produce sorrow; which soon is 
 turned into joy, when we think of what Christ has done 
 for us in giving us eternal life. I hope by this you will 
 perceive that I am not a mournful, but, I trust, under 
 God's blessing, a rejoicing Christian; and that, whenever I 
 go home, you will find that I am much the same in cheer- 
 fulness and happiness of mind as ever ; and that my face 
 is still as fat, and my ' dimple ' as visible, as it was three 
 years ago. I trust, my dear father, that I never have, 
 and never shall, say anything which may lead you to 
 suppose that I do not most highly value your advice, 
 and feel very thankful for it ; for whose advice could a 
 son prize so highly as that of his own father?" 
 
 Whatever fears may have been entertained that the 
 change in Maxy's spiritual life might produce a corre- 
 sponding one in his animal spirits, they were speedily 
 dispersed on his return to his home. If the thoughts of 
 his spirit within him tempered at times in any degree the 
 brightness of his look, it was far more often for others 
 than on his own account. If ever, under the first convic- 
 tion of sin, 
 
 " The burden laid upon him 
 Seem'd greater than he could bear," 
 
 like the gazer from the bridge, in Longfellow's lines, he 
 
 could say, 
 
 " But now it is taken from me. 
 
 It is buried in the sea; 
 And only the sorrows of others 
 Cast their shadow over me." 
 The ordinary expression of his joyous face, his cheerful 
 
CHEEEFULNESS AND CONTENT. 71 
 
 refreshing, hearty laugh never declined in the most imper- 
 ceptible degree. On the contrary, his Christianity was 
 eminently a happy one. A settled peace was his. He 
 had no cares — no wants. So that the compiler of these 
 pages well remembers one of his family to have remarked, 
 that if Maxy's religion brought nothing but such perfect 
 contentment, there was little cause for mistrust. We 
 would not lose sight of that which is certainly true, that 
 Maxy's character was naturally a very cheerful one; or 
 ascribe to the effect of grace a greater change in his 
 natural man than it really accomplished. But there can 
 be no question that it largely enhanced and quickened 
 Maxy's flow of happiness, and that it added to his natu- 
 rally sweet disposition a solid peace, ever present, never 
 disturbed. "The work of righteousness shall be peace, 
 and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance 
 for ever/' 
 
 " And now to my proceedings since I .ast wrote. Our 
 inspection is over. We were reviewed on the 12th, and, 
 I believe, we behaved pretty well; at least so every one 
 said. I should have liked you and M * * * to have been 
 there. We mustered rather strong, and our line extended 
 upwards of 400 yards; so that we had scarcely room to 
 manoeuvre, even on that large common. The movements 
 being something new, that is, not the formal things usually 
 practised on these occasions, added much to the effect. 
 As you like these things, I will give you a list of the 
 manoeuvres : — 
 
 " After receiving the general, marching past, &c., 
 " 1. Advance in line. 
 
72 DOCTRINAL VIEWS. 
 
 " 2. Retired from the right of companies, covered by skir- 
 mishers. 
 *' 3. Closed to quarter distance on the march. 
 " 4. Formed square. 
 
 " 5. Re-formed column, and covered front by skirmishers. 
 " 6. Retired, and formed on the head of a road, our flanks 
 
 resting on a wall to resist cavalry. 
 "7. Skirmishers changed front to the left, and formed 
 
 column. 
 " 8. Skirmishers called in and formed line. 
 " 9. Advanced in echellon of grand divisions, or double 
 
 companies from the right. 
 " 10. Formed squares of grand divisions. 
 *' 11. Formed line. 
 
 " 1 2. Advanced in line, and general salute. 
 All that was wanting was a visible enemy, as all 
 manoeuvres must otherwise be unintelligible to spectators. 
 I still hope to pass the winter at home. As for the pas- 
 sage across the Atlantic, of course in the winter it is 
 rough; but I would willingly undergo it for the joy of 
 getting home. My best love to all. — Ever your affectionate 
 Son, «M. M. H." 
 
 This Atlantic voyage, this happy return to his home, 
 longed for, but looked forward to as a joy even yet some- 
 what distant, came suddenly, and in a way least expected. 
 Ivlary Hammond had applied for leave; but two other 
 officers had also made application, and he cheerfidjy 
 acquiesced in the colonel's decision in their favour. But 
 an accidental circumstance induced him to renew his 
 
AllllIVAL IN ENGLAND. 73 
 
 application. To the great surprise and delight of his 
 family, the next letter that reached them was dated — 
 
 " Suffolk Stkeet, Pall Mall, 
 " October 16, 1845. 
 "My last letter from Halifax did not contain the 
 slightest hint of my coming home so soon ; nor did I then 
 think of it, as the colonel had said that C * * * and 
 T # * * were to leave first. The way it came about was 
 this : My friend Gr * * * was very ill, and as he was to 
 go home by the next packet, it struck me that my services 
 would be invaluable to him and his wife on their journey; 
 so I determined, at any rate, to make a push for my leave 
 on that i)lea ; and to my great astonishment and delight, 
 the colonel, with his usual good nature, at once gave it 
 me : so I packed up my traps, and got on board the good 
 ship Britannia on the 3d, and bade adieu to Halifax. 
 We had a good passage, although I was sick the whole 
 way, and reached Liverpool the eleventh day. A heavy 
 gale on Saturday and Sunday delayed us a good deal, or 
 we might have got in on Monday night. My charge bore 
 the journey better than he expected; he is completely 
 exhausted however, and I don't think could have borne 
 another day. I have now to report myself at the Horse 
 Guards, and have several other things to do, which will 
 detain me till the end of the week. I am very anxious, 
 as you may well suppose, to see you all." 
 
 Invaluable indeed were his services. Though inces- 
 santly suffering himself, his care and attention to his 
 
74? DOCTRINAL VIEWS. 
 
 companion was unrelaxed. He laboured for One who 
 " was not unrighteous to Ibrget his work and labour of 
 love which he had shewed towards His name;" and his 
 tenderness was doubtless not forgotten by the friend 
 whose bed he soothed in his sickness. 
 
 It was not without mingled feelings that Maxy regarded 
 his first return to his home. Four years had passed since 
 he had looked from the deck of the Premier upon the 
 white cliffs of his own country on a morning in June — 
 the dawn indeed of the morning of his own life — his 
 thoughts full of his home and of his friends — crowded 
 with visions of novelty and excitement — and little dream- 
 ing that before he saw those cliffs again, the germ of a 
 new and hidden life would have ripened into maturity, 
 under the noon-day rays of a far more glorious sun. He 
 had sailed from these shores in every sense a boy, and 
 had returned with his form strengthened into its full de- 
 velopment, and with the thoughtful cast of manhood on 
 his brow. With his outward form, his inner man had 
 undergone a complete and entire change. Those four 
 years — a short space enough in the life of a man, an im- 
 perceptible fragment in the course of time — had been to 
 him momentous beyond expression. In those four years 
 the great crisis of his life, both for time and for eternit}^, 
 had been reached. The past had been swept away, and 
 from that time the tide of his life had set in anew : from 
 that turning-point in his existence, "the life which he 
 henceforth lived in the flesh, he lived by the faith of the 
 Son of God." There was matter indeed for deep reflec- 
 tion on his part, as the meeting with his friends drew 
 near — matter too for solemn gratitude on theirs, and no 
 
AREIVAL IN ENGLAND. 75 
 
 less scof)e for interesting thought. He arrived ; and the 
 effect of the change that had passed over him was mani- 
 fest to us all. Bright as his face was in his boyhood, it 
 was remarked now that it was as the face of an angel. 
 
 His thoughts had been, as we have said before, early 
 tm^ned towards his youngest brother. He knew the inesti- 
 mable value of impressions received before the heart and 
 affections have become hardened and blunted with sin; 
 and he eagerly desired for this young brother that, as long- 
 as he lived, he should be lent unto the Lord. The ac- 
 count of their first meeting is thus related: — 
 
 " The first time I met Maxy in London, I did not in 
 the least know him. I was at Eton at the time, and we 
 met at Cox's, in Jermyn Street, by appointment. After 
 our first greetings were over, we walked down Piccadilly. 
 We had not gone far when he said, ' I hope you did not 
 mind my writing to you about religion. The fact is, I 
 feel very strongly about it, and I want you to feel the 
 same."* He seemed greatly relieved when he had thus 
 broken the ice, and when we came home, he instantly 
 began reading the Bible with my sisters and myself every 
 morning." 
 
 That the growth of his spiritual life had been most 
 rapid, was as evident to all of us at home, as the follow- 
 ing extracts from letters shew that it had been, and after- 
 wards continued to be, to his other friends : — 
 
 "Hammond grows apace," one of them says; "his 
 knowledge, wisdom, and courage, cause me to bbish, 
 but I hope he stirs me uj) at times." "Hammond, * * *, 
 and * * «, are together at Kingston — what a trio!" 
 " Hammond grows like a plant." " Hammond sends affec- 
 
76 DOCTRINAL VIEWS. 
 
 tionate remembrances; he is growing, and is a lovely 
 character." 
 
 And do not these extracts furnish a happy evidence 
 that not in vain he strove to be conformed to the image 
 of Him, who " grew up as a tender plant, and as a root 
 out of a dry place.'' His letters all shew that he was daily 
 becoming more like Him — more spiritually-minded. 
 
 But this year of enjoyment at his home was not to pass 
 without a cloud. It pleased Him " in whom we live, and 
 move, and have our being," to take to her rest one to whose 
 instrumentality, in part, Maxy Hammond owed his know- 
 ledge of the way of life — one whom he himself loved as a 
 sister — one whose husband v/as his dearest friend, and at 
 whose house those happy family meetings took place on 
 Saturday evenings at Halifax. Still a young wife, almost 
 yet a bride, she was called away by the voice of the hea- 
 venly Bridegroom. In words full of tender affection, he 
 replies to a letter from his stricken friend : — 
 
 " St Alban's Couet, 22c? May 1 846. 
 " My dear L * * #, — It grieves me to think that I 
 should have put you to the pain of again repeating the 
 details of the last hours of your departed, but, through the 
 mercies of her Saviour, now sainted wife. I say this, be- 
 cause I think that every repetition of the events of those 
 awful days must bring back the scenes more vividly than 
 ever to your mind. Most earnestly do I join with you in 
 the prayer that God will let her, "though dead, speak" to 
 the souls of her friends, and to mine among the number. 
 And tlierefore most especially do I thank you for such a 
 full account of her last illness and death. I pray God 
 
LETTER OF CONDOLENCE. 77 
 
 that her holy example of living and dying, may be the 
 means of quickening me to increased devotedness to His 
 service, and to a more living faith in the Lord Jesus ; and 
 to a deeper sense of the loving-kindness and faithfulness of 
 my God and Saviour. You will believe me when I assure 
 you that I loved her as my own sister : and, as I have told 
 you before, the more so from her having, in the Lord's 
 hands, been, with yourself, instrumental in leading me to 
 the knov/ledge of that Saviour in whose presence she now 
 is. Most deeply, therefore, can I sympathise with you in 
 your irreparable loss. But no, I will not say 'irreparable,' 
 for, as you remark, the Lord can more than fill the gap 
 His hand has caused. And may God enable you to rea- 
 lise the truth of this promise. May He give you such 
 faith as may enable you to look behind the cloud to His 
 face beaming with love and mercy. It is delightful to 
 dwell on the goodness of the Lord, and in your own case 
 it is indeed a subject of praise that He has so manifested 
 His faithfulness and truth, supporting you throughout 
 this dispensation. To Him be all the glory and all the 
 praise ! 
 
 "Your allusion to the extract from her journal was very 
 pleasing to me. Well do I recollect that commmiion ; and 
 in my own journal have recorded my own coldness of 
 heart, and distraction of thought, while she was enjoying 
 so fully the bread of life. God grant that her wish (and 
 I have no doubt her frequent prayer) may be realised, that 
 we may one day praise the Eedeemer together. How re- 
 markable, too, that her last hymn was that which I and we 
 all loved so much. I have got three of her favourite 
 hymns in her own handwriting, which she copied out for me 
 
78 DOCTEINAL VIEWS. 
 
 about this time last year — ' Thy will be clone ; * ' Prayer 
 is the soul's sincere desire;' and lines 'On being called a 
 saint/ Little did I think when she gave me these, that in 
 less than one short year she would actually be enjoying 
 the fruition of her prayer : — • 
 
 * Lord, when on earth I breathe no more, 
 The prayer oft mix'd with sin before 
 I '11 sing upon a happier shore ; 
 
 Thy will be done ! ' 
 
 Yes, dear L * * *, let us reach those words, ' Thy will be 
 done, Lord, for so it seemed good in thy sight.' How 
 awfully true too did the second verse of the hymn prove 
 to you: may you be enabled to join in it in heart : — 
 
 ' If thou shouldst cause me to resign 
 What most I prized, it ne'er was mine ; 
 I only yield thee what is thine ; 
 
 Thy will be done!' 
 
 Most carefully shall I cherish this little memento of my 
 departed sister. These subjects, submission, 2:>rayer, and 
 bold profession, remind me of her who copied them. And 
 now I come to that part of your letter descriptive of her 
 last moments. I will not dwell upon it. Her end was 
 peace. It calls us to stop and adore in himible gratitude Him 
 who was able to perfect strength in such weakness; who, 
 while the outward man was perishing, was renewing the 
 inner, and making it meet to put on the glorious apparel 
 of the saints in light. I trust and pray God that your 
 object in sending the particulars may be fulfilled; that I 
 may be enabled to give up myself more entirely to the 
 
CONSOLATION. 79 
 
 service of the Lord ; and that in seasons of darkness and 
 trouble, I may be enabled to look np to Him who alone can 
 give support and consolation ; and may you find more of 
 that peace which the Lord has promised to his afflicted 
 children. I hope, if the Lord will, to see you when you 
 come to town. Please let me know when you will be 
 there, and when you would like me to meet you. Adieu 
 for the present. The Lord be with you. — Ever your sin- 
 cere friend, "M. M. H." 
 
80 LOVE OF nOMK 
 
 CHAPTER VL 
 
 fob 0f ^mt 
 
 *' My home, my home, oh, ever dear 
 
 Thy hallo w'd scenes shall be ; 
 In joy or grief, in hope or fear. 
 
 My spirit clings to thee. 
 I deem my home an emblem meet 
 Of that enduring, last retreat, 
 
 From pain and passion free, 
 Where Peace shall fix her bright abode. 
 And yield her followers up to God." 
 
 Barnard's Poems. 
 
 The few months of Maxy Hammond's leave soon expired ; 
 and in August he writes again to a brother officer and 
 friend to announce his approaching return to America: — 
 
 "London, August 17, 1846. 
 " My dear L * * *, — I just write a line to say good- 
 bye before my departure for Halifax. I should have liked 
 to have seen you once more, but I must rest satisfied with 
 the prospect some months hence. Of course, you know 
 that the regiment has left Halifax ; but where they are to 
 be quartered I have not ascertained — either at Quebec, 
 Montreal, or St John's. W * * * and N * * * have 
 both been down to see me. I enjoyed W * * *'s visit 
 
COEKESPONDENCE. 81 
 
 amazingly, and most truly glad was I to meet him once 
 more. I am sure we can mark in him an evident growth 
 in grace, and I could not but admire the warmth and de- 
 votion of his heart to his Master's cause. With dear 
 N * * *, too, I had a truly happy meeting. He staid 
 with me from Saturday till Monday, and on Sunday we 
 were privileged to kneel together at the Lord's table. I 
 fear our battalions are to be separated — in which case you 
 also will be separated from us when you get promoted. 
 But how blessed a thing is it to know that we have one 
 Friend who is ever with us to guide, strengthen, comfort, 
 and save us ! Oh, may we find him more and more pre- 
 cious to our souls ! I have left home with mingled feel- 
 ings of sorrow and joy — sorrow at parting from many I 
 love dearly, both in the flesh and in the Lord. My con- 
 science also accuses me of past negligence about the con- 
 cerns of others, and great lukewarmness in my Master's 
 service. But, on the other hand, how great have been 
 the Lord's mercies, how wonderfully have the rough places 
 been made smooth, and the crooked paths straight ! The 
 promise has indeed been most graciously fulfilled in me 
 — ' Goodness and mercy shall follow him all the days of 
 his life.' I hope you have been enjoying your visit to 
 Scarborough, and that the Lord is gradually healing your 
 wounded spirit. The Word can never fail. ' Afterward 
 He will have compassion according to the multitude of 
 His tender mercies.' With my kindest remembrances to 
 all yom" party, and the prayer that the Lord will continue 
 to cheer you and comfort you in your pilgrimage, be- 
 lieve me, your unworthy brother in Christ, 
 
 " M. M. H." 
 
 F 
 
82 LOVE OF HOME. 
 
 The next is from Liverpool, to his mother: — 
 
 ''August 18, 1846. 
 " My dearest Mother, — I just write you a few lines 
 to thank you for the most kind and affectionate letter that 
 I received this evening. I should like to express my 
 gratitude, but I feel that I cannot do so as I would de- 
 sire and wish; so forgive my apparent coldness and in- 
 difference. Your letter produced in my mind feelings of 
 sorrow and joy at the same time. I felt humbled, under 
 a sense of my utter unworthiness (believe liie, I say this 
 from my very heart) of such expressions of affection and 
 esteem as you were pleased to bestow on me. As a son, 
 I feel also that I have done much to grieve and dishonour 
 the best of parents; as a brother, that I have frequently 
 given way to harshness and ill temper. But, although I 
 feel and have felt my sinfulness in this respect, yet I be- 
 lieve it has been (and I trust always will be) my earnest 
 desire and prayer to shew that I am not insensible to the 
 great affection of you and all my family. With regard to 
 my religious feelings, I will say but little. If I have been 
 made to differ at all from what I once was, I would ascribe 
 all the praise and all the glory to a merciful and long- 
 suffering God; for I feel daily more and more strongly 
 that all has been of His doing — none of mine. Pray re- 
 member, dear mother, that I am a weak and sinful crea- 
 ture, and still liable to fall; and pray for me, that He 
 who has begim this good work, may continue to carry it 
 
 en I hope father's descriptiou of the Yankee will 
 
 make you laugh as much as the original made us. Poor 
 Mab ! (his dog) I am in doubt of ever seeing her again; 
 
HUMILITY. 83 
 
 what I fear is, that she will get away from the people at 
 Birmingham, or will gnaw through the string, which is 
 an old trick. I was so sorry not to bid Anne (an old 
 servant) good-bye ; tell her so, and thank her very much 
 
 for her invaluable assistance in my packing And 
 
 now, dear mother, once more, farewell. You will often 
 be in my thoughts, and always in my prayers. — Your 
 very affectionate and truly grateful son, M. M. H.'' 
 
 This letter portrays very forcibly a very marked fea- 
 ture in Maxy Hammond's character — his great humility. 
 We read here the outpourings of a heart which, however it 
 might appear to others, was in his own sight full of infir- 
 mity, full of defect. How earnestly, with what simplicity, 
 he mourns over his sense of indwelling sin — of the old man 
 struggling with the new ! " What I would, that do I not; 
 but what I hate, that I do.'' And yet he who writes thus 
 had very recently been described, in a preceding page, as 
 *' one whose knowledge and wisdom put others to the blush'' 
 — as "growing like a plant" — as " shining and growing in 
 grace" — as a " lovely character." And if he had all this, 
 if thus rightly described, whence came it ? Was it not 
 because God "resisteth the proud, hut giveth grace to the 
 humble" — because "the high and lofty One, whose name 
 is Holy, dwells with him that is of a contrite and lowly 
 spirit" — because, "when men are cast down there is a lift- 
 ing up, and God shall save the humble person?" His love 
 for his "home" — that word which has no synonym in 
 any other language than our own — was very deeply im- 
 planted, using it in its widest sense. His affection to his 
 family was closely interwoven with an attachment to the 
 
84 , LOVE OF HOME. 
 
 place where his days of boyhood and childhood were 
 passed, and he clung to that spot with all its associations. 
 By nature especially unselfish, his spirit entered into all 
 the little interests of his family circle. But he early felt 
 that one of the drawbacks to a soldier's life was the 
 absence of this "homey'' element. He looked forward 
 indeed very soon after this to marriage, as a means of 
 creating around him an atmosphere of that domestic 
 character for which his heart yearned ; and in after years 
 his greatest delight was to be able to offer to young officers 
 that happy fireside intercourse which, at the outset of his 
 career, had brought such priceless blessings to himself. 
 
 Much of this feeling is breathed in the following let- 
 ters. In one, dated Toronto, September 22, 1847, he 
 says : — 
 
 "My dear Father, — I try to write to all 
 
 successively, and this is the only way I can at all repay 
 your never-failing pens and hearts. I must begin with 
 the usual preface of having nothing to write about; but, 
 in spite of this, I am conceited enough to imagine that 
 you will count my letter as worth more than the postage, 
 if it only tells you that I am well, and that I do not forget 
 my home, and my dear friends there. I remember telling 
 you once that I thought that long separation made me 
 forget your faces — this I must deny in toto. On the con- 
 trary, the farther I am from you, the more present do you 
 seem to my mind. I delight in feeling that my affection 
 for you all increases, instead of decreases; time, in this 
 respect, is not injurious." 
 
 And in an earlier one, to his mother: — 
 
AFFECTION FOR HIS FAIMILY. 85 
 
 ''January 2, 1845. 
 " How I should have enjoyed to have been one of your 
 party last Christmas ! However we may hope by the 
 blessing of God, to be all at home next winter. But, 
 although I am so many miles away, I passed here a most 
 happy Christmas ; in fact, we are all like one family, as I 
 could not help remarking, as we sat round the fire after 
 dinner at L * * *'s the other day — it reminded me so 
 much of home. It so happened, that L * * * sat in the 
 exact place that father always does, and Mrs L * * * in 
 your corner next the wall." 
 
 And so again he writes to his father from on board 
 the Britannia at sea. After a few remarks as to her 
 progress, his fellow-passengers, &c., he says : — 
 
 " Now let me turn my thoughts towards home and all 
 that I have left behind me. I can't tell you how much I 
 enjoyed the comfort of your and H * * *'s company to 
 Liverpool ; nor can I thank you sufficiently for all your 
 kindness and generosity to me at all times. However 
 unable I may be to express my gratitude, I do leel most 
 thankful, and would wish you to believe that I am so. I 
 felt very sorrowful as your little steamer gradually in- 
 creased her distance from us. It was my last glimpse of 
 liome; and when you were out of sight, I remembered 
 that I was now separated and once more launched upon 
 the wide world. I need hardly tell you how much I 
 enjoyed my happy eleven months' leave. But I look for- 
 ward with great pleasure to rejoining the regiment. I 
 should not like to be idle any longer. I am hoping to 
 
86 LOVE OF HOME. 
 
 catch the Belleisle at Halifax, that I may get my luggage 
 sent up to Quebec. If she is gone I shall take it on with 
 me to Boston, and so to Montreal by rail and steam. 
 Nothing has occurred of interest since we left except the 
 loss of our jib-boom and the sight of a fine iceberg yes- 
 terday. Mab and Bully (his bullfinch) are both thriving. 
 Mab lives under the forecastle, and Bully in my cabin, 
 and on deck in fine weather. He has only sung four 
 times since we started, but I hoj^e he will behave better 
 when we land. 
 
 " Septemher 2. — The Belleisle sails at daybreak to- 
 morrow. We shall 2:>robably arrive at Quebec about the 
 ] 6th, so I shall most likely be at Montreal by the time 
 my luggage arrives. Bully and Mab in safe keeping. I 
 have been favoured with several songs since we landed. 
 . . . That the Lord may ble3s and preserve you, will ever 
 be the prayer of your most affectionate son, 
 
 "M. M. H." 
 
 The battalion was removed to Montreal, and the first 
 letter we find dated from that place is addressed to Dr 
 T * * *, the minister of Halifax, whom he loved as a 
 faithful minister of Christ, and valued as a friend. 
 
 ''Montreal, October 24, 1846. 
 " My dear Dr T * * *, — ... I know that the sub- 
 ject that will chiefly interest you will be to hear of the 
 spiritual welfare of those whose pastor you have been, 
 and amongst whom you have laboured for a few years not 
 without success, through the mercy of our Lord. You 
 would be gratified to hear with what affection and esteem 
 
LETTEK TO DK T * * * — COMMON INTEKESTS. 87 
 
 your memory is regarded by those who have hearts to 
 love their Saviour: and indeed by all, whether religious or 
 not (as I know from authority that I can rely upon), is 
 the same testimony borne to your kindness and unceasing 
 attention. I don't think you will accuse me of flattery in 
 telling you this. I do so, thinking it may be a source of 
 some comfort and satisfaction to you to know that ' your 
 labour is not in vain in the Lord;' and well-knowing that 
 you will say, ' To the Lord be all the praise and all the 
 glory.' I have many things to tell you, subjects of joy 
 and also of sorrow. Most of those who have been brought 
 to the fear of the Lord have been going on steadily and 
 consistently, as far as I can learn. But Satan has been 
 very busy amongst us too. Some ' crucified afresh the Son 
 of God, and counted the blood of the covenant a common 
 thing.' . . . How we miss the Sunday School. There is 
 now nothing of the sort, except the lecture on Sunday 
 evening, at which the men can attend. Truly we all need 
 to be brought together, that we may stir each other up, and 
 by precept, example, and advice, encourage and assist one 
 another in running the race set before us. But the Lord's 
 ways are not our ways, and I doubt not it is good for 
 us to be deprived of the abundance of privileges wh'ch 
 we enjoyed at Halifax. Oh ! that it may lead each and 
 all of us to be applying with more earnestness and fre- 
 quency to the fountain-liead ; that it may be our blessed- 
 ness to be receiving fresh supplies out of the fulness that 
 is treasured up in Jesuf. If you have at any time a few 
 minutes to spare, I can't tell you what pleasure a few lines 
 would afford me. I should like much to hear how the 
 schools (men's and children's) are getting on, what number 
 
88 LOVE OF HOME. 
 
 you generally muster at the hospital class, and whether the 
 vacant places have yet been filled. • Poor C * * * ! so he 
 is gone. Did he shew any satisfactoiy evidence of change 
 before he died ? I am most anxious to learn this. And 
 what of old M * * *, how is he ? And does his heart 
 appear at all softened ? My servant desires to be respect- 
 fully remembered to you. My kind regards to Mrs 
 T * * *, and, with prayer for your own weKare, spiritual 
 and temporal, and that the Lord may bless your labours 
 to the salvation of many souls, believe me, my dear Dr 
 T * * *, yours, most sincerely and obliged, 
 
 "M. M. Hammond/' 
 
 The following extract from a letter to his father, who 
 was engaged upon a work in which the subject of prophecy 
 was somewhat fully treated, appears to have been written 
 about this time : — 
 
 "The study of prophecy is one of deep interest and 
 importance. It is the key which opens to us the hidden 
 and dark parts of the sacred book ; and by it are made 
 manifest what would otherwise appear confusion and 
 obscurity. The prophecies in reference to the Messiah, of 
 which you are especially treating, are in fact the basis of 
 the Christian religion, and therefore cannot be too highly 
 rc,a;arded. On their truth depends the authority of the 
 Bible, and that which is of infinite importance to us fallen 
 creatures, the salvation of sinful man. From beginning 
 to end the Bible points to Jesus as the Alpha and Omega, 
 the first and the last, the object of all our hopes, the sum 
 and substance of our faith, of which He is the Autlior and 
 
COEEESPONDENCE. 89 
 
 Finisher. For my part, I am but very imperfectly ac- 
 quainted with the prophecies ; but I hope to know more 
 of them in time, and that your book may be the means of 
 leading me to a better knowledge." 
 
 Maxy Hammond never omitted an opportunity of 
 securing friendships that he could really value, and, once 
 secured, he never lost them through neglect as a corre- 
 spondent. In almost every place in which he was quar- 
 tered he left some real friend behind, with whom he 
 afterwards kept up a regidar intercourse, and to one of 
 these the next letter is addressed. 
 
 "MoNTEEAL, October 10. 
 " My deae I * * *, — Let me inquire something of you 
 and yours since we shook hands on board the Cambria. 
 I hope all is still well with you, and that matters are going 
 on as smoothly and quietly as when I left Halifax; and 
 what of Mr C * * * ? I am most anxious to hear how he 
 is, and how he has been since I saw him last ; pray let me 
 know, as I am deeply interested in him at all times, and 
 now the more so, when the Lord's hand is upon him. 
 You can give him my kindest and best wishes, with every 
 Christian remembrance. ... I heard * * * preach 
 here last Sunday. He is a decided Arminian, and in his 
 sermon on Gen. vi. 3, he endeavoured to refute the Cal- 
 vinistic views by a variety of arguments. * * « is gone 
 down to Quebec ; I had some very interesting conversations 
 with him, and I do hope that he will one day be brought 
 into the fold; he says he is very anxious and very desirous 
 of turning to the Lord, but that 'he cannot;' he thinks 
 
90 LOVE OF HOME. 
 
 he is ' one of the black sheep/ What an extraordinaa-y 
 notion ! I endeavoured to point out to him the way; and 
 I trust the Lord, in His own time and way, will lead him 
 into it. Young * * * is much in the same state of mind. 
 Yesterday I had a long and serious talk with him. His 
 stumblingblock, I think, is the fear of man. But I have 
 great hopes of him. If we had more faith, and relied 
 more upon the Lord, how much might be done ! How 
 simple are the promises, and how slow are we to believe 
 them ! ' Lord, help Thou mine unbelief.' I found a great 
 change on coming here, many new faces, very few old ones, 
 and not one to go to for sympathy or advice. My greatest 
 friend is my own servant, B * * *, whom you may per- 
 haps remember at our Sunday School. As yet, I have not 
 made the acquaintance of Mr W * * *, though I have 
 called several times. You will be rejoiced to hear that 
 C * * * is an altered man. One who before was de- 
 cidedly opposed to vital religion, and quite impenetrable. 
 His wife died in the spring, rejoicing in her Saviour, and 
 this has been blessed to him. How true the old remark, 
 ^ Man's extremity is God's opportunity.' C * * * is 
 much changed now from what he was. Mr * * *'s 
 death seems to have aroused him. You will grieve to hear 
 of the fall of poor « * *. I don't know the particulars, 
 but C * * * told me he had gone back to the ways of 
 sin. . . . Thus, while we are rejoicing over some, we are 
 mourning over others. Let us look to our own hearts, 
 and pray God to search and try us, that we may discover 
 what we are in truth. And when v/e look within, what 
 do we behold, but ' every form of creeping things and 
 abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, 
 
FAITH IN CHRIST. 9t 
 
 portrayed upon the walls thereof V What but the blood 
 of Jesus can cleanse us, and what but the Spnit can 
 sanctify us ? He is our all, our beginning, and He must 
 be our end, if we would win heaven. May He be more 
 precious to you and to me here, and may He be our ever- 
 lasting portion hereafter !— Yours, in the best and happiest 
 bonds, M. M. Hammond." 
 
 In speaking of one of these sick persons, the testimony 
 of a mind stayed upon Jesus, and kept in peace by Him, 
 is thus related by Captain Hammond: — 
 
 " Before you come out again,'' he writes, " it is more 
 than probable that two dear friends of ours will have 
 entered into their rest — Mr C * * * and H. M * * *. 
 C * * * has been growing weaker and weaker, but though 
 the outward man is perishing, the inward man is being 
 renewed day by day. In a conversation that I * * * had 
 with him, he asked him if he could read now. ' No,' he 
 replied, 'but I am feeding on what is stored up in my 
 mind.' I * * * then said, ' What a great mercy it is that 
 you have this store of truth in your mind.' 'True,' he 
 said, ' and one truth is ever present with me, that Christ 
 Jesus came into the world to save sinners.' " 
 
 The next letter is dated, Montreal, December 12, 
 1846, and is written on the approaching new year, to his 
 brother : — 
 
 " On these occasions," he says, " it is good to look back 
 on the past, and to call to mind the mercies and blessings 
 
92 LOVE OF HOME. 
 
 that we have received at the Lord's hands. . . . The new 
 year is also a time for humiliation, when we call to mind 
 our own doings during the twelve months gone by; when 
 we ask ourselves what we have been doing; how we have 
 employed our time and talents; whether, upon the whole, 
 there has been any improvement in our hearts and lives ; 
 whether we have ' grown in grace, and in the knowledge of 
 our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ;' whether we have been 
 faithful to our Lord and Master; and whether we have 
 done our duty towards our fellow-men. Who could say 
 in his heart, I have done all this ? Eather, we have reason 
 to humble ourselves before God, at how little we have 
 done that we might have done, and seek to be washed in 
 that blood which alone can take away sin. The nev/ year, 
 too, is a time to look forward, as well as back — to commit 
 the unknown future to Him who is our Friend and 
 Keeper, and to resolve, in the strength of Divine grace, 
 that the close of the new year shall find us more watchful, 
 more prayerful, more humble, and more holy than at the 
 commencement of it. We must resolve to be more 
 devoted to the service of God than we have been, more 
 earnest about the salvation of others, more zealous in 
 doing good, more decided in bearing witness to Jesus in 
 the world. In saying so much on this subject, I do so 
 merely because I think it is right, at such seasons, that 
 we should stir each other up, and put one another in mind 
 of the great object of our lives, viz., preparation for 
 eternity. — Your affectionate brother, 
 
 «M. M. H." 
 
LETTERS. 33 
 
 CHAPTER Vir. 
 
 ftttcri 
 
 " soothe us, haunt us, night and day. 
 Ye gentle spirits far away. 
 With whom we shared the cup of grace — 
 Then parted; ye to Christ's embrace. 
 We to the lonesome world again ; 
 Yet mindful of th' unearthly strain, 
 Practised with you at Eden's door. 
 To be sung on, where angels soar. 
 With blended voices evermore." 
 
 In no profession are the members of one community so 
 liable to sudden separation as in the army. Here to-day, 
 five or six officers may be dispersed to-morrow to the four 
 quarters of the globe — scattered at every change of wind, 
 like driftwood or autumn leaves. " Out of sight Out of 
 mind" is a reproach which has grown into a standing 
 proverb; a sad reflection on the shallow depth of summer 
 friendship. Yet even that friendship which is not of the 
 world, but based upon the love of the Saviour, needs the 
 interchange of thought, or the expression of common in- 
 terests, to keep it from declining. 
 
 So, when the little group of officers, who began together 
 their Christian Hf e at Halifax, v/ as broken up and scattered 
 abroad, Maxy Hammond suffered no want of care or dili- 
 
94 LETTEKS. . 
 
 gence on his part to weaken the chain which bound them 
 
 together. And what Hnk so strong, so fitted to resist the 
 
 pressure of outward circumstances, as the adoption of a 
 
 common season of prayer? A proposal to this effect, with 
 
 some suggestions for subjects, is contained in tlie next 
 
 letter : — 
 
 "JSTovemher 23, 184^6. 
 
 " My dear W * * *, — I miss you all very much, and 
 feel the want of a Christian companion in the regiment. 
 How precious in my memory are those bright days of 
 Christian fellowship which we enjoyed together! But I 
 trust the Lord is teaching me (alas! how slow I am to 
 learn) to walk by faith, and to be more independent of 
 creature-comforts. Nevertheless, I do esteem the privi- 
 lege of Christian intercourse very highly. I think it has 
 done me much good, in helping to stir me up to more 
 watchfulness and earnestness in my walk, and I always 
 find it cheering and comforting to my soul. 
 
 " You will be interested in hearing of regimental mat- 
 ters. — Would to God I could give you a good report ! Satan, 
 I fear, has been busy in rooting out from many whatever 
 good desires and resolutions may have been produced from 
 the means of grace at Halifax ; * * *, and * * *, and 
 * * * have been kept in the faith, I rejoice and bless 
 God to say, while of the rest I can hear but little ; and I 
 fear no fruit has followed to give evidence of any change 
 of heart. On the contrary, many have gone back to the 
 ways of death. Of * * * I had some good hopes, but I 
 fear his heart is yet in the world ; he has been anxious, 
 but I think merely from natural conviction and the voice 
 of conscience; utterly ignorant of sin, and, therefore, of his 
 
SUBJECTS FOR MUTUAL PRAYEK. 95 
 
 need of a Saviour; with some vague notions of turning 
 religious, without knowing what it means, or any apparent 
 desire to do so. Mrs H * * * is going on well ; of her it 
 may be said, as of old to the Church of Pergamos — ' I 
 know where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is:' 
 but the Lord has prevented her from being infected by the 
 evil around her, and I really believe she is leaning on Him. 
 She is living in a room with five other families, and a 
 hundred men cursing and swearing from morning till 
 nioht. What a trial it must be 1 
 
 " I have just written to J * * * F* * * and have pro- 
 posed to him, that we should meet around the throne oC 
 grace for mutual prayer on the 1st of January 1847. 
 That our requests may be uniform, I have hinted at the 
 heads of our prayers, which, of course, you can alter as you 
 see fit : — 
 
 " Thanksgiving and praise — 
 
 " For the mercies of the year past ; that we have been 
 enabled, by God's goodness, mutually to help one another 
 forward on the way to Zion. That hitherto the Lord hath 
 kept and preserved us in the faith amidst so many dangers, 
 trials, and temptations from without and from within. 
 That the Lord has called to rest one of our number. 
 That she fell asleep in Jesus, and by her peaceful death, 
 bore testimony to the truth and faithfulness of God. 
 
 " Confession — 
 
 "The sins of the past year, both of commission and 
 omission ; our sloth, indolence, unfaithfulness, and unf ruit- 
 fulness ; our neglect of duty and improving opportunities 
 of usefulness ; our sinful compliances with the ways of 
 the world and worldly men ; our inconsistencies, and tha 
 
96 LETTERS. 
 
 dishonour to God, and blot in our profession by such 
 acts. 
 
 " Supplication — 
 
 " That we may have grace to persevere unto the end. 
 
 " That our faith may be strengthened. 
 
 " That love to God, and by it love to man, and to each 
 other as brethren, may be deepened and increased. 
 
 " That we may be humbled. 
 
 " That we may be more faithful in confessing Christ. 
 
 " That fear of man may be rooted out of our hearts. 
 
 " That we may be more holy in life and conversation, and 
 for this end, that the Holy Ghost may sanctify, renew, and 
 cleanse our hearts, and conform us to the image of Jesus. 
 
 " Intercession — 
 
 " For each other individually. 
 
 " For an outpouring of the Spirit on the regiment. 
 
 " For the faithful among the men. 
 
 " For the ungodly among the men. 
 
 " For the backsliders among the men. 
 
 "For the officers. 
 
 " For our own families, that each of us may be made a 
 blessing in his own. 
 
 "For our Christian friends at Halifax, especially for 
 Mr C * * * in his sickness ; and for Dr T * ^5 * that 
 his labours may be blessed. 
 
 " For the schools. 
 
 " These are some of the requests which should form our 
 prayer, and in which we can join with mutual interest. 
 Let us not forget the tie that bound us together when we 
 lived together ; and let us see to it that it is not severed 
 either in time or in eternity. Soon we shall meet to go 
 
PKAYER MEETING. 97 
 
 out no more. If we live looking unto Jesus, we shall 
 stand in eternity in His i^resence. What a hope ! but it 
 is more than a hope, for it is founded on the never-failing 
 prayer of the Eedeemer Himself, ' Father, I will that they 
 also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am, 
 that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me ; 
 for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.' 
 That this may be your and my portion may God in his 
 infinite mercy grant, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
 Amen. — Ever yours, 
 
 " M. M. H. ' 
 
 This proposal of mutual union in prayer on the com- 
 mencement of the new year was adopted, and we see 
 with what delight and enjoyment Captain Hammond 
 refers to it in the next letter, to a brother officer, then in 
 England. 
 
 "January 28, 1847. 
 " My dear N * * *, — We remembered you together 
 at the throne of grace on the first day of the year. It 
 was a very happy day to me; and I would trust that our 
 prayers found their way into the presence of God, and 
 were accepted in our great Intercessor and Mediator. On 
 the same evening we met at Mr W * * *'s school-room, 
 in accordance with Mr Haldane Stewart's invitation to 
 prayer. Mr W * * * opened with some prayers from 
 the Liturgy and a hymn ; and then a portion of Scripture, 
 with a few practical comments and heart-searching re- 
 marks. Next an extempore prayer for the outpouring of 
 the Holy Spirit on our country, and especially for the con- 
 gi'egation, concluding with a hymn of praise. It was one 
 
 G 
 
9S LETTERS. 
 
 of the most enjoyable meetings I ever was privileged to 
 attend. Oh ! how blessed will be that time when we join 
 with the chorus above, when our voices shall mingle in 
 sweet harmony with the thousand thousands of the Lord's 
 redeemed ones, who cease not day and night singing to 
 the praise of the Lamb who bought them with His blood ! 
 , . . Let us give diligence to make our calling and elec- 
 tion sure. There must be no doubt about it, for we have 
 only to believe that the word of Jehovah cannot fail, to 
 rest upon His promises, which are all yea and amen in 
 Jesus; or, as it is nicely exjDressed in one of Helen 
 Plumptre's letters, speaking of the life of faith, * by man 
 called presumption, by God called faith ; or just believing 
 that God cannot lie/ I think those are precious words 
 of St Paul's (1 Cor. ix.), ' So run, that ye may obtain. I 
 therefore so run, not as uncei^tainly ; so fight I, not as one 
 that beateth the air.' No, there is no doubt, no uncer- 
 tainty in the mind and will of Jesus. Let us only believe 
 this, and there will be no place found in our hearts for 
 thoughts so ungrateful, so dishonouring to our Saviour- 
 God.'' 
 
 Durmg his stay at Montreal, Maxy Hammond interested 
 himself in endeavouring to ameliorate the ever wretched 
 circumstances of those soldiers' wives who had married 
 without leave, and he briefly alludes to them in the next 
 letter. 
 
 "Montreal, December 24, 1846. 
 " My dear Father,— ... My most intimate friend 
 is P * * * of the artillery. I have also a very nice 
 acquaintance in a Mr L * * *, formerly of the navy, who 
 
DEATH OF AN OFFICEE. 99 
 
 is Staying for the winter with Mr W * * *. Imagine 
 my delight this morning, in returning from a fire in the 
 town, to hear some one call me by name, when, on lookino- 
 round, I saw it was L * * *. We • exj^ected him, but 
 hardly so soon. He brought me the packet, for which 
 thank mother, and also for Mr Pym's little book, and 
 Uncle A * * *'s new volume and his ' Cottage Almanack,' 
 for which I wish you to return him my best thanks if you 
 see him. 
 
 " I like Montreal daily more than I did ; not that I 
 think the place in itself an agreeable one, but I have now 
 settled down into more regular habits ; and my time for 
 the most part is taken up in different ways, so that it 
 passes very pleasantly. I have been lately busy in hunt- 
 ing out the wives of the soldiers married without leave. 
 These poor creatures are denied any indulgence in the way 
 of rations or washing, and some of them actually have to 
 exist on threepence or fourpence a day, out of which they 
 have to pay the rent of the wretched pig-sties in which 
 tliey live, and perhaps support a child. How they do live 
 is to me a marvel. We have got up a small subscription 
 to relieve them, and have given them some start for the 
 winter. 
 
 "We are much affected by the expected death of a 
 young officer of the — th, who is now, I fear, fast ap- 
 proaching his end. He was taken ill about three weeks 
 ago, at that time as hearty and strong-looking a man as 
 you could see. Nothing serious was anticipated at first, 
 as many people had had the same low fever, and it was 
 not thought dangerous. But the fever and weakness in- 
 creased upon him, in spite of all the doctors could do ; and 
 
100 LETTERS. 
 
 now, poor fellow, he is pronounced beyond hope. I saw 
 him yesterday by permission of the doctors. He was 
 reduced to the utmost state of exhaustion, but his mind 
 and his faculties were left perfectly clear. Poor fellow ! 
 he had lived a careless and ungodly life, and now, at the 
 eleventh hour, he had to seek his Saviour. It was a sad 
 and solemn scene, but he shewed an anxiety to embrace 
 the offer of salvation, which, through the mercy of God, I 
 trust he may find at the last. It is also to be hoped that 
 some of the thoughtless ones who were his companions 
 may be aroused ; but it is astonishing what little effect 
 these things have on the minds of men. It must be that 
 * the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them 
 that believe not.' . . . 
 
 " And now, my dear father, good-bye, best love to all, 
 and a happy new year to you. May each succeeding 
 year bring us nearer to our heavenly rest ! It will be a 
 blessed meeting around the throne of the Lamb, and there 
 we shall part no more. — ^Your affectionate and grateful 
 son, M. M. H." 
 
 The beginning of January found Maxy Hammond still 
 at Montreal. There is a peculiar interest in the following 
 allusions to the light in which the Christian shoidd regard 
 the removal of those he has loved. He writes to a 
 sister: — 
 
 " MoNTEEAL, January 19, 1847. 
 "I have but little to teU you in the shape of news. 
 You may suppose how great a delight it has been to me 
 to have * * * as a companion once more. Poor fellow ! 
 
THE BEST PREACHER, HE WHO PREACHES CHRIST. 10] 
 
 the loss of liis dear wife is one that nothing here can re- 
 pair; but he is wonderfully cheerful, and the promise that 
 the Lord will be to him more than either father, mother, 
 wife, or brother, seems to have been literally fulfilled in 
 him. He constantly speaks of her to me not as of one 
 who is for ever gone from him, but only separated for a 
 little season. This is the way in which to regard the loss 
 of friends,* and which alone can effectually heal the wound 
 of such a bereavement as his. If you could see his calm 
 and happy countenance while speaking of her, you could 
 understand the meaning of that case—' Happy is the man 
 whom the Lord correcteth.' I know you take an interest 
 in him as my dearest friend, and it is good also to bear 
 testimony to the goodness and faithfulness of God in 
 
 seasons of affliction —Ever your affectionate, 
 
 " M. M. H." 
 
 To his youngest brother, still at Eton, but about to 
 enter at Oxford, he writes : — 
 
 " In reading a sermon the other day by Elavel, an old 
 divine of the seventeenth century, I met with a simple 
 and excellent test by which to prove the soundness or 
 
 unsoundness of a sermon in the present day. He says 
 
 ' He is the best preacher who can, in the most lively and 
 powerful manner, display Jesus Christ before the people 
 —evidently setting Him forth as crucified among them; 
 
 and that is the best sermon which is most full of Christ 
 
 jwt of art and language: This was Paul's doctrine— 'I 
 determined to know nothing among you, save Jesus Christ 
 and him crucified.' .... 
 
 "I really feel very anxious for you in your Oxford 
 
102 LETTERS. 
 
 career. I know how many temptations and snares are 
 likely to assail you there, but I really believe that the 
 work of grace has been begun in your heart; and if so, 
 we knoAV that ' He who has begun the good work in you 
 will also perform it unto the day of Jesus Christ/ Ee- 
 meniber, dear Harry, ' that no man can serve two masters/ 
 Religion must be everything or nothing to a man. If we 
 would serve the Lord, we must make up our minds to do 
 so fully and entirely, and most cheerfully and gladly put 
 up with the sneers and scoffs of those who know not God, 
 and who are ionorant of the blessedness of beinoj recon- 
 ciled to God through the blood of Jesus. We must never 
 be ashamed to confess Christ before men, and must never 
 shrink from bearing the cross. Moses esteemed the re- 
 proach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egyptj 
 and chose ' rather to suffer affliction with the people of 
 God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season' (Heb. 
 xi.) ; and so ought we. Read your Bible with prayer, and 
 l^ray much in secret. Make Jesus your friend and ad- 
 viser, to whom to go for all that you need, and the peace 
 of God, w^hich passeth all understanding, shall keep your 
 heart and mind." 
 
 The next letter alludes to the death of a friend: — 
 
 " MoNTEEAL, May 5, 1847. 
 " My dear J * * *, — The contents of your letter were 
 deej^ly interesting to L * * * and myself, and we did not 
 think that any apology was necessary for the account you 
 gave of dear * * * s last moments. Why, those few 
 particulars were more precious to us than gold. Yes; it 
 was very ]irecious to us to hear of our dear sister's dying 
 
ILLNESS OF FEIENDS. 103 
 
 testimony to the faithfulness of God, and the sufficiency 
 of the blood of Jesus to give peace and joy in the hour of 
 dissolution. Oh that you and I, dear J * * ^, may be 
 enabled to say, ' Nothing but the blood of Jesus/ when 
 our time comes for putting off the earthly tabernacle! 
 We are anxious to hear how L * * * has borne her heavy 
 loss, for a grievous one it must be to her. But I doubt 
 not that the Lord has been with her, to support and cheer 
 her in her affliction. Pray, express our sympathy, and 
 give our kind regards, if you should see her. 
 
 "L * * * received your note telling us of Mr C * * *'s 
 having rallied. A mercy indeed it is that the Lord should 
 spare his life a little longer to those to whom it is dear; 
 but we cannot think that you have any hope of a per^na- 
 nent improvement in his health, after the disease has gone 
 so deep. How wonderful are the ways of God, and how 
 far beyond our poor weak understandings ! However, I 
 cannot imagine that any decided change can take place 
 for the better; and I fear that this last is but a flickering 
 in the lamp, as it were, before going out. * He has fought 
 a good fight, he has finished his course, he has kept the 
 faith; henceforth there is laid up for him a crown of 
 righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall 
 give him at that day.' L * * * and I would join in 
 sending our warmest Christian love to him, with the 
 earnest prayer that the God of all grace, the Father of 
 mercies and the God of all comfort, may sujjport him 
 in all his tribulation, and continue to him a rich supply 
 of His grace and strength, through Jesus Christ 
 
 " I am truly glad to hear such cheering accounts of the 
 scliools; also, that Dr T * * * is working so faithfully. 
 
104 LETTERS. 
 
 Our Saturday evening meetings continue, by God's bless- 
 ing, to prosper ; from a very humble commencement, our 
 number has increased to ten. Surely we have ample 
 cause for gratitude that the Lord has blessed us in such 
 a manner. 
 
 " Once more, good-bye. The Lord ever bless and keep 
 you and yours. — Your sincere and affectionate friend, 
 
 "M. M. H." 
 
 The next letter from Maxy Hammond contains an ex- 
 tract relating to the last moments of a lady, which sets 
 forth so vividly the triumph of faith over death, that we 
 cannot refrain from introducing it: — 
 
 "MoNTEEAL, April 21, 1847. 
 
 " My dear Mother, — I am very anxious to 
 
 witness the breaking up of the ice in the river. I believe 
 it is a magnificent sight. You can fancy what the effect 
 would be, when you know that the St Lawrence is very 
 narrow just oj^posite Montreal, with a stream running six 
 or seven knots an hour. When the ice above has broken 
 away, it is carried on by the current, until it receives a 
 check in the narrow part opposite the town. When it 
 reaches this it gets jammed up, so as to form a complete 
 barrier, and all tlie ice continues to push on until it meets 
 the barrier; and it is then thrown up into all sorts of 
 shapes in large masses, until the weight behind forces all 
 before it, and it floats away towards the sea. Some years 
 ago an event occurred, Avhich gives some idea of the 
 strength and weight of this moving ice. A house had 
 been built too near the edge of the river, the water rose 
 
FAITH TRIUMPHANT. 105 
 
 rapidly, and the ice too: the jDOor inmates were sitting 
 at dinner, but before they had time to escape, the whole 
 house was carried down with the torrent, and every soul 
 perished 
 
 " My friend, Miss M * * *, about whom I wrote, has 
 been taken to her rest. The account of her last moments 
 was most interesting to me. I will copy an extract of a 
 letter I received from Halifax: — 
 
 " ' About half-an-hour before she fell asleep the power 
 of speech seemed to have been given to her; she asked her 
 aunt, "What does the doctor say?" "Why, dear, he does 
 not think you will see the morning."' " Not see the morn- 
 ing? die to-night? How short the time! Kaise me up." 
 She then had all called about her, i e. her father and 
 sisters. Her address was principally to the former. " This 
 can't be death," she said, " I feel no pain, nothing, only I 
 feel very cold. Papa, it is not by works we are saved, it 
 is only by the blood of Jesus. His work is a finished 
 work. But you appear to understand what I have so 
 often told you. How often have I prayed when we were 
 all together in church, that we might also be all together 
 in heaven ! " Her father said, " You have always been an 
 innocent and dutiful child." "Oh, father, no! even if so, 
 that could not save me, it is only the blood of Jesus." 
 From her voice and appearance her father thought she 
 was better, and said, " You may go by and by to R * * * 
 and see T * * *." "R * * *!" she replied, " I am gomg 
 up, and you may follow me." She then said, "I am very 
 sleepy; lay me down, and if I awake not here, I shall 
 awake somewhere else'' She awoke not here, but literally 
 fell asleep in Jesus, to awake only with Him/ 
 
106 LETTERS. 
 
 " I think you will say that this long extrpict is worth 
 being recited. It is very cheering and encouraging to 
 hear of these thine^s, and they are living proofs of the truth 
 of God, that He will be faithful to His word, and that He 
 will give peace, even on a dying bed, to those that put their 
 trust in Him. She was one who, in her health and 
 strength, seemed to have but one object in view — the 
 glory of God — and but one motive and principle in her 
 heart — the love of Christ; and indeed her end shewed 
 that, like Mary, she had 'chosen that good part which 
 should not be taken away from her.' .... May God ever 
 bless and keep you ! — Ever your affectionate son, 
 
 «M. M. H/' 
 
 Some insight into Captain Hammond's life and cha- 
 racter at this period is given in the following extracts of 
 a letter from Mrs W * * * : — 
 
 " In the beginning of 1846 Captain Hammond came to 
 Montreal. That winter, we had a prayer meeting that 
 took place each fortnight at our house; chiefly attended 
 by the military, and which sometimes numbered over 
 twenty. I remember the first time he was asked by my 
 husband to take his part ; which he did after a little hesi- 
 tation, and with an earnestness and solemnity which struck 
 us in so young a man. And frequently Mr W. used to 
 say to me, ' Oh ! if every Christian man adorned the doc- 
 trine of God his Saviour as Captain Hammond does, in 
 walking circumspectly and giving no occasion to the 
 enemy !'.... We had very pleasant country quarters in 
 the neighbourhood, to which he walked sometimes to 
 breakfast, or in the evening, when he was always hailed 
 
ANECDOTE OF A TKIVATE SOLDIER. 107 
 
 with delight, especially by a little girl who was living with 
 me, M. R, w^ho had some secret treasures of birds' nests 
 to shew him. This child died afterwards, but ever spoke 
 of him and what he said to her with so much affection; 
 giving good hope that God had blessed the nursing of the 
 good seed in her young heart. A remark of his recalls 
 itself at this moment. He was speaking of one in whom 
 we were mutually interested, and he said, 'I should be 
 more satisfied if I saw a deeper conviction of sin. But 
 why should I set up a standard, when I remember how 
 God dealt with me? It was so gradual, that not until I 
 had been drawn to the Saviour by cords of love, did I know 
 or feel anything of the bitterness of sin.' " 
 
 During the time that Captain Hammond was at Mon- 
 treal, his attention was drawn to a private in the Rifles, 
 named M « * *, who was dying of consumption in the 
 hospital. From his teaching this poor man heard and 
 drank in the o-lad tidings of salvation in Christ Jesus. 
 *' Speedily" (we quote the words of a comrade), " the sick 
 man rejoiced in the full assurance of his acceptance; and 
 sending for comrade after comrade, not only proclaimed 
 the o'ood news, but uro-ed each and all to hasten to the 
 loving Saviour." The fatal disease went on. In the weary 
 sleepless night, as the patient tossed upon his pillow, the 
 stillness was broken by the sentry's challenge, and the 
 familiar "All's well" fell on his ear. The dying soldier 
 looked up — "All is well!" he said — ''All is well!" he 
 faintly repeated. A very short time after the "Dead 
 March in Saul" was heard; and a funeral j^arty with arms 
 reversed passed along the streets of Montreal. — Ail was 
 well with M * « *. 
 
108 LETTERS. 
 
 Another private of the Eifles thus alludes to M * * *,i 
 death : " You will have heard of the death of M * * *. 
 Oh ! he was truly happy ! And what do you think it arose 
 from first? Captain Hammond took him into the surgery, 
 and there knelt down and prayed for and with him. He 
 said until that took place he never thought of prayhig, or 
 if he had, he would not have done so. But when he saw 
 a gentleman was not ashamed to kneel with a private 
 soldier, he said, surely he need not be ashamed of kneel- 
 ing by his bedside, where all were his equals, and from 
 that time he was continually holding communion with his 
 God. He was repeatedly speaking to S * * *, and all 
 the others too, and, in fact, made them promise to com- 
 mence a new life. He said to them, ' Men may laugh at 
 you, but they can't strike you.' " 
 
 The earnest tone of exhortation, and the measure of 
 solemn truthfulness, the expression of a deep consciousness 
 of the arduous nature of the Christian warfare, can hardly 
 fail to commend itself to the reader of the following letter. 
 It is addressed to an old brother officer and very intimate 
 friend, who had become a soldier of the cross, almost con- 
 temporaneously with Mazy Hammond : — 
 
 "To Captain V\' * * *, — • 
 
 ''28th June, 1847. 
 
 " My dear W * * *, — I am now beginning to realise 
 more fully that you now no longer belong to the Rifle 
 Brigade. Until now it had appeared as if you were only 
 on leave. But I begin to feel that our separation is com- 
 plete. But oh ! what a blessing and comfort it is to feel 
 that, though some thousands of miles are between us, we 
 
PATIENT CONTINUANCE. 109 
 
 can be very near in spirit ! Even now my thoughts are with 
 you, while I am writing this. I can't tell you how much 
 I prize your letters, or how much I enjoy receiving them. 
 8t John said, that he had no greater joy than to see that 
 his children were w^alking in the truth ; and I am sure I 
 can say, I have great joy in hearing the same thing of my 
 brethren in Christ. I delight to think of dear friends as 
 part of the one family of whom Jesus is the Head and 
 Elder Brother. Now we are separated from one another and 
 scattered to the four winds of heaven. But still we know 
 and feel that we belong to the family, although so dis- 
 persed. Soon will the Father gather us all home. Soon 
 shall we sit down together at the marriage-supper. Would 
 it not cheer us in our pilgrimage, if we could more faith 
 fully look forward to this blessed reunion? Would it not 
 assist us in walking with a lighter and brisker step, and 
 would it not urge us to press towards the mark more ear- 
 nestly and more vigorously? I don't know how it is with 
 you, but I have found it most difficult to maintain that 
 earnest, patient walk by faith, which, as consistent Chris- 
 tians, it is necessary that we should daily follow. 
 
 "I was much struck with a remark in one of dear Mrs 
 L * * *'s letters, which explains what I mean. She 
 says, 'The promise of eternal life is to them who, by 
 patient continuance in well-doing, seek for glory,' &c. 
 She adds, ' It is just this ixdient continuance which I find 
 so difficult. The humility, and patience, and self-denial, 
 to be practised day by day, is what is so hard to perform.' 
 I, too, can most feelingly respond to these observations of 
 our Christian friend. It seems to me the most difficult 
 part of our Christian course. The Scripture speaks of this in 
 
110 LETTERS. 
 
 many places : ' Abide in nie ; ' ' If ye continue in the faith ; ' 
 * Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown 
 of life ; ' ' He that overcometh ; ' with many others shew- 
 ing the same thing. It would be very easy to be very 
 religious, very zealous, very earnest for a little season, or 
 now and then only. But this religion is not the religion 
 of Jesus. The cross must be taken up daily. Self-denial 
 must be habitual. Prayer and watchfulness must be with- 
 out ceasing. Shi must be striven against constantly. Satan 
 must be resisted at all times and in all places. Love in 
 its broadest sense, and faith, must be an habitual exercise. 
 The Christian must never lay aside his armour, nor quit 
 the contest until the victory is gained. Surely then he 
 has ' need of patience to run the race that is set before him, 
 looking unto Jesus.' 
 
 " You will have heard of Mr C * * *'s death ere this 
 reaches you. I have heard no particulars as yet, but I 
 doubt not he departed in peace, bearing testimony to the 
 faithfulness of that God and Saviour in whom he put his 
 trust 
 
 " The regiment is woefully dark in spiritual things, and 
 abounding in vice and drunkenness. The school is oetting 
 on pretty well ; one child, S * * * F * * *, is, I think, 
 taught of God 
 
 " The emigrants are pouring in here by thousands ; 
 bringing in their train, misery, starvation, filthiness, disease, 
 and death. The deaths average twenty a-day — typhus 
 fever. 
 
 '' And nov/, dear V\^ * * *, adieu ; the Lord bless you, 
 and make you a blessing. — Your friend and brother in 
 Christ, M. M. Hammond." 
 
EMIGRANT FEVER. J 1 1 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 *' What varioiTS scenes, and oh ! what scenes of woe. 
 Does morn awaken with her struggling beam ! 
 The fever'd patient, from liis pallet low, 
 
 Through crowded hospital heholds it stream; 
 The debtor wakes to thoughts of gyve and jail; 
 
 The love-lorn wretch starts from tormenting dream; 
 The wakeful mother, by the glimmering pale. 
 Trims her sick infant's couch, and soothes his feeble wail." 
 
 Scott. 
 
 The year 1847 was one marked by heavy judgments and 
 distress of nations. Foremost among them in woe stood 
 unhappy Ireland. "Through the wrath of the Lord of 
 hosts, the land was darkened, and the people became as 
 the fuel of the fire/' In the morning her cry went up, 
 " Would God it were evening I " at even, " Would God it 
 were morning ! " Desolate, in her straitness and in her 
 distress, she poured forth her children from her unhappy 
 shores to seek for rest in another land. Upon her the 
 awful judgment pronounced against Jerusalem seemed 
 almost to have fallen — " Though Moses and Samuel stood 
 before me, yet my mind could not be towards this people: 
 cast them out of my sight, and let them go forth. And it 
 shall come to pass, if tbcy say unto thee, Whither shall 
 
112 EMIGRANT FEVER. 
 
 we go forth? tlieii thou shalt tell them, Thus saith the 
 Lord, Such as are for death, to death ; and such as are for 
 
 the famine, to the famine Thou hast forsaken me, 
 
 saith the Lord, thou art gone backward: therefore will I 
 stretch out my hand against thee; I am weary with repent- 
 ing." Yet not by flight was the chastisement to be escaped. 
 The fatal poison circulated in the frames of these devoted 
 people, and lurked in the rags that hung about their wan 
 and wasted forms. With the arrival of the first emi- 
 grant ship at Grosse Isle, the scourge appeared anew; 
 and some idea of the miserable condition Gi these unfor- 
 tunate people may be gathered from the following de- 
 scription : — 
 
 " Montreal, June 28, 1847. 
 " The poor emigrants have been passing up the country 
 for the last three weeks. Death, disease, starvation, and 
 misery, seem to be the unmerciful attendants of these 
 people wherever they go. The deaths at Grosse Isle (the 
 quarantine station) have been very numerous, averaging 
 from sixty to eighty daily. Here, too (at Montreal), want 
 and typhus are carrying them off like sheep. Whole fami- 
 lies, in several instances, have been swept away, leaving 
 perhaps one to tell the tale. They send them as quickly 
 as possible up the country; but it is the opinion of the 
 principal medical man who attends them, that not more 
 than one-half will ever reach their journey's end. Is it 
 not sad ? These poor creatures are living in sheds that 
 have been roughly put together for this purpose. None 
 but the sick are allowed to remain above a day or two. 
 These sheds are, in fact, so many hospitals crowded with 
 
THE FEVER SHEDS. 113 
 
 sick ; so crowded are they, as to be obliged to put three 
 in a bed. 
 
 " I went once to see these places (we have since been 
 forbidden to go near them), and never shall I forget the 
 si,^ht. The room I saw was crowded with these poor 
 creatures, some of them lying two in a bed. They were 
 in every stage of disease, from those who just came in, to 
 those who were on the point of expiring. Outside the 
 door was a pile of coffins of different sizes, all ready to 
 receive the dead. Two were nailed up waiting for the 
 dead-cart to carry them off; and all this in sight of the 
 patients. The doctor begged me to walk through the 
 other wards, where the worst cases were, but I declined. 
 The grey nuns were wonderful in their energy and activity. 
 The doctor said that one of them was worth six of our 
 women. I have told you this, that you may know what 
 is going on at Montreal with regard to the ill-fated Irish. 
 Don t fear my catching the fever. I am not going near 
 the sheds again — being forbidden — even if I wished it. 
 
 " And now, my dearest mother, good-bye. I delight to 
 think of you all, and particularly before the throne of 
 grace. I need not ask you to do likewise. — Ever your 
 affectionate son, M. M. H." 
 
 To these scenes of suffering many noble-hearted men 
 hastened. The minister of Christ was there, to speak of 
 One who, at that hour of death, could bestow the gift of 
 eternal life. The sister of mercy was there, to lift to the 
 parched lips the cup of cold water, that should " by no 
 means lose its reward.'' The faithful servant of Christ was 
 there, who, for his Master's sake, cheerfully volunteered, 
 
 H 
 
114 EMIGRANT FEVER: 
 
 and yielded his Kfe in a service not less perilous than the 
 plain of Balaklava or the fatal Redan. 
 
 Maxy Hammond was very early precluded from sharing 
 in these labours, by a stringent order which prohibited 
 any officer from visiting the sheds, lest the infection 
 should be communicated to the troops. Nevertheless, 
 though prohibited from attending himself, he aided the 
 sufferers, as far as possible, both by providing them with 
 necessaries, and by making arrangements for their com- 
 fort. A noble trait was shewn, on this occasion, by the 
 men. The various companies kept back daily a propor- 
 tion of their rations for the use of the sick; and this 
 example was followed by the o2d Regiment, and two com- 
 jianies of artillery, then in the garrison; the officers pro- 
 viding a cart for the conveyance and distribution of the 
 meat among the sick. 
 
 " The French people," wi^ites a private rifleman, " when 
 they met Captain Hammond in the streets, hearing of his 
 kindness to the poor, would uncover their heads, and in- 
 voke blessings upon him." Pour years afterwards, when 
 a rifleman was in the market-place at Kingston, some 
 country people, observing the uniform, came up and in- 
 quired of the wearer whether the same kind officer was 
 still in the regiment who had saved their lives at Montreal. 
 
 One by one, those whose duty and zeal led them to the 
 fever-sheds, were stricken themselves, and among them 
 two of Maxy Hammond's own friends; and at their bed- 
 sides, night after night, for a long and harassing period, 
 he watched and nursed them with a brother's tenderness 
 and love. The two friends who sickened were Mr L * * *, 
 of H. M. Royal Navy, and Mr W * * *, the clergyman 
 
THE FEVER SPREADS. 115 
 
 of Montreal. Maxy alludes to their illness, in a letter 
 dated July 20, 1847:-— 
 
 " My deae Father,—. .... I fear my note to you 
 by the last mail may have caused you some anxiety. 
 Thanks be to God, I am in no way the worse for my 
 attendance on my sick friends. You will see an account 
 of their death in the 'Berean I send. Upon the arrival of 
 the emigrants, Mr W * * * organised a small band from 
 among his congregation to attend to the wants, temporal 
 and spiritual, of the sick and dying at the emigrant sheds. 
 They were indefatigable in their exertions, until, one by 
 one, they caught the fever raging among these unhappy 
 people. Mr L * * * was the first who was laid up. His 
 illness lasted thirteen days, and ended in his death. During 
 this time I was constantly with him, by day and night, 
 until his removal. Mr W * * * was taken ill about 
 three days after Mr L * * *, and died about three days 
 after Mr L * * *. I was with him during the last !hree 
 days of his illness. Of the rest of the party who visited 
 the sheds, one more died, and three more caught the fever, 
 but are recovering. The dispensation is a heavy one, and 
 is deeply felt by the congregation. It appears strange 
 that these men should be taken away in the midst of 
 usefulness, falling victims to their devotedness to their 
 Master's cause, and their love to their fellow -creatures. 
 We can only say, ' It is the Lord, let him do what seem- 
 eth him good/ Both, however, died in the full and cer- 
 tain hope of the resurrection to eternal life, through our 
 Lord Jesus Christ; and, therefore, the loss is ours, not 
 theirs— for ' it is better to depart, and be with Christ.' 
 
116 EMIGRANT FEVER. 
 
 " Little did we, on this side the Atlantic, think last winter, 
 that we should suffer in common with the poor Irish. 
 But it has proved an awful summons to the Canadian 
 cities, and we cannot feel but that the hand of God is 
 stretched out against us, calling loudly to us to consider 
 our ways. All here suffered alike, Protestants, Koman 
 Catholics, ministers, Eoman Catholic priests, under the 
 heavy scourge ; while the fatal infection has been carried 
 into the very heart of the cities —Ever your affec- 
 tionate son, M. M. H." 
 
 In a sermon, preached at Trinity Church, Montreal, the 
 following testimony is borne to the " martyr's spirit" mani- 
 fested by these few friends who, with Maxy, attended Mr 
 W « * * in his last illness : — 
 
 " No small portion of the martyr's spirit is required to 
 face infectious and malignant disease ; to look upon the 
 agonies of the dying ; to behold their fearful struggles and 
 contortions, and listen to their delirious ravin o's. No 
 small portion of the martyr's spirit is required to witness 
 these proofs of intense and sudden suffering, to feel around 
 the breath of death, to know that you are braving him, 
 as it were, in the midst of his kingdom, and that in a 
 moment you may be one amidst the raving and the dying. 
 No small portion of this spirit is required to witness and 
 to know all this ; and yet calmly and fearlessly to go on 
 with duty, resolutely and perseveringly to enter the abode 
 of infection and minister to the wants of the dying ; to 
 see it fastening upon and pulling down one after another 
 of those who, in their career of benevolence and duty, dare 
 
SELF-DEVOTION. 117 
 
 its power; and yet to persist in lifting the cup of water to 
 the parched lip, in alleviating the sufferings of the wretched, 
 in kneeling by their side, and telling them of the mercy of 
 God and the all-sufficiency of Jesus. It is not an easy 
 matter thus to act in the midst of all this danger and 
 death, and without any earthly motives to prompt to the 
 self-devotion and the sacrifice. We can see sufficient 
 moving power only in the spirit of the gospel and the 
 love of God." 
 
 A note states that the death of Mr W * * * had been 
 followed by that of four other clergymen of the diocese, 
 the Rev. W. C * * *, the Rev. Dr D * * *, the Rev. 0. 
 M * * *, the Rev. R A * * *. All died of typhus fever, 
 contracted in attendance at the emigrant sheds. Soon 
 after the publication of this sermon, the death of the Rev. 
 W. T * * * followed, from the same cause; in all, with 
 the Rev. Mr W * * *, six clergymen. 
 
 In connexion with Captain L * « *'s death, an inte- 
 resting incident is related in a letter from Mrs W * * *: — 
 
 " I remember we were sitting round the fire after having 
 sung the hymn, ' Not all the blood of beasts,' to an old 
 minor tune. Captain L * * * said to Captain Hammond, 
 * I have a curious fancy concerning that hymn. I should 
 like it sung by six young men as they lower me into the 
 grave.' We little thought that it would so soon be put into 
 execution, for it had passed from my mind, until Captain 
 Hammond mentioned having carried out his wish.'' 
 
 A little later, Maxy Hammond, writes from Toronto, 
 August 26, 1847:— 
 
118 EMIGEANT FEVEE. 
 
 " My dear Mothee, — . . . Here the fever sheds are 
 in the centre of the town ; about six hundred are sick, 
 and you may see them, as you pass, lying in their beds 
 within a few feet of the road-side. The disease is confined 
 almost entirely to the poor emigrants themselves, and, 
 through mercy, has not extended itself to the town's 
 people. The great thing to keep ofi* the infection seems 
 to be cleanliness and ventilation ; and that they have tho- 
 roughly established." 
 
 The fever continued during September. He says on 
 the 22d :— 
 
 " The emigrant fever has not begun to abate, though, 
 perhaps, it is not so violent as during the dog-days. I 
 fear it will continue till the winter sets in. I have to 
 mention the loss of another friend, Mr D * * * of St 
 John's. He also died of typhus contracted during his 
 attendance on the emigrants. I send you a paper contain- 
 ing a faithful sketch of his character." 
 
 On the same subject he says, in a letter to an old 
 brother officer: — 
 
 "ToEONTO, August 25, 1847. 
 " My deae W * * *, — ^You liiay perhaps have heard 
 from L * * *, or seen in the papers, that disease has 
 been committing its ravages to a fearful extent in Mon- 
 treal; chiefly among the miserable emigrants; but also 
 among those faithful few who have hazarded their lives 
 for the sake of ministering to the wants of the sick i nd 
 
SELF-DEVOTION. 119 
 
 dying. Amongst these, two very dear friends of ours, Mr 
 A\^ * * * and Mr L * * *, fell victims to their zeal and 
 love. Mr L * * * was the life of our little band ; full of 
 love, and faith, and zeal for the cause of God. He was 
 one of those bright ones who, like Henry Martyn, seemed 
 to realise in a more than ordinary degree the depth and 
 height, the breadth and length of the love of Christ : and 
 whose heart seemed at all times to be filled with holy joy 
 and affection. It was his meat and drink to do his Mas- 
 ter's will. Soon after the arrival of the emigrants he 
 became deeply interested in their pitiable condition, and 
 used to spend whole days at the sheds, administering food 
 and medicine, listening to their tale of sorrow, and giving 
 advice or assistance, as it lay in his power. Eor some 
 weeks he continued exerting himself indefatigably in this 
 manner, until at last he himself caught the fever, and was 
 laid upon a bed of sickness, from which he never rose. It 
 was my privilege to be with him constantly day and night 
 (except when obliged to take a little rest) from the com- 
 mencement of his illness till his death ; and I feel how high 
 an honour it was to be permitted to give the cup of cold 
 water to a dear brother for Christ's sake. At first we were 
 not seriously apprehensive about him ; but day by day the 
 symptoms grew more alarming, until at length all hope 
 was abandoned, and he sank into his eternal rest, after 
 having been thirteen days ill. It was a trying time, and 
 one which, I pray God, I may never forget. But we did 
 not sorrow as those without hope, for we knew that his 
 death was but the entrance to eternal life. 
 
 " Almost at the same time that Mr L * * * was taken 
 ill, Mr W * * * was also laid by. At fir^t the medical 
 
120 EMIGRANT FEVER. 
 
 men were quite sanguine ; but, alas ! their hopes proved 
 false, and he followed his friend and companion L * * * 
 within three days. I was with him during the last three 
 days ; but he was then quite delirious, and did not once 
 sjieak. He also contracted the fever by attending the 
 poor emigrants. 
 
 ''The next death was j)oor Colonel B * * * (Rifle 
 Brigade). I have no doubt L * * * has, or will, send 
 you full particulars of this his joyful death. And lastly, 
 the death of poor * * *, cut off in the flower of his days. 
 His death made a slight impression at the tune ; but, like 
 the early dew and the morning cloud, it soon passed away, 
 and is now, to all appearances, almost forgotten. 
 
 " But enough of these tales of death and woe 
 
 Let us continue to pray for one another, and let us, in the 
 strength of Christ, hold fast the profession of our faith 
 without wavering, and endeavour to get nearer to Cod 
 and enjoy more uninterrupted communion with Him. — 
 Your affectionate friend in the Lord Jesus, 
 
 *'M. M. Hammond.'' 
 
 The following account of the last hours of Mr L * * * 
 were written, at the request of a friend, shortly after this 
 by Maxy Hammond : — 
 
 "Montreal, ISth July, 1847. 
 " It was my painful privilege to be much with our dear 
 friend during his illness until his removal. During that 
 time but little passed between us in the way of conversa- 
 tion, as directions had been given by his medical atten- 
 dants, that he should not be spoken to more than was 
 
MR L * * *:> ILLKESS. 121 
 
 necessary. But there are a few remarks which were made 
 during the time he possessed his reason, which, I cannot 
 but think, Avill be found very precious, by those who knew 
 and loved him, and who are left to mourn his loss ; as 
 they serve to shew the quiet peace, and cahn composure, 
 which he possessed in the midst of much bodily pain and 
 suffering, resting on the promises of God, and relying, 
 with full confidence, on the finished work of Christ. 
 
 " I did not see our dear friend until three days after the 
 commencement of his sickness ; not having heard that he 
 was ill. On Friday, July 2, I visited him for the first 
 time, and had a lengthened conversation with him, chiefly 
 with regard to his temporal affairs. On my entering his 
 room, he stretched out his arm, and taking me by the 
 hand, said, 'Well ! you see I am laid by: it is the Lord.' 
 After answering a few questions about his illness, we 
 spoke of religion. He seemed deeply to feel what he said ; 
 clasping his hands together, he repeated very slowly, 'I 
 hope I am not deceiving myself, I hope I am not deceiving 
 myself, but I know that I am a poor sinner.' I remarked, 
 * What a blessed thing it is to feel that, and to be enabled 
 to. look to Jesus for pardon and salvation !' ' Yes,' he re- 
 plied, 'What should I do ivithoiit Christ nowV with 
 great emphasis. I then mentioned the remark of a friend 
 of mine, now gone to her rest, who, on her death-bed, said, 
 'This is no time to seek the Saviour; I thank God I have 
 found Him.' ' Yes,' said he, " Whom having not seen we 
 love.'" I finished the verse. He interrupted me, saying, 
 'No, I have no joy, no rejoicing ; but I am quite con- 
 tent, quite resigned: I said, ' I was thinking on my way 
 here of that verse which you mentioned once to me as 
 
122 EMIGRANT FEVEE. 
 
 having given you comfort for several days on a fonner 
 occasion; itv^as, "In the multitude of my thoughts within 
 me thy comforts delight my soul" (Ps. xciv. 19).' * Well,' 
 he replied, 'it is the paucity of my thoughts now ; but 
 there is one verse which I have found very precious.' I 
 asked what it was. ' Into thy hands I commit my spirit. 
 Thou hast redeemed me, Lord God of truth.' ' There,' 
 he said, ' is my comfort and my hope — the truth of God. 
 The covenant is based upon that truth, and is "well or- 
 dered in all things, and sure.'" Speaking of death and the 
 prospect of separation from his wife and family, he said, 
 ' In a worldly point of view, it appears of great importance 
 for my family's sake that I should hve ; but I bless God 
 I have not a care or an anxious thought on the subject: 
 I can commit all into His hands/ 
 
 " From this time to the time of his death, I spoke but 
 little to him except when necessary. But there are several 
 remarks, at different intervals, which spoke tlie Christian 
 principle within, and which shone so highly in his whole 
 walk and conversation during health, to the praise of the 
 grace of God. He seemed deeply sensible of the kindness 
 of his friends and the attention shewn him; frequently 
 thanking them, and apologising for giving trouble. On 
 one occasion, when he required a handkerchief, I gave him 
 mine; he said 'God is love; and he that dwelleth in. love 
 dweUeth in God, and God in him, and His love was mani- 
 fested in His sending His Son to die for sinners.' At 
 another time, he seemed sorry to give me trouble, and 
 said, 'But it is for the sake of Him who said " I thirst !"' 
 Once, when rendering him some assistance, he said, 'Dear 
 brother, the Lord brought us together that you might be 
 
MR L * * *'S DEATH. 123 
 
 with me now;' and again, ' How shall I repay this kind- 
 ness? — / cannot, but God can; He has, for He has given 
 you His best gift, eternal life/ Once, when much wearied 
 with pain and restlessness, he said, * that I had wings 
 like a dove ! and then would I, a poor sinner, through the 
 grace of Christ, flee away, and be at rest/ Making men- 
 tion of his wife, he said, ' Oh ! if my dear wife was here, 
 how sad she would be ! but I think it was in the path of 
 duty, looking after those poor people/ I remarked, ' The 
 Lord's way is often in the sea;' 'Yes,' he replied, 'He 
 doeth as He willeth in heaven and in earth/ Once, when 
 very weak, I heard him say with regard to his family, ' It 
 is very important that I should live; but, Lord Jesus, 
 forgive my sins, and if it be Thy holy will, receive me to 
 Thyself/ This was, I think, the last thing he said during 
 his reason. For the last four or five days he became 
 delirious, and for two days previous to his death he 
 scarcely spoke. I must not forget to mention his having 
 said to a friend who went to see him, ' Do you find Christ 
 precious to you in health ? I cannot think of Him now, 
 but He is looking on me /* 
 
 " His sufterings seemed to cease as his end approached, 
 and when he died, it was without a struggle, insensibly 
 passing into a glorious eternity. * I heard a voice from 
 heaven, saying, Blessed are the dead which die in the 
 Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they 
 may rest from their labours ; and their works do follow 
 them' (Eev. xiv. 13). * Be ye also ready.' 
 
 " M. M. H." 
 
 * *' About this time, another friend was at his bed-side. Mr L * ♦ * opened 
 his eyes, gave us a beauiing smile, and said, ' We shall talk of it when it is 
 
124 EMIGRxVNT FEVEFw 
 
 Another who suffered, but who recovered from the 
 malignant epidemic, writes in grateful acknowledgment 
 of Captain Hammond's attention: — 
 
 " I mention, as a proof of his love to the Lord's people, 
 the fidelity with which he attended his friend, and my 
 father in Christ, Captai « * *, RN., during his last 
 illness, occasioned by the terrible scourge, of which I lay 
 sick at the same time. ... As soon as Caj)tain L * * * 
 and myself were prostrated, Captain Hammond came and 
 insisted on attending, I may say, both of us, although, 
 more especially, the former. The risk of this was such, 
 and the demand for nurses so great, that it was almost 
 impossible to get adequate, or even any sort of attendance. 
 Hence the merit of Captain Hammond's services was all 
 the greater; and most diligently and faithfully did he give 
 his services. All through many a weary night, with the 
 most affectionate watchfulness, answering every request, 
 and anticipating every want, did he most fearlessly, and 
 in the most disinterested manner, devote himself to the 
 sick It was wonderful that he escaped the disease, risk- 
 ing himself as he did. But the Lord had the work for 
 him to do, and selecting the fit instrument for it, then He 
 spared him. Poor L * * *, however, died ; but his con- 
 stant attendant, almost day and night, through an illness 
 of fourteen or fifteen days, was Captain Hammond. He 
 proved in a beautiful manner, how deeply he was actuated 
 by that Christian love whose brightest feature is univer- 
 sality. I am sure his was a love that embraced all he ever 
 met with. On his visit to me, he used to offer up prayer, 
 and repeat suitable passages of Scripture ; and, until I was 
 
NUESING THE SICK. 1 25 
 
 quite well, he never omitted at any time to come and see 
 me." 
 
 One more testimony to this self-denying work from 
 Captain P * * * : — 
 
 " I saw him once at the bedside of Mr W * * * ; the 
 poor patient in unconscious delirium. Oh ! how I admired 
 him, and wondered at the power of Divine grace. His 
 natural strength of character and extreme gentleness, with 
 that intense love of God and man, the spring and centre 
 of his renewed being, rendered him peculiarly fitted for 
 such a labour of love. . . . But God alone, in the fulness 
 of whose smile he now rejoices, knows what he was to our 
 dear friend, that bright and shining light, dear L * * * I 
 He passed whole nights alone with him during the short, 
 but terrible period of his illness." 
 
126 USEFULNESS. 
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 MMnm. 
 
 ** Go labour on ! spend and be spent. 
 
 Thy joy to do thy Master's will; 
 It is the way the Master went, 
 Should not the servant tread it still ] 
 
 *' Toil on — faint not — keep watch and pray. 
 Be wise the erring soul to win ; 
 Go forth into the world's highway. 
 Compel the wanderers to come in." 
 
 BONAR. 
 
 In the early part of August 1847, the battalion was moved 
 from Montreal to Kingston and Toronto. Soon after 
 their march Captain Hammond writes to one of his inti- 
 mate friends : — 
 
 "August 14, 1847. 
 "My dear P * * *, — I am truly thankful to be once 
 more settled, and the more so as I have felt that the bustle 
 and confusion of the march was not congenial with spi- 
 ritual things. I speak this to my shame, as no change of 
 outward circumstances ought to interrupt our communion 
 with Cod. And now I am picturing to myself a nice 
 quiet time, with nothing to interrupt my retirement ; but. 
 
MAJICH TO LACHINE. 127 
 
 I dare say, I shall find as many tliincrs to distract here, as 
 at Montreal After taking leave of you, and the rest of 
 * the brethren,' we continued our trying march to Lachine. 
 Most trying it was, as I can speak from painful experience, 
 having carried a pack from the time I left you. The day 
 was very close, and the men unaccustomed to marching. 
 The consequence was, they dropped to the rear by scores, 
 unable to go on. We succeeded, however, in getting all 
 safe on board the steamer 
 
 " I miss you all very much, and now that I am sepa- 
 rated from you, I feel how unthankful I have been for so 
 great a privilege as I have enjoyed in being amongst you 
 so long. I look back with pleasant reminiscence to the 
 bright and happy days I have passed in Montreal, and 
 with deep and mournful interest to those that were dark 
 and gloomy ; but the promise is true, that ' though weeping 
 may endure for a night, joy cometh in the morning.' You 
 have had weeping days, and so has the little Church at 
 Trinity. The days of joy are not far distant; only let us 
 be faithful in waiting upon God and believing His word. 
 I long to hear of you all, and my heart is often with you ; 
 and when I feel cold and lukewarm, I can still say, as dear 
 L * * * did, ' Well ! I am sure of this, that I love the 
 brethren. ' 
 
 " Remember my request, that I may be kept humble and 
 faithful: and now, adieu; my Christian love to all friends, 
 D * « *, G * * *, I * * «, &c. Grace and jDcace be 
 with you all through Jesus Christ. — Your affectionate 
 friend, M. M. H." 
 
 The next letter is addressed to Dr T * * *, the minis- 
 
i28 USEFULNESS. 
 
 ter at Halifax, to whose teaching he felt he owed much, 
 and whom he loved and resj^ected as a father in Christ. It 
 will be seen from its perusal, that a struggle was at this time 
 going on in his mind, as to whether he should abandon 
 his present profession for another to which he felt a strong 
 calling. The letter is valuable, as an illustration of Maxy 
 Hammond's entire dependence on God in all his ways. 
 In every difficulty and perplexity he had recourse to 
 prayer ; and then, with full assurance that the Lord 
 " would inform him, and teach him in the way wherein he 
 should go," he looked for God's guidance, either in the 
 counsels of his friends, or in the impulse of his own judg- 
 ment. 
 
 *' To Dr T * * *. 
 
 " Octobei' 5, 1847. 
 
 " Our battalion has been removed from Mon- 
 treal to Kingston and Toronto. I am at the latter place, 
 which are the head- quarters. The remaining three com- 
 panies are at Kingston. I feel ashamed at not having 
 written you for so long. I must ask your forgiveness for 
 this neglect. But, believe me, I have not and do not 
 forget my gratitude to you, as my friend and spiritual 
 pastor during my stay at Halifax. Nor can I forget 
 your work of faith and labour of love among our poor 
 soldiers. And, especially, I would bless God who made 
 your ministering amongst us so acceptable and so useful. 
 May His grace be vouchsafed to you, my dear sir, in stiU 
 larger measure ; and may you be enabled to devote those 
 talents with which He has endowed you more entirely to 
 His service. May your own soul be abundantly watered 
 
THOUGHTS OF ENTERING THE MINISTRY. 129 
 
 by the dew of His grace, while you are engaged in your 
 laborious and self-denying efforts to win souls to Christ. 
 Though perhaps you may see little of the fruit of your 
 labours here, yet I trust you will find many at the great 
 day who will be your glory and cro^vn of rejoicing in the 
 Lord Jesus.'" 
 
 After alluding to some private matters, he resumes the 
 subject of his letter: — 
 
 "And now that I am writing to you, my dear Dr 
 T * * *, I wish to ask your opinion, in strict confidence, on 
 a subject that has been much on my mind for some months 
 past— that is, the idea of entering the ministry. This was 
 first suggested to me by a friend, Mr L * * * (since 
 dead of typhus fever) ; and though I did not at first think 
 seriously about it, I have done so since. I have also asked 
 the opinion of L * * *, and of the late Mr W * * * (our 
 beloved pastor at Montreal), and Mr B * * * of Mon- 
 treal; and now I should like to have your opinion, if you 
 could kindly give it. I have thought seriously and prayer- 
 fully over the matter in every way, and hope I am de- 
 sirous to do the will of God, and to follow only that in 
 the which He shall direct. The great lack of ministers 
 in the Church, my belief that the opportunities of useful- 
 ness are incomparably greater in the Church, and, if I am 
 not deceiving myself, a desire in my heart of giving my- 
 self entirely to the Lord's service, are among some of the 
 reasons I would allege for desiring to enter the sacred 
 ministry. I feel my omi insufficiency, but I know that 
 God will give strength to do the work, and wisdom to the 
 
 I 
 
130 USEFULNESS. 
 
 foolish, and understanding^ to the io-norant, if those thino^s 
 be duly sought of Him in prayer. As to my means, I 
 have sufficient to make me independent as to any ex- 
 pectation, in a pecuniary point of view. The question is, 
 Should I be justified in giving up my present position in 
 life? — i.e., Are the reasons which I can give for my desire 
 to enter the ministry so strong as to enable me to believe 
 that, in so doing, I should be following the Lord's will ? 
 If you would kindly give me your judgment, I should be 
 greatly obliged. And now, my dear sir, I must conclude. 
 — With kindest remembrances to Mrs T * * * and. a J 
 Christian friends in Halifax, believe me, yours affection- 
 ately and gratefully, 
 
 " M. M. H." 
 
 Most of those fiiends whom Captain Hammond con- 
 sulted, dissuaded him from taking this step; and he aban- 
 doned the idea soon after, as we learn from the following 
 letter: — 
 
 " Kingston. 
 " My dear M * * *, — I want to tell you what I had 
 felt, and what I now feel, with regard to my entering the 
 Church. I am so thankful that * * * spoke to you 
 about it, as I very much wished to have your opinion; 
 and, since I have heard it, I am more than ever confirmed 
 in the opinion I have come to respecting it. How gra- 
 ciously does God thus answer prayer, and bring about our 
 desires in a manner the most unlooked for ! You are 
 under a wrong impression in thinking that I first thought 
 of entering the ministry during the fatal pestilence at 
 
THE IDEA ABANDONED. 131 
 
 Montreal, which carried off so many faithful servants and 
 ministers of Christ. It was first pressed upon me in April 
 last; and, being proposed to me in this manner, I felt I 
 was in duty bound to ascertain the Lord's will in so im- 
 portant a matter; lest, on the one hand, I should be shrink- 
 ing from my duty, as a professed servant of Christ ; and 
 lest, on the other, I should blindly follow natural impulse, 
 and the dictates of my own fleshly mind, in opposition to 
 the leadings of God's providence. Accordingly, I wrote 
 to * * * and * * *, after making it a subject of earnest 
 prayer to God. All agree in advising me to remain ; so 
 that I cannot, ought not, would not, act in opposition to 
 the advice of so many friends — and my mind is perfectly 
 at rest as to the course I ought to pursue. My way ap- 
 pears plainly marked out by God's providence, and this is 
 all I want to know/' 
 
 Almost all Maxy Hammond's letters give evidence of 
 the o"1ie great prevailing thought ever uppermost in his 
 mind. If that one leading idea was excluded, letter- 
 writing was most irksome to him. He was not, indeed, 
 a bad " general correspondent," for his khid heart 
 prompted him to write frequently to all who had a claim 
 on his pen; but to those to whom he could unburden 
 himself without reserve, with whom he could compare 
 mutual wants, seek for their prayers, ask for or offer a 
 word of seasonable exhortation — to such his pen was a 
 ready one. He spoke out of the abundance of his heart; 
 he felt that " A letter timely writ is the rivet to the chains 
 of affection — the pen flowing with love." 
 
 And of such sort are the two or three which follow: — 
 
] 32 USEFULNESS. 
 
 " To Captain P * * *. 
 
 "Toronto, October 30, ]84;7. 
 
 " My beloved Beother, — I long to hear from 
 
 you about your visit to dear * * *. I am sure you must 
 have enjoyed it. No one can be with him without feel- 
 ing how good it is for one's soul to be with one who has 
 inherited so much of his Master's spiiit, and whose whole 
 walk is so humble and so consistent. Oh, that that meek- 
 ness, and love, and simple trust in God, which we observe 
 in our fellow-men, were more imitated and more sought 
 after by prayer to God ! But, above all, it is the example 
 of Jesus that we should continually set before us (as your 
 friend Stellebras always insists), which alone can be effec- 
 tual to the transforming our minds and renewing them 
 according to the Divine will. Nevertheless, we may do 
 well to observe the life of Jesus in His faithful followers, 
 and seek to follow them, as they followed Christ. How 
 blessed it is for us to know that Jesus is our wisdom to 
 teach, our righteousness to justify, our sanctijfication to 
 prepare us for glory, and our redemption, in whom we 
 stand complete! 
 
 " You will have seen my name in the Gazette. Pray 
 for me that, with increased influence and responsibility, I 
 may have increased light and grace, with a single eye to 
 the glory of God, that so my promotion may be sanctified 
 
 and God honoured ' Call upon me in the time of 
 
 trouble ; I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me' 
 (Psalm 1. 15). God is glorified when, in a season of spiri- 
 tual darkness, the believer calls upon Him. — Ever your 
 affectionate friend, M. M. H/' 
 
MUTUAL UNION IN PRAYER. 133 
 
 To his brother E « * *. 
 
 "Quebec, October 1847. 
 
 "My dear E * * *, — I often reproach myself with 
 neglect and idleness in not writing to you ; but I often, yes 
 always, think of you and dear M * * * ; and especially do 
 I delight in pleading for you both when I present my own 
 poor supplications to our common Lord. Nothing brings 
 you so vividly before my eyes as when engaged in prayer ; 
 and I am sure that nothing acts so powerfully to increase 
 our love, and strengthen the ties of natural affection. 
 Though we cannot see, hear, or speak to one another, 
 though we are many thousands of miles apart, yet we can 
 pray for one another ; and, in so doing, who can estimate 
 the amount of good that we may draw down upon each 
 other's heads. Let us think of this whenever we approach 
 the mercy-seat. Let us ask for a rich supply of spiritual 
 blessings, and as far as we can judge of one another's pecu- 
 liar wants, trials, difficulties, and temptations, let us ask in 
 faith that these may be bestowed upon us out of the inex- 
 haustible treasures of our Lord Jesus Christ 
 
 " I am here on a visit to my friend L i> * *. This is 
 a lovely place, the most beautiful in Canada, and I can 
 assure you I have been enjoying my holidays not a little. 
 The hill scenery is very fine, the weather has changed — 
 cloudless skies and a refreshing air which add greatly to 
 one's enjoyment, and produce high animal spirits. But 
 my chief pleasure has been derived from my intercourse 
 with L * * *, whose society I always value and delight 
 in, more than any one I know. I look upon a real friend as 
 one of the choicest blessings God has given us to enjoy, 
 
134j usefulness. 
 
 and as such I would thankfully acknowledge them and 
 receive them as His gifts 
 
 " I fully expect and desire to remain in this country ; 
 but it may not be so appointed: all our concerns are in 
 the hands of Him, without whom a sparrow cannot fall to 
 the ground — whether therefore we remain here or go there 
 is a matter of small moment, for all will be well if we are 
 His, if we are abiding in Him, waiting on Him, trusting on 
 Him, looking to Him. I pray that wherever I am sent I 
 may have grace given me to glorify His name, by living 
 to Him alone. that our faith was firmer and brighter, 
 and our love to Him more constant and self-denying ! 
 that we could always live as seeing Him who is invisible, 
 and have a single eye to His glory in all that we do ! This 
 would be happiness indeed ; of which we should know 
 more in proportion to the closeness of our walk with Him. 
 
 " And now, my beloved brother, farewell. — Believe me, 
 with much love, your affectionate brother, 
 
 "M. M. H." 
 
 The next letter is to a friend. After alluding to private 
 matters, he says: — 
 
 " May you receive grace and wisdom to adorn the doc- 
 trine of God your Saviour in all things ; and, by a humble 
 and consistent walk, to shew forth the praises of Him who 
 has called you out of darkness into His marvellous light ! 
 I daresay you will meet with trials in some shape or other, 
 and where is the situation where there are none? But 
 be stronfj in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and He will 
 bring you safely through all. 'Looking unto Jesus, the 
 
BIBLE CLASSES FOK THE MEN. 
 
 Author and Finisher of your faith/ you will be enabled to 
 hold on your way; and you will daily experience more of 
 the peace which He giveth. But this last will be in pro- 
 portion to your prayer and constant watchfulness. 
 
 " How strange that you and I should be talking together 
 on these subjects, when we look back at ourselves a few 
 years ago ! It should fill us with thankfulness and praise 
 to look at the rock whence we were hewn, and the hole of 
 the pit whence we have been digged. What maketh us to 
 differ from what we once were ? Nothing but the sove- 
 reign grace of a merciful God. Oh ! let us give Him all 
 the praise, and let us prove our gratitude by giving our 
 whole hearts to Jesus. . . . 
 
 " We are getting on comfortably here, and a door of 
 usefulness has been opened to us among the men. On 
 Sunday and Wednesday evenings, we have a meeting in 
 the school-room, for prayer and reading the Scriptures, 
 with a few practical remarks. The meeting has averaged 
 from thirty-five to forty, and we hope some souls will be 
 led to Jesus by this humble means. Help us, dear brother, 
 with your prayers. Go in the strength of Jesus; make 
 Him your all in all — be diligent, be earnest, be watchful ; 
 seek a spirit of prayer and a close conformity to Jesus in 
 your mind; and remember in your prayers, for Christ's 
 sake, your affectionate friend, 
 
 - M. M. H." 
 
 After the battalion was removed from Montreal, the 
 right wing was sent to Toronto, and the left wing, to which 
 Maxy Hammond was soon afterwards transferred on pro- 
 motion, went to Kingston. Of his usefulness at this time, 
 
1-36 USEFULNESS. 
 
 we may gather some idea from a communication furnished 
 by a city missionary, who was at that time a private in 
 Captain Hammond's company : — 
 
 "Captain Hammond's appearance amongst us," the 
 writer says, " revived all those, both officers and men, who 
 were lovers of the Saviour. An evening-school was 
 established in the fort, where six soldiers, who could neither 
 read nor write, made their first effort. In the course of a 
 month the number gradually increased to fifty, and, even- 
 tually to near eighty men, none of whom were at first 
 capable of reading the Word of God. Soon after, a pro- 
 posal was made that two religious meetings should be held 
 in the school-room every week — on Wednesday and Sun- 
 day evenings. On hearing the suggestion, Captain 
 Hammond replied, '"Yes! it is j^rayer that must bring the 
 blessing do'v\Ti ;' and these meetings were soon afterwards 
 established. A bugle sounded the call to the evening- 
 school at half-past six, and the same sound was the sum- 
 mons to the meetino:. On the first occasion, the verandah 
 was lined "vvith men and many officers — some of whom 
 viewed this proceeding with significant looks — and those 
 who were not ashamed to confess Christ before men passed 
 on through the barrack square, thus evidencing the sin- 
 cerity of their faith."" 
 
 Captain Hammond's attention was next turned to the 
 suppression of drmikenness. 
 
 " For this noble purpose," the same writer continues, " he 
 procured competent lecturers on * temperance,' the result 
 of which was, that many of the men relinquished, and 
 
ENDEAVOUKS TO SUPPRESS DRUNKENNESS. 137 
 
 never resumed the use of intoxicating beverages. In 
 addition to this, reading-rooms were established — a supply 
 of books procured — and prizes were given for the regular 
 attendance of the men at the evening-schools. For all 
 these various objects, funds were provided from Captain 
 Hammond's purse. 
 
 "Further," the same pen continues, "the amount of 
 spiritual good among the rich, and temporal good among 
 the poor, effected in the parish and city by Captain Ham- 
 mond, during our stay there, can only be fully known at 
 the Great Day. Through his instrumentality the church 
 itself, as well as the ground connected with it, was put in 
 order, and the clergyman's house provided, and the school 
 greatly assisted. Captain Hammond rose early, and after 
 spending some time in private, called in his two servants 
 to family prayer. At nine o'clock on Sabbath mornings, 
 he went into the children's school; and, after marching his 
 company to the garrison church, proceeded to the hospital, 
 where he would conduct a service in some one of the 
 wards. His influence probably had considerable effect 
 among the men in checking desertion. Although for nme- 
 teen months within a few miles of the frontier, only one 
 man deserted, while desertions were frequent with the men 
 of other corps." 
 
 The love of his men, and the influence he possessed over 
 them — of such vital importance to an officer — may be 
 assigned, not less to the spirit that entered into all their 
 interests and wants, difficulties, pleasures, and duties, than 
 to his other sterling qualities. His men were constantly 
 in his thoughts. The army was his profession, and he 
 
188 USEFULNESS. 
 
 regarded it as a mighty organ — as the police of the nation, 
 the end of which was peace. It was in this light he loved 
 to look at it ; and thus viewing it, he honoured and valued 
 the men who composed it. They were his inferiors in 
 rank, but part of one great body, and all his sympathies 
 were due to them. Their higher, holier interests absorbed 
 his attention, but not to the exclusion of minor efforts 
 for their pleasure and enjoyment. Thus he writes : — 
 
 "Kingston, January 19, 1848. 
 " I am going to establish a reading-room, if I can get 
 one, for the men, in the hope of keeping some out of the 
 canteen during the winter evenings. And I have been 
 thinking of getting up singing among them with the same 
 view ; but this I have not yet decided upon. Idleness is 
 the great snare of the soldier ; and it is a great thing to 
 find anything for them that will occupy and interest them 
 at the same time. The Bible-classes continue to be well 
 attended, and give encouragement to hope that the good 
 seed may not be sown in vain." 
 
 And in another letter about the same date : — 
 
 " My Christmas was a very pleasant one, &c., &c. Our 
 own men had a grand dinner of capital roast beef and 
 mutton, with plum-pudding in abundance. I wish you 
 could have seen the splendid decorations of some of their 
 rooms, with all kinds of devices in fir round the walls — 
 flags, paintings, &c. ; altogether the day passed off quietly, 
 and the poor soldiers were much pleased/' 
 
 To those who were for the first time entering upon the 
 
INFLUENCE OF HIS EXAMPLE. 1 SD 
 
 " new life," often in doubt, often in despondency, often in 
 weakness, the counsel of such an one as Maxy Hammond 
 must have been invaluable indeed. It was easy to see, in 
 his pleasant ways, in his bright and radiant countenance, 
 that the hope of which he spoke was no unreal, no exclu- 
 sive thing, but one of which all might be partakers. And 
 this peculiar happiness of manner had no small effect upon 
 those who needed some stay, some encouragement in the 
 outset of their Christian life. Such a helper was he to 
 the writer of the annexed letter : — 
 
 "Kingston, Canada, 8th November 1856. 
 • • • • "It was in 184^8, when he was stationed at 
 Kingston, that I first met with him. I had been thinking 
 seriously, and was much impressed by the consistency of 
 his walk and conversation. I saw in him the beauty of 
 religion exemplified in a striking manner; and though per- 
 haps not the direct means of my conversion, which I trace 
 to my dear mother, and to the last verse of the first chap- 
 ter of James, improved on me by the Holy Spirit, yet 
 Captain Hammond's life had undoubtedly a great influence 
 in strengthening my new and v/eak religious principles 
 and convictions. AVhen I had emerged from darkness into 
 the glorious liberty of the children of God, he was the first 
 one to whom I communicated my changed sentiments on 
 religious subjects. He took me by the hand, encouraged 
 me by his advice, got me installed as a teacher in St 
 James' Sunday-school, over which he was superintendent ; 
 and several times in the week did he call at my office ; and, 
 after office hours, bring me forth to the bedside of some 
 poor sick or dying fellow-sinner. He would occasionally 
 
1-iO USEFULNESS. 
 
 make me read the Scriptures, and he would engage in 
 prayer; and so we went from house to house, where he 
 was well known and welcomed. Thus he watched over 
 me, and led me step by step, till, by God's grace, I was 
 enabled to go and do likewise to the extent of my ability 
 and ojDportunity. 
 
 " I thus look back with great thankfulness to the time 
 when I was privileged to be with him. I thank God con- 
 tinually, from the depth of my heart, that He placed pro- 
 videntially so eminent and holy a Christian as Captain 
 Hammond before me as my example, at a time when the 
 Christian character is set and moulded so easily. His 
 words 'were like fire in my soul.' I feel the benefit of 
 them now, and shall do so till I meet him in glory. They 
 stirred me up, and made me run in the divine life. Yet 
 he apparently knew not their secret force. And how do 
 we account for it ? It was simply this : he was full of 
 faith and the Holy Ghost who spoke by him. His words 
 were with power. Having purged himself with the blood 
 of Jesus, he was * a vessel,' as the apostle says, ' meet for 
 the Master's use.' 
 
 " In my intercourse with Christian friends, I never met 
 with any one whose simple words were so effective. I 
 can recollect the identical spot where we happened to be 
 walking some seven years ago, when he gave utterance to 
 expressions in reference to spiritual truths which are em- 
 bedded in my heart and memory. The spot, when passed 
 again, brings back with it the truth anew, with its whole- 
 some influences, and all the associated circumstances, as 
 though it had occurred but yesterday. The remark I have 
 felt of most benefit to me was this : ' See that your first 
 
HIS VALUE AS A CHKISTIAN FEIEKD. 141 
 
 love does not decline.' AYheii disi^osed to slacken my 
 pace in the divine life, often lias this rung the alarm in 
 my ears, ^nd roused me to wait on the Lord, that my 
 strength might be renewed." 
 
 This was not a single instance of his value as a Chris- 
 tian friend. The close of the letter, though diverging 
 from this particular point, bears so strong a testimony to 
 Captain Hammond's life of active usefulness, that it should 
 not be omitted : — 
 
 " The Sunday-school, however, occupied his thoughts 
 and attention very much. He was always at his post in 
 time early in the morning, and in all weathers, though his 
 quarters were some three miles distant. He was an 
 admirable teacher, and took much pains in getting mis- 
 sionary and other information to instruct the children in 
 his addresses. On his leaving, the school presented him 
 with a book and address. His visits to the poor were 
 constant and daily; and not only did he feed them with 
 spiritual food, but he ministered to their temporal wants of 
 his substance. He was exceedingly liberal. Much that 
 he did in this way was of course unknown, but from what 
 was known, he must have distributed very largely out of 
 his means. After he left, my mother, on visiting some 
 poor widows, found them lamenting the loss of Captain 
 Hammond, and stated that he had been their best friend, 
 and had supported them. He was a decided Christian. He 
 offered his Eedeemer no half-hearted service. His whole 
 life and daily walk shewed that he was one of the few in 
 the present low estate of the Church of Christ, who pre- 
 sented themselves a living sacrifice to God, and considered 
 
14(2 USEFULNESS. 
 
 this a reasonable service (Roin. xii. 1). He was not con- 
 formed to this world. His views on this subject were 
 very clear and strong. It was not with him, ' how little of 
 the Avorld can I give up in order to save my spiritual life, 
 and attain heaven at last V but, * What shall I render unto 
 the Lord in return for His love V " 
 
 The address above mentioned, as presented by the chil- 
 dren of the school, is as follows: — 
 
 " To Captain Hammond, Rifle Brigade. 
 
 "Very dear Sir, — We, the children of the Sunday- 
 school of St James's Church, Stuartville, have learned with 
 great sorrow that you are to leave us. 
 
 " We would thank God, who hath in His providence 
 sent you to us; and ascribe praise to His grace, who hath 
 exalted you, during the last year, to be the kind teacher 
 and guide, as well as diligent superintendent, of this Sab- 
 bath-school. 
 
 " We know Him who, out of the mouths of babes and 
 sucklings, perfects praise, who will ever lend a listening 
 ear to the prayers even of children ; and to Him will we 
 ever pray that the Lord of all power and might will have 
 you in His keeping, guide you, bless you, and make you a 
 blessing. 
 
 " May we respectfully ask you to pray for us, that the 
 seed which you have sown in our minds may take deep 
 root, and spring up, and bear fruit plentifully, to be your 
 future reward, and to the praise and glory of God's grace. 
 
 "Signed, on behalf of the children of the Sunday- 
 school, . George Coster, Stuartville, 
 
 Kingston, Canada" 
 
HIS VALUE AS A SUNDAY-SCHOOL TEACHER. 143 
 
 We may here add an extract from a letter from the 
 Rev. Mr R * * *, in whose parish this school was 
 situated : — 
 
 " Having proposed that Captain Hammond should be- 
 come a Sunday-school teacher, he at once consented, though 
 pleading his own incapacity. After a short time, his 
 qualifications becoming so apparent, and a vacancy occur- 
 ring, I requested him to take the superintendence, which 
 he did for two years, and by his indefatigable devotedness 
 raised the school both in numbers and quality. He, in 
 connexion with other teachers, regularly visited absentees, 
 and won the affections of both parents and children. His 
 addresses to the school were marked by great simplicity, 
 faithfulness, and affection, and were therefore very attrac- 
 tive and useful. We all lost much by his departure. The 
 children threw together their mites, and presented him 
 with a present of books. The day of presentation was a 
 scene that did honour to all. Captain Hammond was 
 deeply affected, while the little ones gave audible expres- 
 sion to their griefs in sighs which could not be restrained 
 by the teachers, and were deeply sympathised in by the 
 bystanders.'' 
 
Ii4> CHOICE OF FfilENDa 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 m 0f jfrimbs. 
 
 One drachma for a good book, and a thousand talents for a true friend ; 
 So standeth the market where scarce is ever costly." 
 
 TUPPER. 
 
 ** Not with the trifler gay. 
 
 To whom life seems but sunshine on the wave; 
 Not with the empty idler of a day — 
 
 My lot be with the wise and grave. 
 With them I 'd walk each day; 
 
 From them Time's solemn lessons I would learn, 
 That false from true, and true from ialse, I may 
 
 More faithfully discern," 
 
 BONAB. 
 
 The sterling character of Captain Hammond's friendship 
 was especially marked. He was no summer friend. Once 
 given, his love was strong, constant, and invariable. His 
 nature was, it is true, especially affectionate ; but it was 
 not to this alone that we may attribute that unchanging, 
 ever-present feeling, which all his letters to his friends 
 exhibit. It was rather, that where he saw the image of 
 his Master reflected, however feebly, there he gave his 
 whole heart at once. Hence the number of his friends ; 
 hence the many expressions of grief that followed his 
 early removal. He woiild often dwell on this peculiar 
 
UNION IN CHRIST. 145 
 
 bond of love tliat unites together tlie children of the Lord, 
 and contrast it with the hollow, selfish friendshi]3 of the 
 world. He frequently referred to the effect of this union 
 in Christ on himself. Once he said — " Before I knew the 
 truth, I used positively to hate * * *. I don't think 
 I used to hate many people, but I confess I really hated 
 Mm — I used to think him such a regular whining Metho- 
 dist." And yet this very dislike subsequently gave way 
 to a close friendship, founded upon mutual love to the 
 Saviour. What his friends thought of him, a few letters 
 will shew. One says: — 
 
 " His friendship I count one of the most precious bless- 
 ings I have ever received from the hands of my gracious 
 God and Father. He seemed sent, as I loved to think, in 
 answer to the j^rayer of one just then led, with tottering 
 steps, to try the pathway of light and peace. 
 
 "I first met him on the 13th October lS4i6, soon after 
 my arrival at Montreal from more than a year's sick 
 leave. He was the friend I needed, the companion pre- 
 cisely suited to my wants, and the yearnings of my heart. 
 And during that first year of uninterrupted and close in- 
 tercourse, I learned to admire, to esteem, and love him, as 
 I never thought I could have loved man. Meekness and 
 wisdom seemed traced in every line of his countenance. 
 Truly did he walk in the light, and brightly did he reflect 
 the light, gladdening and warming the hearts of some, 
 and reproving sin in the consciences of others. There 
 seemed around him an atmosphere of light, and love, and 
 cahn joy in believing. He did not hide his light. In his 
 religion was true vitality; it was essentially active and 
 
 K 
 
146 CHOICE OF FRIENDS. 
 
 diffusive. The language of liis heart seemed ever to be, 
 " What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits to- 
 wards me?" Sweetly, irresistibly, and constantly the love 
 of Christ constrained him. He was to be seen, not only at 
 the sick-bed of the friend and the officer, but beside that 
 of the soldier in the hospital, and the poor stranger. 
 Misery, sorrow, and need of every kind, had for him 
 attraction. Others saw his works, and blessed him, and 
 gave glory to God ; while he, in the lowliness and loveli- 
 ness of unfeigned humility, was ever ready to mourn over 
 felt, confessed unprofitableness. He did much, he loved 
 much ; but the Holy Spirit had opened to his heart such 
 views of the love of God in Christ, that every return made 
 seemed to him worse than nothing. And so, while more 
 and more drawn by gratitude and love to work for God, 
 and to aim at entire conformity to His will, in holiness of 
 life, he brought no plea to the bar of God's justice but 
 the atonement and the spotless righteousness of Christ. 
 In these he rested — in these he triumphed. Oh, how he 
 delighted to dwell upon the ever new theme — the love of 
 Christ, and the fulness that is in Him ! A remark made 
 by a dear friend at Halifax, in reference to him, has often 
 been felt by me in its realisation — ' With grace in that 
 heart, what a lovely Christian he would be 1 ' Yes ; a 
 noble form, a lovely natural character, walking in the 
 light of God's reconciled countenance. .... 
 
 " I have been drawn into writing more than I intended 
 — a poor, imperfect tribute indeed. But I could not bear 
 to send to his brother those precious extracts without 
 adding my feeble voice to the number of those who call 
 his memory blessed. . . . , — ^Yours ever sincerely, 
 
 "W. P * * *" 
 
VALUE OF HIS FRIENDSHIP. I47 
 
 A second friend writes thus: — 
 
 " I have many mercies to tell of since, and one which I 
 feel very grateful for, that, in such a time of need, the 
 Lord should have raised up such a precious friend as 
 Hammond. He who is touched with a feeling of our in- 
 firmities, knew that a return to a mess-table, and the 
 anniversary of dearest N * * *'s illness and death, would 
 be trying times to me; and He therefore sent one who 
 could fully sympathise with me, and who was, by His 
 blessing, a great comfort to me/' 
 
 A third officer adds one more testimony: 
 
 " He (Captain Hammond) was the first to take me by 
 the hand, when it pleased the Lord to shew me that I was 
 walking in a road that led to death. I attribute very, 
 very much to dear Hammond as the instrument to my 
 being enabled to cast away every weight, and the pursuits 
 and pleasures which, if partaken of, are liable to choke the 
 good seed. Thus, by making a clear stand, with the affec- 
 tionate and anxious j^rayers and entreaties of beloved 
 Maxy, another brand was plucked from the burning, and 
 I thus spared to be another witness to his holy example, 
 his unwearied zeal in the desire to benefit his fellow-men." 
 
 All these friends bear witness to the consistent reality 
 and earnest activity of his life. His light was not hid 
 imder a bushel. Men saw his good works, and how he 
 glorified his Fatlier in heaven. These letters shew how 
 his friends regarded him. Upon what grounds he himself 
 sought and found intimate ties, the next letter to his 
 brother will shew : — 
 
148 CHOICE OF FEIENDS. 
 
 " My DEAE H * * *, — It is a good thing to find out 
 and get acquainted with reh'gious people wherever one 
 goes. I hope I shall never forget the advice of a good 
 man, a clergyman in this country, who died this summer 
 of emigrant fever. When I was leaving Montreal, ' Be 
 sure,' he said, ' you lose no time in finding out the good 
 people wherever you go/ I hope I shall always act upon ; 
 this advice, as I am convinced that, next to the Bible and.i 
 the instructions from the pulpit, nothing is so good foi 
 one as the society of real Christians. God has graciously 
 made this provision for our wants, and so ordered it thaj^ 
 we mutually receive and communicate good to one anothel. 
 And as we are commanded to separate from the society of 
 an ungodly world, we are thus graciously permitted to 
 enjoy the pleasures of society and companionship with 
 those who love the Lord. Nothing struck me more 
 forcibly when my own mind was directed to seek the one 
 thing needful, than the difference between the friendship 
 of the world and that friendship founded on Christian 
 principles, proceeding from our common union in the faith 
 of Jesus. What has become of all those who professed 
 friendship in the days of worldly gaiety and dissipation? 
 Their friendship is like the wind — hollow, empty, and 
 passing away; while that of Christians never fails, and 
 neither time nor distance ever obliterates it. Every day 
 shews me the necessity of making the line of separation 
 between the world and the disciple of Jesus more clear 
 and decided. And while in the estimation of many, one 
 may be set down as morose and unsociable, and over- 
 precise, I am satisfied that every step towards worldly 
 compliance is a step in the wrong direction, and a step 
 
CHRISTIAN AND WORLDLY FRIENDSHIP CONTRASTED. 149 
 
 towards the loss of that peace which is the result of keep- 
 in^^ the conscience void of offence, and which is the only 
 thing really worth possessing. The opinion of the world 
 is but a light matter, and the friendship of the world is 
 enmity with God. All that is in the world is not of the 
 Father, but is of the world. We cannot do both — serve 
 God and the world together ; Christ has declared it to be 
 an impossibility. If you should seek as your friends and 
 companions those who are religious, doubtless you will 
 find some, though their number may be few, and they will 
 be despised by the thoughtless around them; but if you 
 ifiake friends of such, you will find that their friendship is 
 genuine and lasting. 
 
 " What I want myself, and what we all want, is more 
 of^he love of Christ in the heart. This would make us 
 out of love with the world, and we should then esteem all 
 else but that which is connected with God and eternal 
 things as beneath our proper regard. I am ashamed at 
 feeling so little desire to live for God. When I ask myself, 
 What am I doing, or trying to do, for Him? the answer is, 
 ' Nothing.' Instead of earnestly labouring for others, I 
 am content to sit down selfish and unconcerned, so as I 
 can only feed my own soul. But this is not the spirit of 
 Him who pleased not Himself, and whose meat and drink 
 it was to do the will of His Father. 
 
 " I hope you are going on, dear H * * *, in the right 
 way. ' Follow on to know the Lord,' and in ' the knowledge 
 and love of God and of Jesus Christ our Lord.' For my 
 own part, I have often to bewail, with shame and sorrow, 
 that I have backslidden rather than advanced, and often 
 does my ungrateful heart seem altogether to have left its 
 
J 50 CHOICE OF FEIENDS. 
 
 first love. God will have us to know that our spiritual 
 life is a constant uninterrupted conflict against the powers 
 of darkness and the corruptions of our naturally depraved 
 hearts. He will have us to learn, by sad experience, that 
 without Christ we can do nothing; that our only strength 
 lies in His grace, and that we can only be preserved from 
 falling by constant watching, waiting, praying, and look- 
 ing at Him. The eye of faith once taken away from 
 Christ, and, like Peter, we shall sink in the waves of 
 temptation. Oh ! may we ever look to Him. ' Abide in 
 me,' says Jesus, 'and I in you; so shall ye have much 
 fruit.' Are we abiding in Jesus, and what fruit are we 
 bearing? And now, dear H * * *, good-bye. What 
 subject should we delight to write about and to speak 
 upon so much as ' the things that belong to our eternal 
 peace.' God bless you, dear H * * *. Pray for your 
 aff'ectionate brother, M. M. H." 
 
 So he speaks of the blessing of Christian friendship, in 
 a letter to Captain D * * * : — 
 
 "Aprils, 1851. 
 
 " Is not the superiority of Christian friendship made to 
 appear in this respect, that it is permanent, while the 
 friendship of the world is transient and uncertain. As 
 members of the same family, we feel that we have all 
 things in common — the same desires, feelings, hopes, joys, 
 temptations ; therefore, there is perfect sympathy between 
 all the members of the body." 
 
 And so again, in one of his last letters written on his 
 way out to the Crimea: — 
 
HIS AFFECTION FOE HALIFAX. J 51 
 
 "One of the passengers, an invalid lady, is a true 
 Christian, and I look forward to much comfort in her 
 companionship. There is a peculiar pleasure in meeting 
 with a servant of Christ unexpectedly.'' 
 
 And, writing again from Malta, he says: — 
 
 "Mr H * * * preached in his usually earnest and 
 striking style. I spent half an hour afterwards with those 
 dear people, and felt what I have often done before — what 
 a depth and warmth there is in Christian friendship which 
 we look in vain for in the world. . . . You may imagine 
 also how much I miss Mrs * * * (a passenger who left 
 them at Malta). To her I could speak of home, besides 
 the sympathy we had in spiritual things. Don't you 
 think we ought to look on these unexpected meetings with 
 fellow-Christians, to strengthen and comfort our hearts in 
 times of trial, as special proofs of our heavenly Father's 
 love?" 
 
 The motives from whence his friendship sprung ex- 
 tended beyond persons — to places. At Halifax his new 
 life began, and he always spoke of that town with the 
 warmest affection. Writing two years afterwards, in 
 September 184^8, to one of his friends there, he says: — 
 
 "It is long since I, or any of us, have heard from 
 Halifax. We seem almost to have lost sight of that ever 
 memorable place. But I hope I shall never, as long as I 
 have the breath of life, forget to plead for that place where, 
 as I humbly trust, 'I was born;' and for those kind 
 brethren and sisters to whose love, and counsel, and 
 spiritual existence I owe so much, as the instruments, in 
 
152 CHOICE OF FEIENDS. 
 
 the hand of God, by whom I believed. I love to look 
 back on those blessed days of peace and great joy, of 
 bright hope and heavenly desires, which a God of love 
 gave me to taste on first setting out on the journey home- 
 wards. Alas ! when I look within, what cause is there for 
 humiliation, sorrow, and self-abasement! . . . Pardon me 
 for writing thus about myself; Halifax so brings back to 
 me the remembrance of the past, that I could not forbear. 
 And oh ! may it said of many souls, as I humbly trust and 
 earnestly pray that it may be said of me, and many 
 others, in that day when the Lord Jesus makes up His 
 jewels, * Lo, this and that man was born there!'" 
 
 In a letter recently quoted, the writer goes on to say: — 
 
 " When Captain Hammond was at Kingston, I think he 
 came out most in striving to do what he could for the 
 poor of the tovni. I remember hearing much of his work 
 from the mouths of many of those who were afflicted, and 
 on whom he spent so much of his time. I have always 
 heard the most delightful expressions of their love for him. 
 Many interesting cases he left for us to look after. One, 
 in particular, I must give you before I conclude. A sv/eet 
 little girl named Angelina, one of his class in the Sunday- 
 school, was taken ill, and went into a slow consumption. 
 Maxy attended this sweet little patient almost daily; 
 striving to lead the mind of the little sufferer to that 
 Saviour who was waiting to hear her first prayer for par- 
 don and reconciliation through His blood. By little and 
 little the light dawned in upon her soul ; and through the 
 instrumentality of our beloved Maxy, with the assistance 
 
ANGELINA AND HER FATHER. 15S 
 
 of the blessed Spirit, that little one was brought into the 
 fold of Christ. But this Avas not all ; Angelina's father, 
 during her illness, was attacked with dropsy, and endured 
 the most intense suffering. He could not but hear the 
 admonitions and messages of love which Maxy Ham- 
 mond almost daily gave to his little daughter, and from 
 his own lips he told me that those words addressed to 
 his dying daughter, w^ere the means used to lead him to 
 the same blessed Saviour. He died full of faith ; and thus 
 two of one family, through Maxy's instrumentality, are 
 now joining him in ascribing praise and glory to Him who 
 had loved them, saved them, and now glorified them.'' 
 
 "He also" (writes Dr M * * *) "took a very warm 
 interest in a poor lad of the name of Fitzgibbon ; and was 
 most attentive to him when on his death-bed. He was, I 
 believe, a pupil in the Sunday-school; and his rehgious 
 impressions, I think it probable, were first received from 
 our dear friend Captain Hammond. I have heard a pious 
 carpenter speak with much affection of his humility in 
 stopping to speak to him when walking with other officers/' 
 
154 SYMPATHY. 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 "As ia water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man." 
 — Proverbs xxvii. 19. 
 
 Captain Hammond's attempts as a public speaker, when 
 special occasions called him into a position very foreign 
 to his modest and retiring disposition, are referred to in 
 the succeeding letters. 
 
 " I believe his first attempt at public speaking was made 
 at a meeting for our Church Society. We had resolved to 
 visit during the winter some of our backwood parishes. 
 It was with some difficulty that I persuaded him to make 
 the first attempt. That was so successful, however, that, 
 having arrived at a village twenty-five miles from this, at 
 the meeting held in the church, he again spoke. On our 
 return, he was induced to take the chair at the anniver- 
 sary of our association in connexion with the Religious 
 Tract Society. Few would have believed how recently he 
 had become, in any sense, a public man. His presiding 
 on that occasion was marked by a dignified self-com- 
 posure ; and when he opened the business of the evening 
 his language was so appropriate and so fluent, that none 
 
SPEAIvING IN PUBLIC. 155 
 
 could have imagined their chairman to have been an orator 
 of a week old." 
 
 Allusion is also made to Captain Hammond's successful 
 essays on the platform, in a letter dated January 8, 1856 : — 
 
 " Captain Hammond," the writer says, " was an active 
 member of the Committee of the Auxiliary Bible and 
 Tract Society of Kingston ; and he appeared on the plat- 
 form, at their anniversary meetings, to advocate their 
 claims upon public support and sympathy. He, with a 
 most zealous follower of Christ — Dr M * * * — were, if 
 I remember right, the efficient instruments in resusci- 
 tating these societies, which, before then, were compara- 
 tively lifeless. He also attended the public meetings of tlie 
 Church Society in its parochial associations. Wherever 
 he appeared, his speeches were marked for manliness, 
 fluency, and, above all, spirituality of tone and senti- 
 ment. He had the gift of speaking in public with 
 freedom and ease — from which, and his devotion to the 
 cause of Christ, many thought that his talents were emi- 
 nently suited for the ministry of the gospel.'' 
 
 He himself passingly refers to his own feelings on those 
 occasions, in a note from Kingston, February 14, 181^8: — 
 
 " We get plenty of excellent tracts and books from the 
 Religious Tract Society, of which there is a depository 
 here. The branch society of Kingston has, however, been 
 almost dead for the last fourteen years. They have this 
 year been making an effort to revive it. A committee 
 
156 SYMPATHY. 
 
 has been formed, and a public meeting held for the pur- 
 pose of re-forming it. What do you think of my having 
 had to second a resolution, and make a speech from the 
 platform ? Fancy if you could have been there to have 
 heard it ! The speech was short, and the speaker's trepi- 
 dation very painful. We cannot tell, until the collections 
 have been made, how far this effort will succeed ; but we 
 trust something may be done — and the object is a very im- 
 portant one — for this society is the only channel through 
 which sound religious publications are brought amongst 
 the people in these backwoods of Canada." .... 
 
 The letter concludes: — 
 
 " I told you of the illness of my friend, Mr Rogers. 
 He is slowly recovering, but not yet able to leave his bed. 
 Poor man ! no sooner are the anxieties for his own life 
 concluded, than he is called upon to resign a dear child 
 into the hands of his heavenly Father. The eldest daugh- 
 ter, a lovely girl, caught the scarlet fever, and died after 
 nine days' illness. She was the sweetest child I ever knew, 
 and when I went to call there, she used to meet me mth as 
 much affection and delight as if I had been her own brother. 
 But, besides her liveliness of natural disposition, she was 
 evidently a true lamb of Christ's flock, and, young as she 
 was, she had given decided evidence of having received 
 *he grace of God into her heart; so that she did not fear 
 to die, but was enabled to believe that Jesus would re- 
 ceive her to Himself Is it not beautiful to mtness a 
 living example of that truth, that out of the mouths of 
 babes and sucklings He has ordained strength?" 
 
INTEREST IN THE AFFAIRS OF OTHERS. 157 
 
 Like Him who was " touched with a feeling of our infir- 
 mities," and to whose image Captain Hammond strove to be 
 conformed, he too, in reality, entered into the cares and 
 sorrows of his brethren in Christ. Sympathy was strongly 
 implanted in his nature. Even in the little concerns of 
 daily life he entered readily and heartily into the hopes, 
 pleasures, and wishes of others. He thought no matter 
 too little for an exercise of his affection ; and speaking 
 once to a brother, he seriously censured him for being ab- 
 sent ; saying, that nothing chilled people so much as not 
 gaining another's attention, and that few qualities were 
 more productive of influence than the power of real sym- 
 pathy. Of him it might justly be said that — 
 " Toujours vivant dans autrui, 
 
 Jamais I'Amiti^ sur la terre 
 
 N'eut un plus digne sanctuaire : 
 
 Jamais le Malheur n'eut un plus ferme appui." 
 Guided by such a motive in minor matters, when real 
 sorrow came his heart was touched with the keenest and 
 most genuine feeling, and perhaps it would not be easy to 
 find a more touching expression of genuine sympathy, 
 than that which is breathed throughout a letter written 
 to a friend on the death of a mother, dated Kingston, 
 July 14, 1848. After referring to the accidental way 
 in which the intelligence had reached him, and to his 
 apparent neglect, he says : — 
 
 " It would have been cruel indeed not to have sent some 
 expression, however insufficient, of my sympathy for you 
 and your bereaved father and sisters. But what shall I 
 say, what can I say ? Alas ! words are not equal to bind 
 
158 SYMPATHY. 
 
 up the broken heart. We turn in vain to any creature to 
 supply such a gap as that which your family has now to 
 mourn over. Next to a husband or wife, that of a mother 
 to her children is the dearest of all natural ties. Who can 
 supply her place when she is gone ? Whose heart yearns so 
 tenderly towards those who are, as it were, part and parcel 
 of her very being — bone of her bone and flesh of her flesh ? 
 Whither, then, my beloved brother, can I look with you 
 for consolation in your distress? We must look up to 
 where she is gone before, beyond the world's horizon, to 
 the realms of bliss, where her redeemed soul is nov/ en- 
 joying the fruition of hope ; and forward to the day when 
 we also shall see Jesus eye to eye ; and, in company with 
 the spirits of the just made perfect, shall unite in the song 
 of praise to Him who loved us and gave Himself for us. 
 We walk by faith and not by sight. The dispensations of 
 our heavenly Father may appear dark and strange to our 
 feeble faith now: the way by which He leads us to the 
 heavenly Canaan is strewed with trials, afflictions, bereave- 
 ments, losses, sickness, sorrows, and heavinesses; but we 
 vshall see hereafter (and in some slight degree we see it 
 even now) how necessary it was for us that we should 
 have passed this way. We must pass through much tri- 
 bulation; but how light will it appear when we enter into 
 the kingdom of glory ! Weepmg may endure for a night, 
 but not always — great joy is coming in the morning of 
 the everlasting day. Here, we are too ready to look to 
 creature comforters ; there, God will wipe away all tears 
 from our eyes. I feel assured that you will have found 
 Him to have been, and still to be, a very i^resent help in 
 this your time of need. 
 
LETTER ON BEREAVEMENT. 159 
 
 " I know not how I can better minister to you in your 
 sorrow, than by trying to commend you and yours to 
 Him who wept with Lazarus' friends. Jesus was em- 
 phatically the man of sorrows. He drank the cup of grief 
 to the very dregs. You may not find any fellow-creature 
 to enter into the depth of your heart bitterness, but He 
 knows all. He has a f ellow-f eehng as man — as God-man. 
 He is afflicted in your afflictions. You are members of 
 His body. Does not the head sympathise with the smallest 
 of its own members? Surely He does, for ' he that is joined 
 to the Lord is one spirit/ My prayer for you is, that you 
 may know Him at this time as your comfort, whence you 
 may draw consolation and grace suited to your necessity ; 
 that you may so set your affections on the things which 
 are above at His right hand, that present affliction, may 
 appear as light when compared with that eternal weight 
 uf glory; that you may be enabled to trust Him as a faithful 
 covenant God, in the darkest and most trying hour; and 
 that you may be purified, and rendered more like Him 
 whose name you bear. But, alas, my prayers! How 
 unable am I to pray even for myself, much less for others ! 
 I rather need your prayers. Our great High Priest has 
 your name upon His breastplate of love. He knows all 
 your wants, and, doubtless, -He will supply all your need, 
 according to the riches of His grace. He delights in 
 dispensing His richest blessings to poor sinners of man- 
 kind. To those who come to Him empty, He says, ' Open 
 thy mouth wide, and I will fill it;' 'Prove me now, if I 
 will not open the windows of heaven, and pour down a 
 blessing upon thee, that there will not be room to contain 
 it.' If we only could take Him at His word, how doubly 
 
160 SYMPATHY. 
 
 happy should we be in His service ! What is not He to 
 His people? As some one truly remarks, He calls Him- 
 self 'I am/ What does any or all require? I am every- 
 thing. Are you in sorrow? He is the God of all comfort. 
 Are you in grief? He healeth the broken-hearted, and 
 bindeth up their griefs. Are you sorrowing over the 
 grave of a dear relative? He is the husband, father, 
 friend, and brother of His people. His love far exceeds 
 that of a mother to her sucking-child. May He be pre- 
 cious to your soul in this season of trial ! May the eternal 
 God be your refuge, and underneath the everlasting arms 
 of His love, to support, strengthen, comfort, and revive 
 you! 
 
 " I hope you may be able to send me some more parti- 
 cular account of your dear mother's last illness and death. 
 How blessed to the mourner's heart to have a bright hope 
 of the departed one ! To be able to look to the testimony 
 of a life, as well as that of a dying bed, as an evidence of 
 the preparedness of the soul to enter into the presence of 
 God, such has been your happiness in parting from one so 
 dear as your mother. What a sweet ingredient is this in 
 the otherwise bitter cup ! You need not sorrow as those 
 who have no hope, for 4f we believe that Jesus died and 
 rose again, those also who sleep in Jesus shall God bring 
 with Him.' ' Yet a little while, and He that shall come 
 will come, and shall not tarry ! ' In how short a time who 
 can tell? Each month, week, day, hour is lessening the 
 distance between us and our Father's house. ' Now is our 
 salvation nearer than when we believed.' A few more 
 years, or perhaps only weeks, of conflict and struggle with 
 sin and Satan ; a little more endurance of the burden 
 
LETTEE ON BEKEAVEMENT. ] 61 
 
 and heat of the day; and then farewell, an everlasting 
 farewell, to sin and its accompaniments — j^ain and sorrow. 
 Oh! may we be stirred up by the warnings of God's 
 afflictive dispensations to make our calling and election 
 sure ; and may we be more in earnest in following thein, 
 who, through faith and patience, now inherit the promises, 
 as they followed Christ; considering the end of their con- 
 versation, Jesus Christ, 'the same yesterday, to-day, and 
 for ever/ How needful are all these trials to keep us in 
 remembrance of our stranger and pilgrim condition 
 here, and to teach us to lay up for ouii-selves treasures 
 in heaven, from which neither death nor life can sepa- 
 rate us? 
 
 " I trust you have been enabled, not only to submit to 
 the will of God, but to acquiesce in it from a conviction 
 that He doeth all things well. That you can not only 
 say, *His will be done/ but can also add with Job, 
 ' Blessed be the name of the Lord/ ' Now, we know in 
 part' only; we do not know the reason for all that befalls. 
 But that day is at hand when we shall know even as we 
 are known; when we shall bless His name for every 
 stroke of His rod, for every dark and trying hour. And, 
 besides this, when the corn is ripe, must it not be gathered? 
 Ought not the Husbandman to lay it up in His barn? Is 
 there not matter of thanksgiving that a beloved object is 
 beyond the reach of sin, and all the misery that is in the 
 world — ' taken away from the evil to come ? ' We could not 
 wish one of those clothed in white robes, who have ' come 
 out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes and 
 made them white in the blood of the Lamb,' back again to 
 this world, which lieth in wickedness. Death is gain, 
 
 L 
 
162 SYMPATHY. 
 
 indeed, to the child of God. * It doth not yet appear what 
 we shall be ; but we know that we shall be like Him, for 
 we shall see Him as he is.' 
 
 " What a heavy blow this will be to all your family 1 
 Your poor father! None but a husband, as he was, can 
 conceive the depth of the wound caused by the taking 
 down of half the tabernacle. Your sisters, too, how much 
 will they feel the loss of her who was their guide and 
 counsellor ! How graciously your return home seems to 
 have been ordered, as though you were sent by the Great 
 Shepherd to cheer your beloved mother in the passage 
 through the dark valley 1 How great must have been your 
 grief, in coming home, to find her so ill; and how thankful 
 must you have been to have been permitted the great pri- 
 vilege of seeing her once more in the land of the living ; 
 and, perhaps, of administering to her temporal and spiritual 
 comforts, for Christ's sake ! 
 
 " But I must draw my letter to a close. I fear my 
 attempt to speak a word in season, in your affliction, will 
 avail but little. Man cannot comfort his brother in sor- 
 row. But Jesus, if He will, may use the feeblest and 
 most unworthy for this purpose. May He speak to your 
 heart, and pour in the balm and oil of His own grace ! 
 May He manifest Himself to you as He does not to the 
 world ! May He cheer you with the light of His counte- 
 nance ! May He direct your mind to that blessed hope of 
 everlasting life which is before you ! And may He enable 
 you to press forward, with renewed vigour, to the obtain- 
 ing of the prize of your high calling ! 
 
 " I will write to you again soon, but I do not feel in- 
 clined to go on to other subjects now. Remember me in 
 
EEUNION WITH THOSE GONE BEFORE. 163 
 
 your prayers, and believe me to be your affectionate friend 
 in the bonds of Jesus Christ, 
 
 ** M. M. Hammond/' 
 
 At a later period of his life, when his own happiness 
 seemed to be complete in his marriage, and he is writing 
 to a friend, herself a mourner, the power of sympathy, to 
 which we have been referring, springs up, as it were, from 
 the deep fountains of his own joy. Instantly he sees 
 reflected there the widow's sorrow, and he places himself 
 in her place : — 
 
 " Do accept our united thanks for your good wishes, for 
 I know the kind of things that you desire for us — even 
 spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. These 
 will outlive the earthly union. For those who are united 
 to Jesus will sit down at the marriage-supper of the Lamb ; 
 and the union begun on earth will be perfected and per- 
 petuated at that great and glorious day of our Lord's 
 appearing. For that day you are, doubtless, waiting and 
 longing. The sweet thought of a reunion, at no distant 
 day, with the dearest of all earthly objects, must many a 
 time have afforded a balm to your fainting and sorrowing 
 spirit. I daresay you are familiar with the beautiful 
 lines of Edmonstone's : — 
 
 " ' The love that seems forsaken 
 When friends by death depart, 
 In heaven again shall waken, 
 And repossess the heart/ " 
 
164 FERVENT IN SPIRIT. 
 
 CHAPTER XIL 
 
 Jfntmt ill B^hxt 
 
 " Oh ! happy rest, if once the race were run ! 
 Oh ! blessed slumbers, if the fight were won ! 
 Dreams that were sweet at eve, at noon were sin, 
 With foes to conquer and a goal to win." 
 
 Oxford Prize Poem. 
 
 The year 1 848 is fresh in our recollections as ushered in 
 with clouds charged with revolution and disaster to so 
 many states of Europe, while in our own favoured land 
 their shadow was scarcely cast. Canada, too, remained 
 comparatively quiet. But in all countries the political 
 horizon looked gloomy and doubtful. Of those who 
 thought at all, there were doubtless many who discovered 
 in those signs of the times, in those " wars and rumours of 
 wars, and distress of nations/' matter for deep and solemn 
 speculation. The next letter is dated Kingston, May 2, 
 1848. 
 
 "My dearest Father, — Our English mail came in 
 yesterday. Your letters were full of interest to me, as I 
 wished much to hear your views of the state of affairs in 
 Britain and Europe, and the account you give me is indeed 
 appalling. But while we tremble in looking to the things 
 
POLITICAL CONVULSIONS. 165 
 
 which are coming on the earth, how thankful should we 
 be that God has blessed our nation with comparative 
 peace! I trust that, as a people, we shall be preserved 
 from following the godless example of other nations, and 
 that we shall never forget that our safety and strength 
 lies in humble dependence on Jehovah's arm. It is very 
 remarkable that the ten horns in Eev. xiii. 1, which repre- 
 sent the governing powers in Europe, are first described 
 as having ten crowns upon them, while the next time we 
 read of them, in Eev. xvii. 15-17, we meet with the same 
 ten horns, but without the crowns, as if the reins of o-q- 
 vernment had passed from the monarchy into the hands 
 of the people. Is not this a remarkable fact in connexion 
 with the signs of the times in which we live ? Already 
 some of the crowns have been taken away, and it seems 
 probable that many others will follow ere long. 
 
 " As yet there are no signs of any sympathetic move- 
 ment among the French Canadians of the Lower Province, 
 and up to this time there seems no cause for apprehension 
 as regards them. They are bigoted Eoman Catholics, but 
 they enjoy greater religious liberty than the Papists in 
 Ireland. I believe they are a quiet and respectable peoiole, 
 though inheriting the excitable temperament of their 
 forefathers ; so that until a Papineau, or some other 
 kindred spirit, excites them to rebellion, there is no reason 
 to fear. I suspect they have not forgotten the lesson they 
 learned when they failed in their last attempt. 
 
 " But in the midst of these ' wars and rumours of wars,' 
 and perplexities and distress of nations, how comforthig 
 it is to know that ' all things shall work together for good 
 to tlicni that love God ;' for ' the very' hairs of the children's 
 
166 FERVENT IN SPIRIT. 
 
 heads are all 'numbered.' So that, come what may, if we 
 belong to Christ we need not be anxious about the result ; 
 for we are assured that all things will be overruled for 
 His glory, and the final blessedness of His Church ; while 
 as individuals we can safely commit the keeping of our 
 souls to Him as unto a faithful Creator. . . . 
 
 " Wiat better things can I wish for you all than that 
 each succeeding year may be bringing us nearer to that 
 blessed inheritance where, through the merits of our 
 Redeemer, I pray we may all at length meet to go out no 
 more. In this sense the day of our death will be far more 
 blessed than the day of our birth, for that will be our 
 bii'thday to life eternal. — With love to all, ever your affec- 
 tionate, M. M. H." 
 
 In another letter — 
 
 " If we are in Jesus, we may in the midst of storms lift 
 up our head, for our redemption draweth nigh. Who can 
 tell when the storm is to burst that is hanging now over 
 all Europe? But Jesus holds it in His hands. He is 
 King of kings and Lord of lords, and not one grain of His 
 wheat shall fall to the ground. The day of vengeance to 
 His enemies is also * the year of His redeemed' — ' to the one 
 a savour of death unto death, to the other a savour of life 
 unto life/" 
 
 And so again, rather later, the political condition of 
 Europe leads him to advert in general terms to the study 
 of prophecy : — 
 
 "Kingston, February 6, 1849. 
 "My dear E * * *, — I have lately been reading a 
 
PEOPHECY. 167 
 
 work that struck me much on the subject of the second 
 advent, * Prophetical Landmarks/ by Bonar. Have you 
 met with it? His argument is very powerful, and his 
 proofs from Scripture very striking. I have been very 
 sceptical on that subject, but I feel much shaken by what 
 Bonar advances. The subject is one of the deepest im- 
 portance to individual Christians and to the Church at 
 large; and certainly demands one's attention, especially 
 now that the signs of the times seem to portend some 
 mightier convulsion than any that has yet taken place. 
 The great difficulty in the study of unfulfilled prophecy 
 seems to be, to distinguish between what is figurative and 
 what is literal. If this could be satisfactorily determined, 
 it would be comparatively easy to trace the great outlines 
 and leading features of prophetic interpretation."' 
 
 Very few who have read these letters thus far can doubt 
 that Captain Hammond enjoyed a full assurance of hope; 
 he knew on whom he had believed, and was persuaded 
 that He was able to keep that which he had committed 
 unto Him. He rejoiced to feel that he was included in 
 that most precious prayer, " Father, I will that they also 
 whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am."' 
 And yet he felt not the less strongly the infirmity of our 
 nature. " Let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed 
 lest he fall,'' was a thought that, constantly present, served 
 to give to him that humble lowly spirit that so especially 
 adorned him ; and thus he writes : — 
 
 "Kingston, October 4, 1848. 
 " My dear J * * *, — . ... I often think of the sepa- 
 
168 FERVENT IN SPIRIT. 
 
 ration of the little flock wliich used to meet together in 
 Jesus' name the winter before last. You and * * * are 
 the only two remaining in Montreal. Some are gone to 
 their rest ; while some, alas ! like Demas, have forsaken us, 
 having loved the present world. May we be warned by 
 these ! The greater number are, I trust, treading the nar- 
 row path that leadeth to eternal life. Amongst these last, 
 dear J * * *, you and I are, I would humbly trust, still 
 to be found. May we have grace given to us to walk 
 worthy of our high and holy calling ; that so ' being faith- 
 ful to the end, we may receive a crown of glory' in the day 
 of the Lord ! . . . . 
 
 " Have you called on the * * « yet ? You may speak 
 without reserve on the subject of religion ; they are a family 
 growing in grace, one and all. I hope you will get inti- 
 mate with them 
 
 " It was a great treat to get a peep at you on our way 
 down. How blessed a thing it is that each succeeding 
 meeting and parting is bringing us nearer toward that 
 time when we shall *go out no moreT But with these 
 carnal and earth-bound hearts, how seldom it is that we 
 can rejoice in anticipation of so glorious a prospect. Alas ! 
 it is too true that the cares and riches and pleasures of the 
 world choke the good seed, so that it becomes unfruitful. 
 And we find, from our continual proneness to depart from 
 God and to return to the beggarly elements of the world, 
 that, in order to our being kept from falling, there must be 
 an everyday renewal of the work of grace within us: re- 
 anointing of the Spirit; re-baptisms; re-conversions; with 
 the necessity of again and again applying to the blood of 
 Jesus for cleansing from fresh contracted guilt. May we 
 
CHRISTIAN DILIGENCE. 169 
 
 then not only give earnest diligence to make our calling 
 and election sure, by constant j)ersevering prayer, but may 
 we be also faithful to one another, to assist one another, 
 and * so much the more as we see the day approaching ! ' 
 How ready should we be to do this, if our own walk was 
 close with Jesus, and our hearts were in tune to proclaim 
 the praises of redeeming love ; and if our own experience 
 could testify more fully to the preciousness and all-suffi- 
 ciency of Jesus. I feel, for my own part, that I have been 
 easily content to make as low as possible a standard of 
 religion, so long as I might but just be within the walls of 
 the city of refuge. I hardly know when I am to awaken 
 out of this sleep ; so fearful is my unbelieving heart, so 
 ungrateful am I, and so little desirous of seeking only the 
 praise that cometh from God. It is well, indeed, for us 
 that salvation is altogether of grace, else how would our 
 little love, when so much has been forgiven, testify against 
 us? Let us, then, strive more than ever to walk as becomes 
 the disciples of Jesus ; let us not be ashamed to be known 
 in that character; let us desire to be known under none 
 other ; for assuredly, if we honour God, He will honour 
 us. And now as the time is at hand for our meeting with 
 the men, I must conclude this hurried letter. God bless 
 you, dear J * * *." — Ever your affectionate, 
 
 "M. M. H." 
 
 Of the necessity of daily renewal, Maxy Hammond 
 writes again in the Commentary to the Ephesians before 
 quoted : — 
 
 " Religion consists not merely in outward morality and 
 blamelessness of life, for this may be the natural result of 
 
170 FERVENT IN SPIRIT. 
 
 mere amiability of character, or the effect of education. 
 There must be a renewal of the mind — a desire after and 
 love of holiness — a hatred of evil — a deadness to the 
 world — a longing after the things that are unseen and 
 eternal In like manner Paul wrote to the Komans (chap, 
 xil 2), not merely that they were not to be conformed to 
 the world, but that they were to be transformed by the 
 renewing of their minds. I may be professedly a follower 
 of Christ, be free from outward grosser sins — I may have 
 separated myself from worldly amusements, worldly com- 
 pany — and yet all the time be worldly, covetous, ambitious, 
 vain, and selfish. Oh ! how deeply do I need to put up 
 the prayer, ' Renew my will from day to day ! ' The Holy 
 Spirit must constantly renew and cleanse it, or it will 
 become as a garden overgrown with weeds. I ought, then, 
 constantly to watch and pray — to give all diligence, that 
 my spirit may be renewed day by day, and more entirely 
 conformed to the image and likeness of my Saviour ; that 
 so, while living in the world, I may not be of it ; and while 
 surrounded by the things that would draw my heart from 
 Jesus, I may be renewed more and more in the spirit of my 
 mind, and thus ' shew forth the praises ' of Him ' who hath 
 called me out of darkness into His marvellous light.'" 
 
 In the same spirit he writes again, about a year later, 
 to the same friend: — 
 
 " Kingston, April 2, 1849. 
 . . . . " How much we need to exhort one another, as 
 well as to watch dihgently and pray earnestly, lest we 
 grow lukewarm towards our blessed Redeemer, and lest 
 
WATCHFULNESS. 171 
 
 we get faint and weary in doing His will. Let iis seek 
 after Paul's spirit and his fixed resolve, when he deter- 
 mined to forget the things that were behind, and to reach 
 forward to those things which were before, and thus to 
 press, with all earnestness, towards the mark for the prize 
 of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. I think I am 
 discovering, more deeply every day, the hidden springs of 
 iniquity within. What pride, what self-indulgence lurks 
 in the secret recesses of the heart ! insinuating themselves 
 into every action, and setting themselves in opposition to 
 God. Oh ! to drink into the Spirit of Jesus. To learn of 
 Him who was meek and lowly of heart — who pleased not 
 Himself — ^who came not to be ministered unto, but to 
 minister — who emptied Himself, and took upon Him . the 
 form of a servant — and who washed the feet of His 
 disciples, leaving us an example that we should be fol- 
 lowers of His great humility." 
 
 Then, again, from Kingston, November 25, 1848: — 
 
 "My dear J * * *, — ^When next you take pen in 
 hand, let there be something in the shape of admonition, 
 that may set me to a deeper search into my heart, and less 
 of those 'pattings on the back," with which, in your 
 excessive charity, you are so ready to bolster up your 
 friend. I hope that by this time the Saturday-evenings 
 are once more established, not only for the good they are 
 calculated to do to the souls of those who attend them, 
 but as a rallying-point round which the soldiers of Jesus 
 may gather, and set up their banner in the name of the 
 Great Captain of their salvation. If, as you say, there 
 
172 FEIiVENT IN SPIKIT. 
 
 are many who are decided, surely there would be no 
 difficulty in getting them together, as we used to in 
 former times. The only thing that needs to be done, is 
 for some one to start it. The effort needs only to be made 
 in the name of the Lord JeSus, and you will assuredly 
 find that all difficulties will then disappear. 
 
 " I am truly glad that you found your Sunday school in 
 a satisfactory state. You were sent out to them just in 
 time to prevent them from being scattered. You will 
 find the work increasingly interesting. If we knew how 
 to take a proper view of it, we should enter heart and soul 
 into the work. Consider the privilege the great and 
 good Shepherd confers on us — that of feeding His lambs. 
 ' Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these ? 
 He saith unto him. Yea, Lord ; thou knowest that I love 
 thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.' Consider the 
 end in view — gathering in souls to Jesus, training up 
 souls for God, polishing the pearls that will adorn the 
 Redeemer's crown — and consider the certainty of success; 
 * My word shall not return to me void.' ' Train up a 
 child in the way that he should go, and when he is old he 
 will not depart from it.' ' Cast thy bread upon the 
 waters, and thou shalt find it (it maybe) after many days.' 
 Remember it is not us, but God that worketh for us. It 
 is 'not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit,' that the 
 name of Jesus is magnified, and His strength will be made 
 perfect in weakness. Therefore has He ' ordained strength 
 out of the mouth of babes and sucklings' — that the excel- 
 lency of the power may appear to be of God, and not of 
 man — that He may get all the glory. Let these considera- 
 tions, then, animate and encourage you in tlie trying work 
 
SUNDAY SCHOOLS. 173 
 
 of teaching children. Not that I bring them forward as 
 anything you do not feel; but, by way of remembrance, I 
 would seek to ' stir up the gift of God that is in you," and 
 call forth from your heart some of those thoughts and 
 feelings which are calculated to encourage and animate 
 you in doing the will of God. If we are to look for suc- 
 cess in our Sabbath-school work, the spirit of prayer, 
 patience, and entire dependence on the will of God, must 
 be in constant and active exercise. 
 
 " So far from your system being a bad one, I think it 
 is exceedingly good; a regular course of instruction is, I 
 think, desirable, as they learn little in taking scattered 
 lessons in all parts of the Bible. If I was beginning in a 
 school, I think I should take a lesson from the Old and 
 New Testament alternately — beginning at Genesis and 
 Luke, and going through the leading histories and incidents 
 in the Old Testament, omitting those of less consequence 
 — always explaining the Old Testament by the New, 
 unlocking it by the gospel key. Have you any singing? 
 If not, you would find it an excellent thing to introduce ; 
 the children delight in it, and it is useful to accustom 
 them to congregational singing. 
 
 " What a solemn warning is poor * * *'s case to us ; 
 how loudly it sounds in our ears to ' come out and be 
 separate,' and to beware of ' touching the unclean thing ! ' 
 Alas! that we should love that w^orld which hated and 
 crucified Jesus — that we should seek its friendship, which 
 we know to be enmity against God. Such, however, are 
 our hearts — so prone to earth that nothing short of His 
 grace who has overcame the world can wean and deliver 
 us from its dangerous elements. 
 
] 74 FERVENT IN SPIEIT. 
 
 " I have seen very little of * * * lately. He still 
 affects to wear the infidel mask. I am constrained to 
 think it is merely a pretext for living an ungodly life. The 
 work of God appears at a stand-still among the men, and 
 there are none to come out as champions for the truth. 
 But we * plough in hope/ and wait in prayer for the former 
 and latter rain. Help us with yours also. Oh ! that our 
 eye were single to God's glory ; and our faith in the power, 
 willingness, and all-sufficiency of Jesus unwavering. Let 
 us pray earnestly that the winter may prove a season of 
 showers of blessings from the presence of the Lord, both 
 on our own souls and on the souls of others. Let us look 
 to Jesus, to ' work in us both to will and to do ;' and in His 
 strength, relying on His faithfulness, and resting on the 
 promises, let us expect great things. 
 
 "Wherefore has He redeemed us? That He might 
 purify unto Himself a pecuHar people, zealous of good 
 works. Why has He called us out of darkness into His 
 marvellous light; but that we should shew forth His 
 praises who has done so great things for us? For what 
 has He bought us with the price of His own life's blood ; 
 if it was not that we should give ourselves, and all be- 
 longing to us, to Him as His purchased property ? Let 
 us think, then, often seriously of our high and holy call- 
 ing; children of God, disciples of Christ, lights in the 
 world, purchased men, a 'peculiar people,' a 'royal priest- 
 hood,' a 'chosen generation;' and then remember that, as 
 the Father hath sent Him into the world. He hath sent 
 His chosen ones to be His witnesses, His representatives 
 upon the earth. Oh, then, let us desire to be known in 
 no other character than as His disciples; let us be con- 
 
TEE CHRISTIAN ARMOUE. 175 
 
 tent to be despised for Him, and that we may be enabled 
 to glorify Him ; let us watch unto prayer, constant prayer, 
 secret, earnest prayer, at all times, and under all circum- 
 stances ! This it is that alone makes effectual and com- 
 pacts together our Christian armour; without it, the enemy 
 finds many a chink in which to thrust his darts. Do not 
 suppose that I need not myself the same urgent exhorta- 
 tions as I seem to press upon you. My very pen accuses 
 me of many shortcomings, and backslidings, and incon- 
 sistencies; but I would not be silent concerning duty, 
 because of my failure in it. 
 
 " And now, my brother, I commend you to God, and 
 to the word of His grace. Keep near to Jesus, abide in 
 Him, so shall you bring forth much fruit. — Ever your 
 affectionate, M. M. H." 
 
 " P.S. — Have you been out to the French Canadian 
 Missionary Institute? I am trying to raise something 
 for them at home. M. M. H." 
 
 This last letter, as well as several which follow, all 
 -written in 1848, while they continue to shew the free run 
 of his pen upon the one dominant thought of his mind, 
 give us as well a considerable insight into the feelings 
 with which he regarded his own inner life. 
 
 " Kingston, October 8, 1848. 
 " My dear * * *, — I think my desires are less for 
 the things of this world, and that it is my earnest wish to 
 become daily more conformed to Jesus in heart and life. 
 The language of my heart is, ' Whom have I in heaven 
 but thee, and there is none upon the earth that can be 
 
176 FERVENT IN SPIRIT. 
 
 desired beside thee;' although, alas! when it comes to 
 practice, I fall miserably short. The service of Jesus is 
 indeed a happy one; and I find that my enjoyment of it 
 is proportioned to the spirituality of my life^ and that in 
 this way diligence in the performance of my duties is in- 
 separably linked with the peace of my soul. I have been 
 endeavouring to live more in the spirit of prayer, under a 
 more habitual sense of God's presence, and the nearness 
 of eternity. What I want is more humility and broken- 
 ness of spirit, a deeper sense of sin. I feel I do not hate 
 sin, or strive against it as I ought. I am too little affected 
 with the love of Christ, without which sin cannot be truly 
 atoned for, or the soul humbled. 
 
 "My daily habits are these: — Up about seven; prayer 
 with my servant at a quarter to eight; breakfast at eight; 
 reading Bible and prayer till ten; parade, ten till eleven; 
 read or write till two or three, with prayer for family and 
 friends during this time; out of doors till dusk; reading 
 and prayer before mess ; mess till half-past eight ; read 
 till eleven; prayer and to bed about half-past eleven. 
 With regard to society, I know only a few. I have de- 
 termined not to mix with worldly people more than I am 
 obliged. 
 
 " On Saturday we have our little meetings in my room, 
 and on Wednesday, also, we have prayer together, more 
 especially for the regiment, and the efforts made for the 
 spiritual welfare of the soldiers, and also for our ovm 
 Christian friends and families. On Wednesday and Sun- 
 day evenings, too, we have our meetings in the school- 
 room, which, through the goodness of God, have hitherto 
 been full to overflowing. Last Sunday tliere were forty- 
 
INNER LIFE. 177 
 
 four men besides ourselves, and women, and children. 
 On Sunday, also, I go to the hospital after church, and 
 have the men in for prayer, &c. At present we are read- 
 ing the 'Pilgrim's Progress,' with some explanations, and 
 plain words, and turning to the Scripture references. We 
 have also got some religious books in circulation among 
 the men, and the Society distribute tracts in the barrack- 
 room every Sunday; so that by these means, humble 
 though they be, we trust that, by the blessing of God, 
 some precious souls will be won to Christ. If only one 
 sinner be turned to God from his evil way, who can esti- 
 mate the riches of such a reward ? 
 
 " I tell you all these things, that you may know what 
 we are about, and help us with your prayer to God for 
 His blessing on this work in this corner of His vineyard. 
 I bless the Lord that I am very, very happy, and, through 
 His wonderful love, am kept in the enjoyment of a quiet, 
 settled peace, which, though at times ruffled and disturbed 
 by daily trials and conflicts with sin, is, indeed, unspeak- 
 ably precious. My own sinfulness and unfruitfulness is 
 the only cause of any depression of spirit; and this I need, 
 to keep me humble and self -abased, and to break my 
 proud spirit. And surely, of all people, a Christian ought 
 to be the most happy, since ' all things are theirs, and they 
 are Christ's, and Christ is God's.' Let us give Him our 
 whole hearts, bodies, souls, and sj)irits, to be His, and His 
 only. Let it be Christ for us to live, and it will be our 
 unspeakable gain to die, for we shall depart to be with 
 Him. His love to us is an everlasting, unchangeable love, 
 and who shall separate us from it ? 
 
 " I cannot agree with you in thinking that the soul 
 M 
 
178 FEKVENT IN SPIRIT. 
 
 sleeps till tlie day of judgment. Scripture speaks most 
 fully and clearly to the contrary. I refer yoii to the 
 parable of the rich man and Lazarus ; the thief on the 
 cross ; Judas Iscariot, Acts i. 25 ; Stephen, Acts vii. 59 — 
 'Receive my spirit;' Paul, 2 Cor. v. 6, 8, and Phil, 
 i. 23 ; and David, Ps. xlix. 1 5, with many other passages 
 that might be quoted. The idea that the soul will not be 
 at once admitted into the fulness of glory, when it leaves 
 the body of sin and death, might give rise to many fears 
 and uncertain doubts on a death-bed; and therefore I 
 think it important that we should see daily what Scripture 
 unfolds concerning it. I cannot doubt of its immediate 
 flight to its own place." 
 
 The next letter is dated November 1848. 
 
 . . . . " F * * * and I are engaged in tract dis- 
 tribution ; we have now been nine months at it, going 
 round once a-week to the houses of the villages close by. 
 On the whole, we meet with much to encourage, and in 
 many places the people receive the word gladly. The 
 whole of the town of Kingston, and the environs, is sup- 
 plied in this manner with tracts through the Society. . . . 
 
 " I am now very much interested in 'Keith's Prophecies.' 
 No subject is so calculated to confirm me in the truth of 
 God, and also to encourage me to hope in the fulfilment 
 of all His promises ; for surely not one word has failed of 
 all He has spoken ; not one word will fail with regard to 
 the future glory of the Church ; neither will one word fail 
 with regard to our own souls, since they were covenant 
 promises — all, yea and amen, in Christ Jesus. How com- 
 forting is the thought, in the midst of the conflict, to 
 
CONFORMITY TO THE IMAGE OF JESUS. 179 
 
 know that Jesus is engaged to carry us tlirougli them all, 
 and that He will not suffer a hair of our heads to be 
 touched, for the saints are ' preserved in Jesus Christ ' — 
 their ' life is hid with Christ in God/ There is much in 
 keeping ever before the mind the reality of our fellowship 
 with Jesus. Losing sight of this, we sink under the cares 
 and trials of life, and cease to strive against the sins 
 which so easily beset us. Let us, then, press onward, 
 laying aside every weight, and resolving, in the strength 
 of God, to walk more closely with Him in holiness, zeal, 
 humility, and love, making it the great aim and object of 
 our lives to live to the glory of our Redeemer, to sanctify 
 Him in our hearts, to exemplify Him in our lives, to put 
 Him forward in all our actions, and to aim at glorifying 
 Him ' in our bodies and in our spirits, which are His.* Did 
 we remember the price at which we have been redeemed 
 — the sufferings which Jesus underwent to buy his sons 
 to glory — we should feel more deeply that we are not our 
 own, and act more habitually in the spirit and temper of 
 
 his disciples 
 
 " Tliis is about the anniversary of God's gracious deal- 
 ings towards me, in arresting me in my ungodly career 
 four years ago. The recurrence of such seasons seem 
 especially to call me to the duty of self-examination and 
 prayer, as well as for new resolutions fur the time to 
 come. Pray for me, that I may be kept faithful unto the 
 end; that sin may not have the dominion over me; that 
 my own corrupt nature may not draw me back again to 
 perdition ; that the world may not occupy God's place in 
 my heart ; that I may not dishonour my Lord and Master 
 by my evil temper, my pride, and my selfishness. Let us 
 
J 80 FERVENT IN SPIfJT 
 
 pray for one another. To keep our own souls must be the 
 first concern ; and that we may do so effectually, there 
 must be much prayer, much feeding on the Word, medita- 
 tion cultivated, and seK-examination practised ; watching 
 with all perseverance, and ever looking to Jesus as the 
 author and finisher of our faith ; putting Him on daily as 
 our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. 
 And there are the souls of others ; what are w^e to do for 
 them — relations, friends, companions, and all over whom 
 our influence extends ? In this respect we must seek to have 
 fellowship with Christ in His life — setting before us the 
 example of His self-denial. His living for others. His 
 patience. His endurance of reproval and opposition, His 
 spirit of love. His zeal for God, and single eye to His 
 
 glory 
 
 "Let us read and meditate on the Scriptures much 
 more than we have hitherto done. Let our attention be 
 especially directed to Him who is the sum and substance 
 of Law, Prophet, and Gospel, even Jesus Christ, the same 
 yesterday, to-day, and for ever. For, in so doing, we shall 
 enjoy much of His presence. He will often draw near to 
 us, and, by His Spirit, will let light into our souls, and 
 will ' open our understandings to understand the Scrip- 
 tures.' We shall then be often led to exclaim, * Did not 
 our hearts burn within us while Jesus talked to us by the 
 way?' The Scriptures are the great antidote to sin. 
 ' Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might jiot sin 
 against thee.' They are the great means of our sancti- 
 fication, for they are the glass or mirror in which we 
 may behold the glory of the Lord Jesus ; in which we 
 may study His character, contemplate His glory, and 
 
ASKING FOR BLESSINGS. ]8J 
 
 coj^y His examj^le; so that, thus beholding the glory of 
 Jesus, we shall be changed insensibly, but really, into 
 
 His image 
 
 " I would seek to encourage you to expect great things 
 from God. His glory is concerned, and therefore you 
 may be bold in asking largely of Him for spiritual 
 blessings on yourself, and others also. His will is our 
 sanctification ; therefore should we come empty to Jesus, 
 that we may receive out of His fulness abundant supplies 
 of grace ; * grace for grace.* He is glorified by our ad- 
 vancement in holiness ; for it is not us, but ' Christ in us ' 
 — we are but as vessels. Again, as regarding others, may 
 we not do much for others? Here, too, God's glory is 
 concerned ; for He will have all men to be saved ; and 
 when we pray to be made instruments of leading others 
 to Him, what is it but that Jesus may * see the travail of 
 His own soul, and be satisfied,' that more jewels may be 
 added to His glory ? If we have not, it is because we ask 
 not; and if we ask and obtain not, it is because we ask 
 amiss. The consideration of the shortness of time, the 
 value of souls, and the Lord's coming, should be motives 
 to stir us up to diligence in the work of Jesus; and the 
 high honour of being associated with Jesus in the work of 
 the Lord, should make us very earnest in seeking to ad- 
 vance His glory. I was much struck on reading a tract 
 by Angell James on Self-renunciation, in which he repre- 
 sents the Christian as God's i^epresentative in the world; 
 so that, when the world sees a Christian, it should be re- 
 minded of God; and in this view take knowledge of them 
 that they have been with Jesus. And let us remember, 
 that as the Father sent Christ into the world to seek and 
 
1 82 FERVENT IN SPIRIT. 
 
 to save the lost, and to glorify Him in the eyes of men, so 
 has He sent us into the world for a like purpose, accord- 
 
 inor to our measure — see John xviL 18 — Ever 
 
 yours affectionately, M. M. H." 
 
 In another letter — 
 
 "November 27, 1848. 
 
 ..." It would be the height of ingratitude towards my 
 heavenly Father, towards Jesus, the purchaser of inestim- 
 able gifts to rebellious sinners such as I, and towards the 
 Comforter, the Holy Spirit, who especially bestows 2>e(^ce 
 on the Church of Jesus, were I not to acknowledge with 
 adoring love and gratitude the great goodness of God 
 towards me, notwithstanding my numerous shortcomings 
 and daily backslidings in heart. Indeed I have expe- 
 rienced His faithfulness to a degree that it becomes me to 
 praise Him with my whole heart for mercies so unde- 
 served. And you will rejoice on my account, as well as 
 praise His name, when I tell you my peace in Jesus still 
 flows as a river, quietly, gently, but deeply. I trust I am 
 not deceiving myself, thinking that it is from the fountain- 
 head, even Jesus himself, that my peace is derived. 
 Sometimes, indeed, the surface is ruffled through the 
 cares of this life. But, then, peace is again restored with 
 such promises as these : — ' Him that cometh to me I will 
 in no wise cast out' *I will never leave thee nor forsake 
 thee.' ' My strength is made perfect in weakness.' . , . 
 When I look to Jesus, this is my warrant, and yours too, 
 for joy. It must be in the way of believing. ' Joy and 
 peace in believing.' Such a joy as does not manifest itself 
 in the exuberance of worldly mirth. It is a joy in God 
 
HIS OWN ESPECIAL TRIALS. 183 
 
 through our Lord Jesus Christ. It is joined with fear. 
 'Eejoicewith trembling.' It is entirely unknown to the 
 world, and often hid from our fellow-Christians — a joy that 
 a stranger intermeddleth not with, a continual feast, 
 enough, satisfying, but never cloying. Such is the Chris- 
 tian's joy. May you and I, and all whom we love, realise 
 its blessedness to a great degree, until at last we enter 
 into the joy of our Lord! . . . 
 
 " You speak of the conflict. It is, indeed, a hard fight. 
 * We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against prin- 
 cipalities and powers, against spiritual wickedness in high 
 places,' &c. It is indeed good for us that God sometimes 
 leaves us to ourselves, that we may know our weakness 
 and proneness to evil, that so He may ' humble and prove 
 us, and do us good in our latter end.' ... 
 
 " I will tell you of some of my especial trials, that you 
 may be enabled to pour out your soul in prayer for me. 
 Fear of man, selfishness, pride and slothfulness, and an 
 unhumbled heart. Help us also in prayer for our own 
 regiment, its officers and soldiers, and pray that we who 
 profess to be followers of Christ may be faithful and con- 
 sistent in our walk. Engage the sympathies of those you 
 know who love the Lord, and ask their prayers for the 
 little Church in our regiment. . . . And now once more I 
 commend you to God. I give you 1st John iii. 1-3 as a 
 Christmas box. — Ever your aff'ectionate, 
 
 "M. M. H." 
 
 To the idea of being associated with Christ, partners with 
 Him in His ministerial work, and after His departure His re- 
 presentatives on earth, he returns again in his next letter : — 
 
184 FERVENT IN SPIRIT. 
 
 ''December 12, 1848. 
 " My very dear * « *, — ... I have been thinking 
 lately of the honour put upon ns, in believers being repre- 
 sented as associated with Christ in the great work of glo- 
 rifying God in the salvation of souls; as appears from two 
 verses in John xvii., the 18th and the 22d. As the Father 
 sent Christ into the world to glorify Him before men, and 
 to seek and save the lost, so has Christ sent His disciples 
 into the world for a similar purpose ; and now that the 
 Lord and Master is no more in the world, they are His 
 representatives upon earth : the head represented by His 
 members. And in verse 22, the glory mentioned cannot 
 be the glory which shall be revealed, as He says, ' I have 
 given them.' It must therefore be the glory of gathering 
 in lost sinners ; wherein especially Jesus was glorified, and 
 the Father in Him, and in which glorious work and gra- 
 cious purpose His people may be one, even as they are 
 one. If these things be so — if this is indeed the word of 
 truth — ^what manner of persons ought we to be in all holy 
 conversation and godliness ? How high and holy is onr 
 calling in Christ Jesus ! How great and glorious the work 
 in which we are called to engage ! . . . And now, good- 
 bye. For a New Year's text I send you Hcb. xiii. 20, 2 1 . 
 — Your ever affectionate, 
 
 ''M. M. H." 
 
 There was evidence enough in Captain Hammond's 
 own case of that light which he desired to see burning 
 brightly in others. Tliose who knew him were able to 
 ' take knowledge of liim that he had been with Jesus." It 
 was not only from the natural frankness of his character 
 
RESERVE AMONG CHRISTIANS CONDEMNED. 185 
 
 that one who afterwards wrote of him said, " It was im- 
 possible to be more than a few minutes in his company 
 before it was manifest that he had chosen the better part, 
 and was a devoted follower of the Lord Jesus Christ : " it 
 was also, that he discountenanced that reserve amonor 
 Christians which too commonly hinders their growth in 
 grace. His heart was full, and he spoke out of its abun- 
 dance, ever touching on themes so congenial to his spirit 
 as the Saviour's love. Even at the very outset of his 
 Christian life he writes with censure of this backwardness. 
 He would say, "The righteousness which is of faith 
 speaketh in this wise. The word is nigh thee, even in 
 thy mouth and in thy heart, that if thou confess with thy 
 mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in thy heart that 
 God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.'' 
 
 In this wise he writes. May 17, 1845. He says: — 
 
 "I cannot tell you how rejoiced I was to read your 
 delightful and unreserved letter, or what feelings of thank- 
 fulness and joy they produced in my mind. We should, 
 indeed, throw off some of that restraint and reserve to 
 which we all seem so inclined. Are we ashamed of our 
 Saviour, w^ho has redeemed us by His blood? Or is it that 
 fear of man, that fear of being thought righteous over- 
 much, that fear of giving offence and causing disgust to 
 others, that makes us so silent? But surely if God had 
 not first spoken to us, and drawn us by His love to Jesus, 
 we never should have come. For, as He says, " I am sought 
 of them that ask not for me, I am found of them that 
 sought me not;" and does not God himself expressly tell us 
 to speak often one to another? Malachi iii. 16, 17, ' Then 
 
186 FERVENT IN SPIFJT. 
 
 they that feared the Lord spake often one to another : and 
 the Lord hearkened, and heard it ; and a book of remem- 
 brance was written before Him for them that feared the 
 Lord, and that thought npon His name. And they shall be 
 mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up 
 my jewels.' And how graciously does He assure us of 
 His approbation ! It is unnecessary my referring to many 
 texts on the subject, as you are well acquainted with all ; 
 but that one in Deuteronomy vi. 7, ' And thou shalt teach 
 them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them 
 when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest 
 by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou 
 risest up," seems to me to be a beautiful and comforting 
 warrant to the blessed privilege we possess, of speaking to 
 each other on the things that are uppermost in our hearts, 
 or at least that ought to be. 
 
 " My birthday is just passed, too, and I can join with 
 you in thankfulness to the God of mercy that it has been 
 one ever to be remembered by me. There is much that 
 should sadden us in looking back to years and years 
 spent in sin against God, and in my case in open rebel- 
 lion against Him. And on the other hand, there is very 
 much that should fill us with joy and gratitude when we 
 review His wonderful love and mercy, shewn to us in 
 Christ Jesus. Every day seems to shew me more and 
 more the happiness and peace of mind that must neces- 
 sarily result from a sincere religion. I feel too cold and 
 indifferent on these momentous subjects. How needful it 
 is to be continually watching and praying lest the light 
 that is in us be darkness ! " 
 
PRAYER. 187 
 
 CHAPTER XIIL 
 
 '♦ There is an eye that never sleeps 
 
 Beneath the wing of night — 
 There is an ear which never shuts 
 
 When sink the beams of light — 
 There is an arm which never tires 
 
 When human strength gives way- 
 There is a love which never fails 
 
 When human loves decay. 
 
 That eye is fixed on seraph throngs, 
 That ear is filled with angels' songs. 
 That arm upholds the world on high. 
 That love is throned beyond the sky. 
 
 But there 's a power that man can wield 
 
 When mortal aid is vain. 
 That eye, that arm, that power to reach. 
 
 That listening ear to gain. 
 That power is Prayo — which soars on high. 
 And feeds on bliss beyond the sky." 
 
 It is almost needless to say that Maxy Hammond rested 
 on prayer as one of the mainstays of a Christian life — the 
 most indispensable weapon in his armoury — the weapon 
 with which the Christian's equipment in the sixth 
 of Ej)hesians is summed up and rendered complete — the 
 last in order, nearly the first in importance. The girding 
 
188 PRAYER 
 
 of the loins, the sandals for the feet, the shield, the helmet, 
 the sword, would all be still incomplete, were not the 
 Christian soldier exhorted to be found "praying always 
 with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watch- 
 ing thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for 
 all saints/' It would almost seem that he had special 
 regard to the last clause of the verse just cited, when we 
 find that he had written in his pocket-book the names of 
 his relations and those friends in whom he was parti- 
 cularly interested, and that it was his custom to present 
 them before the Throne of Grace in regular daily rotation. 
 He alludes to this habit in a letter to one of these 
 friends : — 
 
 "You propose," he says, "that we should imite in 
 prayer for one another on some particular day. I have 
 done so every day at noon — endeavouring to bring the 
 particular wants and circumstances of each one before our 
 common Father; and, I must say, I have often found it a 
 dehghtful season, when prayer seemed to bring you all 
 into very close communion. How unlimited are the j^ro- 
 mises to prayer ! Our unbelief would say, that God cannot 
 condescend to hear. But wondrous as is His condescen- 
 sion, He does nevertheless hear and answer, and in 
 answering, abundantly bless. May we all drink more 
 deeply into the spirit of prayer, and thus ' prove God, 
 whether He will not open the windows of heaven, and 
 pour out a blessing that there shall not be room to receive 
 it!' I hope you have some friends and companions with 
 whom you can enjoy Christian fellowship. But you have 
 always with you the Friend which sticketh closer than a 
 
chkist's love unchangeable. 189 
 
 brother; and you Lave His comforting assurance that He 
 will never leave you nor forsake you. He is the same who 
 tabernacled here on earth in human nature 1800 years 
 ago. He is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever 
 — His love is the same — His forbearing mercy the same 
 — His sympathy the same— and His grace the same. 
 ' Lo, I am with you always.' He is ever present to our 
 faith — literally present by His Spirit— to keep, sanctify, 
 teach, guide, uphold, and comfort His people. Alas ! how 
 little do we love Him, else we should live nearer to Him 
 in prayer and holy meditation. Well, indeed, may we 
 pray, 'Lord, increase our faith.' 'Blessed are they who 
 have not seen, and yet have believed.' Soon we shall ' see 
 Him as He is/ Now we walk by faith; soon faith will be 
 exchanged for sight, and hope swallowed up in fruition. 
 May we cherish this hope and these desires more and 
 more — walk more humbly and closely with God — ^learn 
 daily to sit more loosely to all things earthly, and set our 
 affections more on things which are above — Ever your 
 affectionate, M. M. H." 
 
 Some time later, in February ] 855, we find him draw- 
 ing up the following heads for family worship : — 
 
 " Sunday. 
 
 " The Church of Christ. — Increase of grace upon all; 
 that believers may adorn His doctrine, and glorify His 
 name ; that they may be waiting for His return ; for a spirit 
 of love and unity, healing divisions ; that they may be of 
 one heart in setting forward the cause of Christ; that they 
 may be witnesses in an evil world. 
 
190 PRAYER. 
 
 " Jews. — Their conversion and restoratioru 
 
 ''Heathen. — Progress of the gospel; more labourers 
 fitted for the work. For missionaries — their difficulties, 
 trials, and snares; increase of fruit; love and strength for 
 them. Missionary societies — guidance for those who 
 manage them. Converts — that they may glorify God by 
 tlieir consistent walk. 
 
 " Sunday Schools. — Teachers and scholars — outpouring 
 of Spirit. 
 
 Ministers. — That they may preach Christ fully, and, 
 lifting Him up, may draw all men unto Him. 
 
 " Monday. 
 " Country. — Thanksgiving for the gospel — prayer that 
 the light of truth may be continued to us. For a blessing 
 on home ministry — for the rising generation — the preser- 
 vation and better observance of the Sabbath — for a spirit 
 of contentedness among the poor, and consideration 
 amongst the rich. For Ireland — reformation there. 
 
 " Tuesday. 
 " Bible Society, Schools, and Colleges. — That the Word 
 may have free course, and be glorified ; that the young 
 may be instructed in truth, and educated in sound and 
 Christian learning. 
 
 " Wednesday. 
 
 " Ministry. — That ministers may be qualified for their 
 
 work, and endowed with faith, patience, meekness, and 
 
 steadfastness ; that they may commend the gospel by their 
 
 lives, may be preserved from danger of climate, and from 
 
HEADS OF PRAYER. 191 
 
 wicked men; praise for what God has already wrought 
 among the heathen ; prayer that He would send forth 
 more labourers. 
 
 " Thursday. 
 
 "Army. — Officers, soldiers; women, children; Christian 
 soldiers, their trials and temptations — that they may glo- 
 rify God by their example; chaplains. 
 
 " Religious Societies. — That God may be glorified, the 
 gospel diffused, and sinners converted; for wisdom and 
 grace for those who have the management of them. 
 
 " Friday. 
 
 " The War. — That it may be prosecuted on principles 
 of justice, humanity, and the fear of God ; for the protec- 
 tion, deliverance, and success of our forces by sea and 
 land ; for temperance in victory, perseverance in difficulty, 
 and patience in adversity ; for kindness and generosity to- 
 wards the enemy, returning good for evil ; for the sick, 
 wounded, and prisoners, and those appointed to die, also 
 the bereaved; for the Czar, that his way be turned, and 
 inclined to peace ; for peace and unity among nations. 
 
 " Saturday. 
 " Ministers. — That they may be taught of God, endued 
 with the Spirit, love to Christ, zeal for the salvation of 
 souls; that their labours may be blessed in public teach- 
 ing, and in all their pastoral duties ; that they may adorn 
 the gospel by holy and consistent lives/' 
 
 His own fixed times for private prayer were in the 
 morning, at mid-day, and at night. He believed that he 
 
J 92 PEAYEK. 
 
 owed more, in his spiritual life and growth, to this season 
 of mid-day prayer than to any other means of grace. He 
 said that he more often enjoyed communion then than at 
 any other time. He felt the full value of a prayerful 
 spirit — of " continuing instant in prayer " — and many a 
 lonely hour on guard, which to others seemed wearisome 
 in the extreme, was to him a golden season of happy and 
 blessed communion with God. He nsed, he has said, to 
 walk up and down, the guardroom praying fo7- all his 
 friends; and who can say how many hearts may not have 
 been turned, how many blessings may not have been 
 poured forth, in answer to those prayers ! 
 
 In his study of Scripture he established a habit of writ- 
 ing a short daily comment upon what he had read ; medi- 
 tating on it, and eliciting some reflections, and gathering up 
 some fruit from each separate verse. In this way he went 
 through St Paul's Epistles, from the Ephesians to Phile- 
 mon inclusive ; taking them verse by verse, and writing 
 down some short comments on each verse, or on each para- 
 graph. This habit was continued from June 1851 to 
 February 1853. The Epistle to the Romans was com- 
 menced later ; and was resumed and nearly completed 
 during the campaign of 1854* in Bulgaria. These mate- 
 rials form a volume of considerable size, in very closely- 
 vn-itten MS. —a volume containing much variety of 
 thought, evincing very strongly the teaching of the Holy 
 Spirit, and, above all, remarkable for its closely practical 
 character. It has seemed advisable, in a publication of 
 this nature, to introduce a selection from the Commentary 
 — not less as a specimen of the scriptural exercise which 
 it was Maxy Hammond's habit to engage in, than for its 
 
COMMENTARY— INTERCESSORY PRAYER. 193 
 
 value as a pattern, or example, to those who may wish to 
 adopt a similar course. 
 
 ''November 13. 
 " Col. i. 9. — The duty of intercessory prayer is enforced 
 or implied in many j^laces throughout the Scriptures. 
 And here is an example of it in Paul and Timotheus— 
 * We do not cease to pray for you: Elias is mentioned 
 elsewhere (James v. 17, 18) as an instance of the power 
 of fervent, effectual, intercessory prayer; and Jesus him- 
 self, when upon earth, left us that sublime and beautiful 
 example of His intercession for His people, recorded in 
 the 17th of St John. Intercession for others ought to be 
 regarded by Christians as a duty and a privilege ; and it 
 will be found that the practice brings down a double 
 blessing— a blessing upon him who offers up the prayer, 
 and a blessing upon him, also, for whom the prayer is 
 offered up. I feel, alas ! how often I engage in this duty 
 with a cold and careless heart; how often I am tempted 
 to give up praying, because the answer is delayed; how 
 much my prayers are shut in to the narrow limit of those 
 persons and things in which I am immediately interested, 
 instead of reaching out to God's cause and people in 
 every place ! Oh, for an increase of faith, for greater 
 fervency, for more constant perseverance in this holy 
 duty, and greater delight and enjoyment in the blessed 
 privilege of prayer for others ! " 
 
 "November 14. 
 "Col. i. 9. — Paul prayed for particular blessings for 
 tliese Christians. Prayer oiiglit to be specific, and not 
 
 N 
 
194 PRAYER, 
 
 merely general. To ask for tilings in tlie general, is a 
 lazy mode of prayer; and perhaps this is one reason why 
 our prayers seem often to be unheard and unheeded, and 
 why our own hearts are so cold and formal whilst en- 
 gaged in prayer. Special prayer requires some fore- 
 thought and preparation of heart; and it is on this ac- 
 count that Christians fail in this duty, because it calls 
 for self-denial. I feel that this has been a fault and an 
 easily besetting sin with me, against which I ought to 
 watch, pray, and seek grace to deny myself. 
 
 "Paul prayed for them as follows: 1st (ver. 9), That 
 they might have a scriptural and enlightened understand- 
 ing of His work and will. 2dly (ver. 10), That their 
 spiritual life might be holy, fruitful, and growing, ^dly 
 (ver. 11), That they might be endued with strength and 
 patience to endure temptation or sufferings. 4tthly (ver. 
 12, 13), That their hearts might abound with thanksgiv- 
 ings for redeeming love and mercy. 
 
 " \st, That they might have a scriptural and enlightened 
 understanding of His word and will. This is to be 
 obtained by a diligent and prayerful study of the Scrip- 
 tures. Those who drink deepest at the fountain will grow 
 most rapidly, and enjoy most peace. 
 
 " It should be our desire, as Christians, not only to know 
 His will, but to ' be jilled ' with His heavenly knowledge. 
 To think that we know all that we need to know, is the 
 height of folly and presumption; and the greater ad- 
 vances we make in grace, the more constantly shall we be 
 found sitting (like Mary) at the feet of Jesus, and listen- 
 ing to His word. Two things are essential to our com- 
 fort, growth, and usefulness; that we should possess an 
 
COMMENTARY — CHRISTIAN PRACTICE. 195 
 
 enligliteiicd and fsj^iritual understanding, and a matured 
 and sound judgment, even that ' wisdom which is from 
 above,' " 
 
 " November 17. 
 
 "Col. i. 10. — Here is the second subject of Paul's 
 prayer to the Colossians — ' That their spiritual life might 
 be Jioly, fruitful^ and growing.' ' That they might walk 
 luorthij of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fi^uitful in 
 every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of 
 God.' There may be — and there often is, alas ! — an un- 
 derstanding of the truth of God, which produces no prac- 
 tical result in the life and conversation. The Bible may 
 be studied as any other science, and the head may be 
 filled whilst the heart remains unhumbled, unenlightened, 
 unsanctified; but a spiritual understanding of the word 
 and Y/ill of God, through the influence of the Spirit of 
 truth upon the heart, is always accompanied by holiness 
 and consistency of life. The real Christian feels (so to 
 speak) that his honour is at stake, and bound up in his 
 duty towards his Lord and Master; he serves a great, a 
 glorious, and a holy Being ; and, professing himself to be 
 His disciple, it is his sincere desire and constant aim to 
 'walk worthy of the Lord, unto all pleasing.' He re- 
 members the example left him by his heavenly Master, 
 and the testimony which He gave for the imitation of His 
 disciples — ' I do always those things which please Him.' 
 Is this my aim — to please my God and Saviour in all 
 things? Is my walk ivorthy of Him whose name I 
 bear, and whose disciple I profess to be ? Does my Hght 
 shine before men, or is it dim and imperceptible, so that 
 the image of Christ cannot be discerned in me ? Which 
 
196 PRAYER. 
 
 am I seeking most — my own ease, comfort, and jDrofit, or 
 the glory of Jesus, and the honour of His name ? Alas ! 
 I feel that I am but an uni^rofitable servant — that my 
 walk is very it?iworthy of my Lord. Help me, then, 
 Jesus ! * to strengthen the things that remain, and are 
 ready to die/ Help me to follow thee implicitly, fully, 
 faithfully. 
 
 "November 19. 
 
 " Col. i. 10. — The second subject of prayer continued — 
 'That they might be fruitful in every good work/ 'By 
 their fruits ye shall know them.' This was said with 
 reference to the false teachers, but it is equally applicable 
 to all men. A barren Christian is a contradiction in 
 terms. Such an one is fit only to be cut down as a cum- 
 berer of the ground. The disciple of Him ' who went 
 about doing good' (Acts x. 3"8), and whose ' meat it was to 
 do His Father's will' (John iv. 84), must, in like manner, 
 be fruitful according to their measure and capacity, in 
 every good work. ' Herein,' said Jesus (John xv. 8), 'is 
 my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit. So shall 
 ye be my disciples.' None can be said to ' live in the 
 Spirit,' but those who ' walk in the Spirit ' (Gal. v. 25), and 
 who are bringing forth the fruit of the Spirit. Now, 
 * the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, 
 gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.' Are 
 these fruits apparent in me ? or am I only a dry and 
 barren branch ? Let me remember those solemn words 
 of Jesus (John xv. 2), ' Every branch in me that beareth 
 fruit, he purgeth (pruneth) it, that it may bring forth 
 more fruit; and every branch that beareth not fruit, he 
 taketh away.' 
 
COMMENTARY — RIGHT KNOWLEDGE OF GOD. 197 
 " NOVEMBEK 20. 
 
 " Col. i. 10. — Joined to holiness and fruitfulness, is growth 
 in grace, and in the knowledge of God — ' Inceeasing in 
 the knowledge of God.' The knowledge of God is life 
 eternal (John xvii. 3)—' This is life eternal, that they 
 might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ 
 whom thou hast sent/ It is of the utmost importance, 
 
 then, to have a right and scriptural knowledge of God 
 
 to know Him savingly, spiritually, influentially. This 
 knowledge is to be attained and increased through His 
 Holy Scriptures, for 'they are they which testify of 
 Christ,' and Christ is 'the brightness of His Father's 
 glory, and the express image of His person/ To know 
 Jesus, therefore, is to know God ; for ' He that hath seen 
 me,' said Christ, 'hath seen the Father' (John xiv. ^). 
 This knowledge of God, then, must be increased by study- 
 ing the character of Jesus, as revealed in the gospel. In 
 so doing, new discoveries will be made of the glory, grace, 
 and power of God — His willingness to save, His readi- 
 ness to give. His power to help, His condescending grace 
 to sympathise in affliction. There will also be new dis- 
 coveries of the holiness of God, as seen in the life and 
 sufferings of Jesus ; especially in viewing Him nailed to 
 the cross, as the great atoning sacrifice for sin. For how 
 must God hate sin, to require such a ransom as the blood 
 of His dear Son ! Oh, blessed Spirit ! teach me more of 
 God, as He is revealed and manifested in Jesus; and 
 grant that I may not only increase in the knowledge of 
 Him, but that I may increase also in all holiness of heart 
 and life, and in conformity to His image, through Jesus 
 Christ. Amen. 
 
1 98 PRAYER. 
 
 " November 24 
 
 "Col. i. 11. — Paul prays further for these Colossians, 
 that they might be endued with strength under trial, and 
 with imtience under suffering. * Strengthened with all 
 might, according to his glorious power.' This agrees with 
 Eph. vi. 10 — ' Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of 
 His might' The believer must be endued with strength 
 from above, to enable him to withstand the many tempta- 
 tions and trials he will surely meet with, living in a world 
 that * lieth in the wicked one,' and carrying about with 
 him a body of sin, an evil heart of unbelief, prone to de- 
 part from the living God. But, blessed be God, we are 
 not called to engage in this warfare at our own charge, to 
 fight in our own strength. We have One mighty to save ; 
 One who has already triumphed over all the powers of 
 darkness ; One who is ' Al-Shaddai,' God Almighty, who 
 will be with His people in every strait or difficulty; and 
 who will abundantly deliver us, and give us power over 
 every spiritual Goliath which would seek to take away 
 our life. ' His glorious power ' is engaged in our behalf, 
 and by it His people shall be ' kept through faith unto 
 salvation ' (1 Peter i. 5). 
 
 "CoL i. 11. — 'Unto all patience and long-suffering, 
 with joyfulness.' This has respect to the Christian's 
 bearing under suffering and affliction. If the hand of 
 the Lord be upon our persons, our families, our pro- 
 perty, there is a call for patient submission and resigna- 
 tion to His holy will. All murmuring must be instantly 
 silenced, for He who smites is holy, just, and good. ' Why, 
 then, should a living man complain, a man for the punish- 
 ment of his sins ?' ' Shall we receive orood at the hands of 
 
COMMENTARY — CHRISTIAN PATIENCE. 199 
 
 the Lord, and shall we not also receive evil V (Lam. iii. 89 ; 
 Job ii. 10). Let our afflictions be compared with our 
 deservings, and then how shall we complain ? The true 
 source of support and comfort, under trial, will be found 
 in 'considering Him who endured' for us (Heb. xii. 3). 
 If our trial be from man — from the opposition, scorn, or 
 contempt of the world, or from the unkindness and in- 
 gratitude of others — this, too, must be borne with long- 
 suffering, remembering ' Hhn who endured such contra- 
 diction of sinners against Himself.' If our conscience is 
 void of offence towards God and man; if we are walking 
 by faith in Jesus, abiding in Him, and ' looking at the 
 things that are unseen' — then may we know that there is 
 such a thing as joyfulness in the midst of temptation and 
 suffering. The Christian is described as one who can 
 * rejoice in tribulation' — who, though sometimes sorro\j- 
 fu], yet is ' always rejoicing.' Oh ! let me seek earnestly 
 strength for the time of temptation, and patience and 
 long-suffering in the day of adversity and affliction; and, 
 in every such season, may I be found 'looking unto 
 
 Jesus.' 
 
 " November 25. 
 
 "Col. i. 12. — Paul further prays for these Christians, 
 that their hearts and their lips might abound with thanks- 
 giving for redeeming love and mercy. Giving thanks 
 unto the Father for all the blessings which he liath freely 
 given to us in His Sou Jesus Christ. How beautiful is 
 the thanksgiving prayer in our Liturgy, when Are use 
 these words, ' AVe bless thee for our creation, preserva- 
 tion, and all the blessings of this life; but, above all, for 
 thine inestimable love, in the redemption of the world by 
 
200 PRAYER. 
 
 our Lord Jesus Christ/ In like manner, Paul breaks 
 forth into praise in the commencement of his Epistle to 
 the Ephesians (i. 3), ' Blessed be the God and Father of 
 our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiri- 
 tual blessings in heavenly places in Christ/ We are to 
 trace back the source and fountain of our mercies and 
 blessings to the electing love of the Father, ' according as 
 He hath chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the 
 world/ 'Giving thanks imto the Father, which hath 
 made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the 
 saints in light/ This is indeed a sufficient cause for 
 thankfuhiess, which may call forth our admiration and 
 our praise. St John seemed to have been deeply im- 
 pressed with this feeling in contemplating the love of 
 the Father, in those beautiful and wondrous words which 
 h^ wrote (1 John iii. 1), 'Behold what manner of love 
 the Father hath bestowed upon ns, that we should be 
 called the sons of God!' In what does the 'meetness' 
 here spoken of consist ? What do I need in order that 
 I may be made a fit partaker of the inheritance of the 
 Lamb? (].) The justification and acceptance of my 
 person through the blood and righteousness of Jesus ; 
 union in Christ, being engrafted into Him by the new 
 birth ; faith in Him, and participation by faith, in all 
 the benefits which He hath purchased for us. (2.) 
 Sanctification by the word and spirit of Christ. Heart- 
 holiness, heavenly-mindedness, conformity to Jesus, through 
 the indwelling of the Holy Ghost. ' The inheritance of 
 the saints in light.' This is that ' inlieritance which is 
 incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away' (1 
 Pet. i.) He who is ' heir of all things is Himself ' the in- 
 
COMMENTARY — THE DELIVERANCE — THE DELIVERER. 201 
 
 heritance and portion of His people throughout eternity. 
 The saints lon^ to be with Him ; for when with Him they 
 shall be made like Him. Oh! to live more in the light of 
 that day, when He shall be revealed to give to every one 
 of His people their everlasting inheritance. 
 
 " November 26. 
 
 "Col. i 13. — 'Who hath delivered us from the power 
 of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of 
 His dear Son.' The deliverance and translation here 
 spoken of are ascribed to the Father. Let us notice 
 more particularly what is comprehended under these two 
 terms, ' delivered ' and ' translated.' 
 
 " 1st, The Deliverance. — The Deliverer is none other 
 than God himself, ' the Father of mercies,' whose com- 
 passions are moved for the weak and helpless sons of men 
 whom Satan keeps fast bound and tied by the chain of 
 their sins. Out of His rich and free mercy, He is pleased 
 to deliver such by His own Divine power and energy. 
 The power which He exerts in the spiritual deliverance of 
 His peo23le is called by Paul, in his Epistle to the Ephe- 
 sians (i. 19, 20), 'The exceeding greatness of His power 
 to US-ward who believe, according to the working of His 
 mighty pov>^er, which He lorought in Christ, when He 
 raised Him from the dead.' 
 
 " The delivered are sinners of mankind. The slaves of 
 sin and Satan, led captive by him at his will. They are 
 the true subjects of ' the god of this world,' and rebels 
 against ' the Prince of Life.' They are delivered from 
 * the power of darkness,' i.e. Satan himself, ' the prince 
 of darkness,' and the fallen and corrupt nature by which 
 
202 PEAYER. 
 
 the mind is darkened, the affections alienated, and the 
 will perverted. 
 
 " Surely there is here deep cause for gratitude ; much 
 that should lead me to ' give thanks unto the Father/ when 
 I consider the 'De\iYerer,the Delivered, and the DeliveTttnce. 
 * What can I render unto the Lord for all His mercies 
 and for all His benefits towards me?' Oh, may I 'take 
 the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord/ 
 rejoicing in my deliverance from the power of darkness, 
 with a thankful heart, and continually watching over my 
 heart, lest I should have any ' fellowship with the unfruit- 
 ful works of darkness' (Eph. v. 11) in thought, word, or 
 
 deed. 
 
 " November 27. 
 
 "Col. i. 13. — 'And hath translated us into the kingdom 
 of His dear Son.' Or, according to the marginal reading, 
 'into the kingdom of the Son of His love.' Having con- 
 sidered the * deliverance ' spoken of in the first part of the 
 verse, we are here called to contemplate the ' translation.' 
 The state of honour and privilege, with the innumerable 
 blessings connected with it, into which the new-born child 
 of God is adopted. And in this respect the translation 
 of Enoch may be regarded as a type in figure of the spi- 
 ritual translation of all the children of God. It is said of 
 Enoch (Heb. xi. 5), that ' by faith he was translated that 
 lie should not see death ; and he was not, because God 
 had translated him.' He was suddenly caught up by the 
 power of God, removed for ever from this lower world of 
 sin, sorrow, and death ; delivered from the burden of sin, 
 and from the body of sin with which he was encompassed ; 
 and was translated by the angels into heaven, into the very 
 
COMMENTARY — THE INHERITANCE. 203 
 
 presence of God himself, and of that Saviour whom he had 
 so faithfully served, and so manfully confessed on earth. 
 And thus it is with the behever. Born again of the Holy 
 Ghost, engrafted by faith into Jesus, made a new creature 
 in Him, he is at once translated into His kingdom of 
 grace on earth, and he will at length, like Enoch, be lite- 
 rally translated to His kingdom of glory above. 
 
 *' ' The kingdom of the Son of His love.' 
 
 " This reminds us of the amazing love of the Father, in 
 giving " His dear Son " as the ransom for us poor perishing 
 sinners. Blessed, indeed, are they who have a place in 
 that kingdom on earth, but how far more blessed will be 
 the translation to that kingdom of glory and everlasting 
 felicity which He shall set up in the day of His glorious 
 appearing. Oh, to be enabled from the heart to use the 
 prayer of the hymn, 
 
 " ' Come, Lord, when grace hath made me meet 
 Thy blessed face to see ; 
 For if thy work on earth is sweet, 
 What must thy glory be ! ' " 
 
 The selection of this passage, though perhaps less strik- 
 ing than others which might have been found, seems par- 
 ticularly to recommend itself, not only because its sub- 
 ject, " Prayer," is immediately connected with the com- 
 mencement of this chapter, but because its conclusion 
 seems to bear a peculiar significance as regards its author. 
 Might vre not ourselves, anticipating a little the sequel of 
 this narrative, while we dwell with chastened sorrow on 
 his sudden translation, take up his own words ; and using 
 them in their full force as coming FROM him, apply them 
 
204! PEAYEE. 
 
 for our own especial comfort to him — to him, as 'a 
 believer, by faith translated, that he should not see death' 
 — ' suddenly caught up by the power of God, removed from 
 this lower world of sin, and sorrow, and death, delivered 
 from the burden of sin, and translated by the angels into 
 heaven, into the very presence of God himself, and of that 
 Saviour whom he had so faithfully served and so manfully 
 confessed when on earth.* 
 
EETURN TO ENGLAND. 205 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Iletiirtt k €\^k\\k 
 
 *' Here on our native soil we breathe once more — 
 The cock that crows, the smoke that curls, the sound 
 Of bells; those boys who in yon meadow ground 
 In white-sleeved shirts are playing ; and the roar 
 Of the waves breaking on the chalky shore — 
 All, all are English ! oft have I looked around 
 With joy on Kent's green vales; but never found 
 Myself so satisfied with life before." 
 
 Wordsworth. 
 
 A CHANGE having occurred in the battalion arrangements, 
 Captain Hammond was imexpectedly posted to the com- 
 mand of the depot, then at the Isle of Wight ; and he very 
 soon after quitted America for the last time. To this 
 alteration in his position, he briefly refers in a letter to 
 one of his friends : — 
 
 "Kingston, April 2, 1849. 
 " You will perhaps be much surprised to hear me 
 speak of returning to England. Such, however, is my 
 expectation. I am recommended by the colonel for the 
 command of the depot; W * * « having declined the 
 offer, which was first made to liim. I suppose I shall go 
 as soon as the sanction of the Horse Guards is obtained. 
 I shall probably bid a final farewell to Canada, as it is not 
 
206 RETUEN TO ENGLAND. 
 
 likely I shall be moved before the regiment returns to 
 England/' 
 
 The appo ntment was soon confirmea, and in June 
 1849, we find him stationed at Parkhurst, in the Isle of 
 Wight, in charge of the depot. 
 
 Soon after his arrival, his youngest brother, in whom he 
 had taken so lively an interest, as we have already gathered 
 from his letters, and who first received him when he 
 returned home in 1847, went down to see him on his 
 arrival, and thus describes his first interview: — 
 
 " The heavenliness of his whole deportment struck me 
 much ; we read and prayed together, and all our conversa- 
 tion was about the inheritance, and the service, I was just 
 then beginning to feel after, and which he had found for 
 four or five years. Mrs H * * * gave me the ' Sinners' 
 Friend/ and N. H * * *, ' Come to Jesus,' and we used 
 to read the latter together on the grass banks of Caris- 
 brooke Castle, and in our expeditions to the Needles, and 
 in his room in barracks. Coming up from the H * * *'s 
 one day, I remember his alluding to his boyish days, and 
 saying, ' he thought there were no sinners so great as boys.'" 
 
 To this brother, Captain Hammond writes : — 
 
 "Paekhurst, June 8, 1849. 
 
 " I enjoyed your short visit What reason have 
 
 you and I to be filled with gratitude and adoring wonder 
 at the grace which has enabled us, in some degree, to taste 
 that the Lord is gracious, and to feel, however slightly, 
 that Jesus is precious. He is the ' chief among ten thou- 
 sand, and altogether lovely.' Such is He in the eyes of 
 
TEIALS IN THE WORLD. 207 
 
 His redeemed Church, and such should He be in ours. 
 Yet, alas! I feel at times as if I had no love — as if my 
 religion were mere hypocrisy, the form of godliness, but 
 destitute of its vital power. Indeed, we ought to be 
 ashamed that we love Him so little ; that we are doing so 
 little for Him. I find this especially the case when thrown 
 amongst worldly men. Then it is not an easy thing to 
 walk as a Christian, desiring to be known in no other 
 character than as a disciple of Jesus; content to wear the 
 reproach of the cross; to be thought a weak-spirited 
 fellow for His sake; confessing Him before men, and 
 setting up our banner in His name; studying to adorn 
 His gospel in all things with 'meekness of wisdom.' I 
 don't know when I have felt my own weakness and utter 
 helplessness more than since I have been here. How 
 blessed a thing it is for us that we are not kept by our- 
 selves, but by the Keeper of Israel — by Him who prayed, 
 * Holy Father, keep, through thine own name, those whom 
 thou hast given me,' and again, 'I pray not that thou 
 shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou 
 shouldest keep them from the evil.' Here, then, is our 
 security — the intercession of Jesus, as engaged in our 
 behalf. Covenant love is pledged for our encouragement 
 — all the promises are for us weak sinners, all secured to 
 us in Jesus, for ' all the promises of God ' are * yea and 
 amen ' in Christ Jesus. . . . Grace be with you. Let our 
 prayer for each other be 2 Thess. i. 11, 12. — Ever your 
 affectionate, M. M. Hammond." 
 
 Probably one especial cause of the serenity and inward 
 peace, as well as the consistent holiness of outward Ufe 
 
208 EETUEN TO ENGLAND. 
 
 that marked Captain Hammond's character, was his 
 entire dependence on the all-sufficiency of Christ, the 
 habit of looking out 0/ himself unto Christ for everything; 
 conscious of the weakness of the natural man, yet 
 rejoicing in the knowledge that the Lord's "strength is 
 made perfect in weakness." This view of the Christian's 
 relation to the Saviour is thus most happily expressed in 
 a short fragment written by him in a friend's common- 
 place book : — 
 
 "There are two things which the Christian ought ever 
 to keep in view; his own nothingness, and the all-suffi- 
 ciency of Jesus ; the one to keep him humble, the other to 
 inspire him with confidence and hope. Having nothing 
 in himself (Rev. iii. 17), yet possessing all things in 
 Jesus (2 Cor. vi. 10); without any righteousness of his 
 own (Isa. Ixiv. 6), yet complete in the righteousness of 
 Immanuel (Col. ii. 10; Jer. xxiii. 6); without strength 
 (Rom. V. 6), yet strong in the Lord and in the power of 
 His might (Eph. vi. 10); without holiness (Rom. iii. 12), 
 yet having the promise of sanctification through Jesus 
 (1 Cor. i. 30); without power to keep himself (2 Cor. iii. 
 5), yet kept by the power of God through faith unto 
 salvation (I Pet. i. 5; John xvii. 11-15); preserved in 
 Jesus Christ (Jude i.). It hath pleased the Father that 
 in Christ should all fulness dwell (Col. i. 19), that out of 
 that fulness empty sinners may receive all that their souls 
 may require for time and eternity (John i. 16). Thanks 
 be unto God for His unspeakable gift (2 Cor. ix. 15). 
 
 " M. M. Hammond.'' 
 
 "Newport, Isle of Wight, July \Mh, \^\^" 
 
LETTEPw OX WORLDLY AMUSEMENTS. 209 
 
 Among the letters which we have brought together in 
 this vohime, perhaps we shall find none which more 
 forciby illustrates the completeness of the change which 
 the writer had undergone, none certainly which has a 
 better claim to the consideration of the reader, than that 
 which follows. It was written in the course of some 
 correspondence which had taken place on the lawfulness 
 of many worldly amusements. Let us compare it with 
 those letters introduced in our earlier pages; those, for 
 example, written from Newport and from Dover, in 1842. 
 Do we not perceive in that comparison something more 
 tlian a natural change from the tone of boyish levity to 
 the grave thoughtfulness of manhood ! Can we fail to 
 see in the deep conviction which calmly, but decidedly, 
 condemns all that " is not of the Father but of the world ; " 
 in the wisdom, which, utterimr her warninsj voice, wouhl 
 cry imploringly, "How long, ye simple ones;" in the 
 earnest concern of one, who, experiencing in the better 
 part which he had cliosen, that "godliness is profitable" 
 in "the life which now is," would desire that others mioh"; 
 share it ; can we fail to perceive in all this, the efl'ect of 
 the Holy Spirit's work? In those first letters we have 
 the natural man speaking. In this, the renewed spirit. 
 
 " October 18, 1849. 
 " My dear * * #, — Very many thanks for your letter, 
 and for the book which accompanied it. A more perni- 
 cious production I never met with, but which, happily, can 
 be so easily refuted in all its pretended arguments, that 
 it is likely to do less harm to the earnest Christian than 
 it might otherwise do. So far from convincing the Bible- 
 
 o 
 
210 RETURN TO ENGLAND. 
 
 taught Cliristian that it is wrong to ' come out and be 
 separate' from the world, it would more than ever con- 
 firm him in the fundamental principle ; and it is only a 
 further proof that *the natural man receiveth not the 
 things of the Spirit of God, neither can he know them, 
 because they are spiritually discerned/ Bishop Hackett's 
 disciple, whoever he may be, is plainly devoid of the 
 Spirit of Christ, destitute of the mark of the true be- 
 liever, love to the brethren, and victory over the world; 
 and, therefore, it is vain to argue with such a person, 
 since he sets aside the truth of God, and vainly endea- 
 vours to invent a system of religion diametrically opposite 
 to the eternal truth. How shall one speak of spiritual 
 things to one who denies the depravity of our nature 
 (notwithstanding the words of the Holy Ghost — Rom. viii. 
 7), who tells of the merit of faith and good works, rejects 
 the doctrine of the new birth, and, finally, scoffs at and 
 holds up to ridicule all that is really vital, spiritual, and 
 experimental in the religion of Jesus ^ 
 
 " What a mistaken notion of what is termed cheerful- 
 ness, to suppose that it is to be found in those broken 
 cisterns which the men of this world would in vain apply 
 to, in order to drown the voice of conscience, ' kill time,' 
 and shut out the thoughts of God and eternity from the 
 mind 1 The soul that has been plucked as a brand from 
 tlie burning, dreads the taint of those pleasures from 
 which it has been snatched by sovereign grace. Having 
 travelled with the multitude along the broad road to de- 
 struction, now that his eyes have been opened to see his 
 own imminent danger, and the danger of his fellow-tra- 
 vellers, and having been warned by the Angel of the Cove- 
 
LETTER ON WOIILDLY AMUSEMENTS. 211 
 
 nant not to look behind, the awakened and sin-convinced 
 penitent trembles with fear of returning to the devoted 
 city, and flies for his life, believing the word of the Most 
 High, that he cannot serve God and Mammon. ' No man 
 having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is 
 fit for the kingdom of heaven.' Vvliat was it that ren- 
 dered the good seed unfruitful, and even choked it in one 
 class of hearers ?— the pleasures of this life (Luke viii. 14<). 
 Truly, indeed, may these be called thorns. The child of 
 God will find them sharp and piercing, wounding the 
 conscience, dimming the hope, and dragging down the 
 soul to earth, deadening the spiritual affections, and 
 estranging him from his God. Is not Christ enough? 
 Is He not infinitely precious and all-sufficient? and ought 
 we not to be cheerful in Him? He is our all in all;, 'as 
 He is, so are we in this world/ What can give such solid 
 peace, such permanent happiness, as communion with 
 Him, our unseenFriend ? And shall we yet hanker after 
 communion with those who know and love Him not, and 
 have their portion in this life? If we seek happiness out 
 of Him, surely we shall have our reward. 
 
 "I was much struck with a remark of a dear Christian 
 brother, in a letter from Canada received not long ago, 
 that is so much to the point, that I shall quote it here: 
 '\yhy,' he writes, 'are we not contented with Christ? 
 Why have we a hankering after something, a little worldly 
 communion out of Christ, to fill up, as it were, our daily 
 measure of happiness ? This little empty corner ought to 
 be filled up also out of Christ, and our joy would be com- 
 plete. How often do we meet with the injunction, Ee- 
 joice evermore ! My prayer each day is, that God would 
 
21 2 RETURN TO ENGLAND. 
 
 hedge me about with thorns, and drive me closer to Him.* 
 Such is the language of one who has been taught by the 
 Spirit, and who has drunk deeply of the Spirit of Christ, 
 on the other side of the Atlantic ; and may we not learn 
 a lesson of this babe in Christ, who has had little more 
 than twelve months' experience of the things of God ? 
 
 " Referring again to the book, how weak and j)uerile 
 are the arguments brought forward — Dancing sanctioned, 
 because David danced and sung j^raises before the Lord ! 
 Is such the practice of our Christian ball-rooms? And 
 again — The Almighty Father meeting his repentant son 
 with music and dancing. Are balls, then, ordained of 
 God as the expression of our joy over repenting sinners ? 
 And because the father of the prodigal is represented as 
 meeting his son in the way described, is this to teach us 
 that God approves of dancing all night, as in our day ? or 
 does it simply mean that, as the earthly father rejoiced over 
 his lost, erring child, so our heavenly Father rejoices over 
 the poor repentant sinner, and freely forgives him ? Doubt- 
 less there is joy in such a case — ^joy in heaven, rejoicing, 
 and hymns of praise, among the angels there ; but what 
 has this to do with the unholy mirth of a London ball- 
 room, where ' the lust of the eye, and the lust of the flesh, 
 and the j^ride of life' there exhibited, do but remind us 
 that such assemblies are ' not of the Father, but of the 
 world?' I cannot dwell further on the profane and un- 
 hallowed subject brought forward by Bishop Hackett's 
 disciple. What would the same author say with rea'ard 
 to theatres, and places of that description (the nurseries 
 of vice, as admitted by all) ? 
 
 "And where are we to stop? The further we keep 
 
LETTER ON WOELDLY AMUSEMENTS. 213 
 
 from the edge of the precipice, the safer we must be, and 
 not incur the risk of seeing how far we can go without 
 falling over. But, on all these points, argument is power- 
 less, unless the judgment is convinced; and, therefore, 
 * let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.' For 
 my own part, I have tried both; and now every day's ex- 
 perience tells me, that both for our own peace and happi- 
 ness, and for the real good of others, the Christian's duty 
 is clear, ' to come out and be separate' from the vain pur- 
 suits, unsanctified pleasures, and sinful practices of the 
 world. There are now, as there ever were, two classes, 
 and two only — the children of the world, and the children 
 of God ; the converted, and the unconverted ; those tread- 
 ing the broad way, and those walking along the narrow. 
 These opposite principles cannot amalgamate. The child 
 of God must not mingle with the children of the wicked 
 one, just as the Jews were forbidden to form alliances 
 with the heathen, lest they should learn their 'practices. 
 See how they fell through these very things ; and * these 
 things were written for our admonition, upon whom the 
 ends of the world have come.' Thus we gather from 
 types what is more fully explained in the New Testament. 
 " Once more, how awful is the woe denounced against 
 those who offend {i.e., cause to stumble) one of Christ's 
 ' little ones.' May we not fear that, in conforming to the 
 usages and practices of the world, we shall be giving coun- 
 tenance to many, who are lovers of pleasure more than 
 lovers of God, and thus cast a stumbling-block before 
 their feet, over which they might fall eternally. On the 
 other hand, if we shew plainly that we are ' strangers and 
 pilgrims here;' that we are ' crucified to the world, and the 
 
21 4i EETUEN TO ENGLAND. 
 
 world crucified to us ' (that is, held uj^ to our view as an 
 object loathsome and disgusting, from which we would 
 turn away) ; ' that this is not our rest ; ' that we are * seeking 
 a better country, that is, a heavenly,' and higher hopes and 
 purer pleasures than this world can boast of; that w^e 
 derive our joys and our peace from a totally different 
 source; then, I think, we should be doing more towards 
 awakening a spirit of inquiry, and deeper concern, for 
 the welfare of the soul in those around us, than in quietly 
 going down the stream with them, with little observable 
 difference between our principles, pleasures, and pursuits, 
 and theirs. Let us remember our high and holy calling • 
 called out from the world, witnesses for Christ and against 
 sin and ungodliness, in whatever form it may present 
 itself. Citizens of the new Jerusalem, having our con- 
 versation in heaven, jDartakers of the Divine nature, 
 temples of the Holy Ghost, may our constant and fer- 
 vent prayer be that of Paul for the Philippians, that 
 (i. 9-11) we may ' try' things ' that difier.' Lord increase 
 our faith. — Your affectionate, M. M. H." 
 
 '' P.S. — 'Is any afflicted? let him pray; is any meny 
 among you ? let him sing psalms ; let your moderation be 
 known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.' See also 
 Jer. XV. 19, * Let them return unto thee ; but return not 
 thou unto them.' " 
 
 In reply to his younger brother, who had asked his 
 opinion as to the lawfulness of shooting, he thus expresses 
 himself : — 
 
 *' I hardly know how to answer your question about 
 
LAWFULNESS OF AMUSEMENTS. 21 5 
 
 shooting. With regard to those things that are not 
 imrticidarly mentioned in the Bible, we must be guided 
 by the general rules and commands laid down in Scrip- 
 ture ; and in determining what is, and what is not lawful, 
 each one must be guided by the measure of light which 
 God has given him. The general rule is plain. 'Love 
 not the world, neither the things that are in the world ;' 
 ' be not conformed to this world ;' and, ' do all to the glory 
 of God.' By this standard we must judge all things, and 
 be judged by it in all our occupations and pursuits. 
 
 " I agree with you, as a general rule, in thinking that 
 what is not right for a clergyman, cannot be any more so 
 for a layman. But I think there are many exceptions 
 to this rule. For instance, I cannot conceive there 
 being anything actually wrong in an individual fishing 
 or shooting. At the same time, I think such entirely 
 worldly pursuits are unbecoming the character and duties 
 of one who is set over souls. The same may be said of 
 many things. Our great object in life is to glorify our 
 rather who is in heaven, and to seek to please Him in all 
 things, and to devote all we possess to His service. What- 
 ever hinders us in doing these things, ought certainly to 
 be given up. 
 
 "I feel ill able to advise, but would say to you, if 
 you are in doubt about anything, ask of God to guide 
 your judgment, and incline your will to that course 
 which He approves. Whatever appears right (God's 
 word being the test), do not hesitate to engage in it. If, 
 on the contrary, there is any doubt, give it up at once. 
 God will guide you aright, if you lean upon Him. See 
 the promise, Phil. iv. 6, 7." 
 
216 RETURN TO ENGLAND. 
 
 If there was one thing more impressed on Captain 
 Hammond's mind than another, it was this deep sense of 
 the necessity of separation from the world. All his cor- 
 respondence shews this ; and a remark that he made to a 
 younger brother, in reference to this subject, deserves 
 mention. They were dining together, after Captain Ham- 
 mond's return from Canada, with another friend. The 
 latter said, " I wonder, if I was to go to the theatre now, 
 whether I should enjoy it?" Captain Hammond re2:)lied, 
 " If you found yourself there, a sight of the Saviour on 
 His cross would take away all relish for it." 
 
 That he felt the necessity of living "out of the world" 
 as far as its pleasures and follies go, and above it and 
 beyond it, even in its duties, occupations, and ties of every 
 nature, may be gathered from the next letter. 
 
 "December 6, 1849. 
 " I am praying for a greater measure of contentment. 
 We need this much ; there is a natural craving after some- 
 thing earthly which we think would fill up our cup of 
 happiness. Oh, to be a weaned child ! in whatever state 
 we are therewith to be content ; anxious only to please 
 our Lord and Master ; to glorify Him in our bodies and 
 spirits. I have been thinking more lately on the subject 
 of the Lord's second appearing. The more I meditate on 
 it, the more deeply practical does it appear. Did we live 
 in the light of His second coming, how detached would 
 our hearts be from all that now binds them to earth. 
 How jealous should we be of taking too much thought for 
 the cares, and the pleasures, and the schemes of this world, 
 seeing that all these things shall be dissolved. With one 
 
THE SECOND COAnNG OP THE LORD. 217 
 
 precious word I say, good-night. 'Abide in Him that 
 when He shall appear we may have confidence' (1 John 
 ii. 28). — In the love of Jesus, your most affectionate, 
 
 "M. M. H." 
 
 The next extracts were written to a lady, whose husband 
 fell a self-sacrifice to his ministering zeal during the fatal 
 fever at Montreal, and whose loss was deeply felt by his 
 congregation at Trinity. 
 
 "My DEAR Mrs W * * *, — I was much grieved to hear 
 from D * * * so bad an account of dear Trinity. My 
 heart yearns with peculiar affection to those walls, so hal- 
 lowed in my remembrance. What a lesson is taught us 
 from the history of that little church, during the last two 
 years, to ' cease from men.' You must doubtless feel the 
 sad change very keenly. Who would have thought in the 
 spring of 1847, that a cloud so dark would have burst 
 on that then flourishing little church. But blessed be 
 God, the believer in Jesus does not sorrow as those without 
 hope. Soon will sorrow be exchanged for unclouded bliss, 
 and all tears wiped away. Soon shall we join the com- 
 pany who have reached the heavenly Jerusalem, and join 
 our voices with those loved ones who have gone before us, 
 and with them take up the notes of eternal praise. ' To 
 him who loved us and washed us from our sins in his 
 own blood.' 'Yet a little while, and he that shall come 
 will come, and shall not tarry.' Indeed, these are words of 
 comfort with which to cheer and comfort one another as 
 we journey through this lonely wilderness. Some are 
 called upon to pass through the deeper waters, and to 
 
218 RETURN TO ENGLAND. 
 
 drink a larger measure of the cup of sorrow. But how 
 precious to them is He who bears them up ; how deep is 
 that joy which succeeds the night of weeping 
 
 " I have seen Mr H * * * more than once, and have 
 been much pleased with the little I have seen of him; 
 such earnestness, such charity, such humility — with love 
 to Christ such as one does not often meet with. He seems 
 to realise the promise, that those who give up all for Christ 
 shall receive a hundredfold for all they lose for His sake. . . . 
 
 " What of Montreal ? and other spots so hallowed in 
 my recollection in Canada ? I cannot refrain from writing 
 at greater length than perhaps I ought : yet why should 
 apology be necessary when it is of the Lord's people and 
 the Lord's work that we speak ? Surely it is our privilege 
 to speak of common interests, common hopes, common 
 joys, and common sorrows, and then to realise our com- 
 munion in Jesus." 
 
MAKRIAGE. 219 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 *' There is an outer world, and there is an inner centre; 
 And many varying rings concentric round the self. 
 For first about a man — after his communion with heaven — 
 Is found the helpmate even as himself; the wife of his vows and affections. 
 Wheel in wheel, and world in world, come the band of children. 
 And tender nest of young soft hearts ; each to be separately studied ; 
 And a man blest with these hath made his own society." 
 
 Proverbial Philosophy. 
 
 It was natural to a mind daily increasing in spiritual 
 growth, daily sitting looser to the things of the world, 
 that the ordinary habits of barrack life, and the tone and 
 conversation of a mess-room should become less and less 
 congenial. It could not well be otherwise; and at Park- 
 hurst, where the depot of several regiments were united, 
 and the society of the mess-room was not even that of his 
 own regiment, Maxy Hammond began to feel strongly 
 the chilling influences around him, and to yearn for a home 
 of his own. He remembered, with a grateful heart, how, 
 in the home of a brother officer, he had first drunk in 
 those truths which had been the pole-star of his after-life; 
 and he longed to have an opportunity of offering to others 
 a welcome, which had conferred so great a blessing on 
 himself. It was his ardent desire to be the head of a 
 
220 MARRIAGE. 
 
 Christian household. The text that he used often to 
 allude to as describing this was Psalm cxviii. 1 5, " The 
 voice of rejoicing and salvation are in the tabernacles of 
 the righteous." Captain Hammond looked forward to 
 marriage, therefore, as the means of realising this happi- 
 ness. He had a very high view of its blessedness, as 
 illustrating the union between Christ and His Church. In 
 a note to his brother, he says, " I trust, if it be the Lord's 
 will, there will be a way opened up in His providence 
 towards the attainment of my wishes. But I desire to 
 remember that the time is short, and that we nmst learn 
 to sit loosely to earthly hopes and prospects, though it is 
 lawful to desire a Christian companion, coupling the desire 
 with *if the Lord will.' Oh! for a more realising sense 
 of the presence and all-sufficiency of Jesus ! we should then 
 look less to the creature, and feel that He is enough." At 
 an earlier time, speaking of another's marriage, he said, 
 " The great thing is * character;' such a character, I mean, 
 as is described in the last chapter of Proverbs. "_ Accord- 
 ingly, early in June 1850, he writes to announce to his 
 numerous friends the happy change which awaited him : — 
 
 June 12, 1850. 
 " My dear Mrs H ♦ # #, — I am resolved not to let 
 another day pass without announcing to you an event of 
 great importance as regards myself — that I am going to 
 
 be married (if the Lord will) I feel sure that you 
 
 and your dear husband -will unite with us in the earnest 
 prayer, that our union may be in the Lord ; that it may be 
 our first and great desire that the name of Jesus may be 
 glorified in it.'* 
 
ANNOUNCEMENT OF HIS MARRIAGE. 221 
 
 To one of his brothers, he says : — 
 
 "June 11, 1850. 
 " Our prayer is, that we may be His, that our union 
 may be in Him, and to Him ; that our one desire and aim 
 may be to glorify Him in our bodies, and in our spirits, 
 which are His.*' 
 
 In another letter, dated 
 
 "Parkhurst, June 15, 1850. 
 " I desire to recognise the hand of my gracious and 
 loving Father, in this great instance of His goodness, for 
 I cannot doubt that the gift is from Him. I feel that 
 His blessing will rest upon our union. What a mercy to 
 have been permitted to secure the affections of one who 
 will lead me on, and help me forward in the journey home- 
 wards ! " 
 
 To a brother officer — 
 
 Parkhurst, July 9, 1850. 
 
 "Now do make haste, and find your way across the 
 great pond which is between us, as soon as possible, for I 
 want you to be in time for my marriage ! I am in hopes 
 there will be a great gathering of the original brethren on 
 the eventful occasion. L * * *, W * * *, G * * *, 
 and yourself. How I wish that dear J * * * might also 
 
 be of the number Ought I not to be thankful! I 
 
 am thankful, though not sufficiently so. God has granted 
 me all the desires of my heart. My happiness appears 
 greater each day, and the prospect before me bright 
 indeed. But I feel what special need there is to watch 
 
222 MAERIAGE. 
 
 and be sober; for if we look for rest on earth, we are 
 surely deceiving ourselves. I do rejoice; but it is with 
 trembling, knowing that the dream of earthly happiness 
 may pass away in a moment, and then what has the soul 
 to rest on if the creature has been made an idol. Christ 
 must be all in all. His love must be supreme in the 
 heart, or earthly blessings will be turned to a curse. Do 
 pray for me, that I may receive this gift from the Lord, 
 as a talent to be used to His glory/' 
 
 In August 1850, his marriage with Eosa Anne, second 
 daughter of Mr Pennington, was solemnised; and the 
 happy couple started for the Cumberland Lakes. There, 
 among the sweet ferns and craggy rocks of Borradaile, 
 with a thankful heart he considered whose hand it was 
 that fashioned the soft slopes of Skiddaw, and cleft the 
 slaty precipices of Honiston. He delighted to remember 
 that "the mountains shall depart, and the hills be re- 
 moved ; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, 
 neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith 
 the Lord that hath mercy on thee.'' After this tour he re- 
 turned to the Isle of Wight, and took a house, with his 
 wife, at Newport ; very near to which town the barracks 
 of Parkhurst are situated. 
 
 Here he soon resumed his active habits. He took the 
 entire charge of the depot schools, in the week as well as 
 on Sundays. He also established a Sunday school there, 
 and conducted a service at the hospital on Sunday after- 
 noons. Here he was permitted to see one blessed instance 
 of a heart given to God, apparently through his instru- 
 mentality. A little girl, the daughter of a sergeant in the 
 
HIS LOVE OF NATURAL HISTORY, 223 
 
 Rifles, had been a troublesome and unruly cliild. She 
 liad not long attended the school when she became very 
 attentive, and evidently interested; and it was percep- 
 tible that the truth was reaching her. Her conduct at 
 home soon changed entirely, and she became a comfort 
 and help to her parents. When the regiment was re- 
 moved to Chatham, the child was attacked with scarlet 
 fever; and, her illness increasing, she was visited by the 
 clergyman. He found her on her deathbed. The only 
 words that she had strength to utter, were " My precious 
 Saviour." The following day she had joined the ransomed 
 host above. Captain Hammond was a very diligent 
 district visitor among the poor during the time he re- 
 mained at Newport. Here he also formed a friendship 
 with a family, which was among his strongest and most 
 enduring. 
 
 His home, at this time, was the picture of happiness; and 
 pleasant, indeed, were those excursions to the Needles, or 
 to Alum Bay, when, with a face beaming with delight, he 
 would join the party with some fossil he had found ; or 
 with some wild flower, over which, as he examined it with 
 his lens, he would dwell with admiring wonder at the 
 wisdom which had formed it, and would see in it a 
 Father's love. He used to say that he regarded a love 
 of nature, and a capacity for enjoying the works of God's 
 hands, as manifestations of His power and greatness, 
 as a high Christian privilege, and a specially lawful 
 source of delight — 
 
 " Birds and beasts. 
 
 And the mute fish that glances in the stream ; 
 
 And harmless reptile, coiling in the sun ; 
 
224s MARRIAGE. 
 
 And gorgeous insect, hovering in the air; 
 The fowl domestic, and the household dog; 
 In his capacious mind, he loved them all/' 
 
 He was very fond of those lines of Cowper's, ending 
 with, "My Father made them all;" and, frequently, in 
 his drives through the beautiful parts of the island, 
 would ask his wife to repeat them. After one of these 
 botanising excursions, he came into the room with a 
 flower, saying that, as he picked it, the words came 
 forcibly into his mind — 
 
 " For that Thy name is near, Lord, 
 Thy wondrous works declare ;" 
 
 and added, " What delight it gives to the believer to feel 
 the nearness of God, as displayed in the care bestowed 
 upon each insect and flower." 
 
 In the midst of all this happiness, he learned that the 
 wife of his very dearest friend had been taken from him. 
 While his own cup of happiness was overflowing, he felt 
 more tenderly for the grief of another. 
 
 "But what a change!" he writes in a letter to his 
 mother, " to put ofi" the vile body, to be made like imto 
 His glorious body ! Scarcely had she tasted the sweet- 
 ness of the marriage-tie on earth, before she was called to 
 sit down at the marriage-supper of the Lamb. ' I heard 
 a voice from heaven, saying. Blessed are they which are 
 called to the marriage-supper of the Lamb ' (Rev. xix. 9). 
 This was the chapter on which I heard such a beautiful 
 exposition, by Capel Molyneux, the day before the 
 wedding. A year and five days have passed since then, 
 
ALMSGIVING. 225 
 
 and the bridal wreath has been exchanged for the crown 
 of glory. For her, we cannot but rejoice and praise. Her 
 works testify that she was ripe for glory. So the heavenly 
 reaper put in His sickle, and gathered her into His garner. 
 But the poor mourner, 'the desolate widower;' the be- 
 reaved and smitten mother ! these call forth our sympathy 
 and our heartfelt prayers." 
 
 And in another letter, he says again — 
 
 "This seems, indeed, a mysterious providence, but 
 doubtless it is a loving one. How it should teach us to 
 sit loose to earthly objects, seeing that the most precious 
 of them may be removed from our embrace. I feel this 
 especially ; for I tremble lest I make an idol of my wife." 
 
 Captain Hammond's altered position in life, as a mar- 
 ried man, with the increased expense of an establishment, 
 induced him, at this time, to consider a more systematic 
 course in distributing his general charities. Hitherto, 
 having had none but himself to provide for, they had been 
 large. But he was now obliged to reduce them; and, 
 knowing that God accepts according to the " willing 
 mind," he set a minimum to his expenditure in alms 
 at one-tenth of his income. Still he did not adhere to 
 this sum; but rejoiced in giving up to his means, and 
 sometimes beyond, when objects of interest were brought 
 before him. Some texts, which he wrote on this sub- 
 ject in a MS. book, are characteristic of his feeling on 
 this head : — 
 
 " Remember the words of tlie Lord Jesus Christ, how 
 
226 MAEEIAGK 
 
 he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive" 
 (Acts XX. 35). 
 
 " Ye know the grace of oiir Lord Jesus Christ, tliat 
 though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor; 
 that ye, through his poverty, might be rich" (2 Cor. 
 viii. 9). 
 
 " For even Christ pleased not himself " (Kom. xv. 3). 
 
 At this time he expected to be removed to Chatham : — 
 
 "There is no doubt, I fear, of Chatham being our 
 final destination; a vile place in itseK; truly a place 
 where Satan's seat is. But what a comfort to know 
 that our God shall choose our inheritance for us, which 
 settles and quiets the mind. It is enough to have the 
 promise, 'Lo! I am with you always.' The presence of 
 Jesus is sufficient to make glad ' the wilderness,' and the 
 desert to rejoice and blossom like the rose." 
 
 He had chosen a text, on the occasion of his marriage, 
 looking forward to a wandering life. He had it engraved 
 on his seal, and often used to allude to it when people 
 condoled with him on being sent to disagreeable quarters. 
 It was Ps. xlvii. 4 — " He shall choose our inheritance for 
 us." We can trace this same feeling in a letter, written 
 to a friend, who had been ordered to another quarter: — 
 
 "if ay 24, 1852. 
 
 " I do feel very sorry for you, both in having to break up 
 
 your comfortable and happy present home, and to leave 
 
 so many friends and objects of interest at Woolwicli. 
 
 But we must look higher: to Him that app.')inis for 
 
"HE SHALL CHOOSE OUR INHERITAiTCE FOR US." 227 
 
 US the bounds of our habitation, and who chooseth out 
 for His people their inheritance. This is a blessed 
 thought to the Christian, that all his steps are ordered by 
 the Lord, and that it is He who directs his way. It will 
 be our earnest prayer that His presence and blessing 
 may go with you, that you may have grace to carry the 
 seed of the gospel with you, and to diffuse the blessings 
 you have yourself found, as you have opportunity. In 
 this act of our life, as soldiers and missionaries, how deep is 
 the responsibility that rests upon us; and how great 
 the privilege and honour of being called upon to witness 
 for Him, whose name we bear, and whom we profess to 
 serve." 
 
228 CONSClENTIOUSNESa. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 *' ' Do all to the glory of God.* All— the very least things, which all must 
 do every day — which our Lord includes under the name of daily bread ; 
 that so we may stop at nothing short of all : but our whole being, doing, 
 thinking, living, willing, having, longing, be wrapt up, gathered, con- 
 centrated, in the one will and good pleasure of God." — Dr Puset. 
 
 The change of quarters to Chatham very soon occurred, 
 and in September following we find Captain Hammond 
 dating a letter from thence on the subject of the establish- 
 ment of an Army Prayer Union. This suggestion had been 
 put forward by Captain T * * *, formerly of the 2d Life 
 Guards ; and, in reply to a communication on the subject, 
 Captain Hammond writes : — 
 
 "Chatham, September 15, 1851. 
 " I have to thank you, as well as some other friend, for 
 your having sent me your proposal for an Army Prayer 
 Union. Most cordially do I unite with you in the object 
 proposed ; and I bless God that He has put it in your 
 heart to undertake it. To me it appears very singular 
 that this object should have been contemplated and carried 
 into effect by some of God's servants, who feel an interest 
 in the spiritual welfare of the army, at this particular time. 
 
PEOPOSED ARMY PKAYER UNION. 220 
 
 For it so happens, that I had been thinking upon this very 
 same subject for several weeks past ; and it was my inten- 
 tion to take immediate steps towards forming such a 
 Prayer Union. I had thought of the names of about forty 
 friends, to whom I was going to write, when, to my sur- 
 prise and great delight, your proposal was put into my 
 hands last evening by my friend Captain J * * *, and I 
 was rejoiced to find that the desire of my heart had been 
 anticipated and accomplished already. Your name had 
 been suggested to my mind as one who might well under- 
 take to receive names, &c. ; but amidst your nmltiplied 
 engagements in various Christian objects, I hardly imagined 
 you could have undertaken it. God grant that the pro- 
 posal may commend itself to very many dear brethren 
 in the army who love the Lord Jesus ! Allow me to sug- 
 gest some slight alterations in addition to the prayer you 
 have already drawn up : — 
 
 " 1 . As to the time. That it be once a week, say every 
 Thursday, instead of once a month only. 
 
 " 2. That chaplains should be invited to join. 
 
 " 3. That the following subjects for prayer be specified: 
 (1.) Officers of high rank and authority. (2.) Military 
 chaplains. (3.) Regimental Day and Sunday schools. 
 
 '* 4. That all who profess themselves followers of Christ 
 may adorn the gospel by holy and consistent lives ; that 
 they may be enabled to walk in wisdom towards those 
 who are without ; and that they may be endued with sound 
 wisdom and boldness in confessing Christ before men. 
 
 " 5. That the cause of missions to the heathen and the 
 interests of pure religion in the colonies may be advanced 
 by means of God's servants in tlio .'.irmy. 
 
230 CONSCIENTIOUSNESS. 
 
 " I remain, my dear sir, faithfully yours in the bonds 
 of the gospel, "M. M. H." 
 
 He adds on this subject, Nov. 17, 1851 : — 
 
 " It was suggested to me the other day, that it would 
 be desirable that the Union should embrace the navy also. 
 Perhaps such a person as Admu-al # * * or Sir # * ♦ 
 would take up the matter. Have you thought anything 
 further of publishing the names for private circulation 
 among the members? It might tend to the advantage 
 and convenience of knowing to whom one might look for 
 Christian sympathy, when brought into contact with any 
 portion of the army or fleet. I feel sure that very many 
 Christian officers, now in the Crimea, are unknown to eacli 
 other even by name. It might be of the greates.t benefit to 
 some young Christians could they have the advantage of 
 intercourse with others like-minded.'' 
 
 Three years later he writes to Captain T ♦ * * on the 
 same subject :— 
 
 " Dover, December' 5, 1854. 
 
 " I am thankful to learn that you have as many as 300 
 names, including non-commissioned officers. It is also 
 gratifying to know that a similar Union already exists in 
 the navy. A circular at this time would be very useful 
 when the Lord's chastening is upon us as a nation." 
 
 At the request of the gentleman who was the origi- 
 nator of the Army Prayer Union, we introduce here a 
 printed statement of its objects: — 
 
AEMY PRAYER UNION — ITS OBJECTS. 231 
 
 ARMY PRAYER UNION, 
 
 FOR BOTH OFFICERS AND MEN. 
 
 " ' Again, I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as 
 touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my 
 Father which is in heaven' (Matt, xviii. 19). 
 
 " ' And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask 
 anything according to his will, he heareth us' (1 John v. 14). 
 
 " You are invited to unite on the 1st of each month specially, and 
 also every Sunday morning, with others of the Lord's people, formerly in 
 the army, or now serving at home or abroad, in either social or private 
 prayer, as may be convenient in each locality. The following objects 
 are suggested : — 
 
 " 1. That we may have a deeper sense of our own sinfulness, failure, 
 and neglect in watching unto prayer for opportunities to serve and 
 glorify our God, 
 
 " 2. That, as children of God, we may increasingly manifest our 
 union with Jesus, our risen Lord, by a life more simply devoted to His 
 service, a more Avatchful, subdued, and prayerful spirit, with greater 
 delight in His Word; more oneness with His people, and love for the 
 Bouls of others; greater self denial and victory over the world, the 
 flesh, and the devil ; and that we may energetically seek to honour and 
 use the Lord's-day. 
 
 " 3. That, in dependence on the Holy Spirit, more energy may be 
 used for the spread of the truth, as it is in Jesus, in the army; and 
 that God may be pleased to bless the efforts already made, to the con- 
 version of many, and the strengthening of those converted to stand 
 out as good soldiers of Jesus Christ. 
 
 " 4. That our hearts may be raised up in praise and thanksgiving 
 to God for His loving-kindness and long-suffering towards us, sparing 
 us till now, and giving us any desire to use those open doors of service 
 which He still graciously affords us; as well as for every measure of 
 blessing which has followed the means already used. 
 
 " 5. That we fail not to rem-mber the Queen, and all those who are 
 in positions of authority and responsibility, danger, or difficulty, as well 
 
232 CONSCIENTIOUSNESS. 
 
 as all ministers, schoolmasters, schools, hospitals, widows, wives, and 
 children connected with the service. 
 
 '* Names, 
 
 " 6. That we acknowledge with thankfulness, that within two or 
 three months of the issuing of the first edition of this paper, a Union 
 for Prayer for the Royal Navy, and another for the Corps of Royal 
 Engineers, were circulated in a similar manner to our own. The day 
 and hour fixed by the former is every Sunda}^ from 7 to 11 a.m., and 
 the latter every Monday. Within six months 300 names were recorded 
 on our list. 
 
 " Any suggestions, as well as the names and addresses, now, and 
 from time to time, of any who wish to join in this object, will be 
 thankfully received, postpaid, by Captain Trotter, late 2d Life 
 Guards. It is intended, occasionally, to communicate by way of 
 remembrance with every person who shall give an address in the 
 United Kingdom, whence letters can be forwarded if they are abroad. 
 
 " Dyrham Park, Barnet, Herts, 
 " England, June 1851." 
 
 At Chatham, as usual, Captain Hammond sought imme- 
 diate occasion for usefuhiess, and lent his zealous co-opera- 
 tion towards another institution at that time projected — 
 The Naval and Military Scripture Readers' Association : — 
 
 " The proposed Naval and Military Scripture Readers' 
 Association," he says, in a letter to an officer, " is a de- 
 lightful idea. May the Lord bring good out of it ! I 
 am strongly of opinion that it would be better to act 
 quite independently of any other existing society. If it 
 is distinctly a naval and military thing, many more sup- 
 porters may be reckoned upon than if it were connected 
 with anything else. I have written to ask W * * * if 
 he woidd not take part in such a movement." 
 
SCRIPTURE readers' ASSOCIATION. 233 
 
 And, writing again to the same officer, December 19, 
 1851;— 
 
 "I am glad you have been so successful about your 
 missions. Our income for the first year is nearly raised, 
 and a pious and altogether j^romising man is engaged for 
 tlie work, to commence operations on the 1st January. 
 He is to have £60 a-year, which, I think, is reasonable." 
 
 In connexion with this, he writes: — 
 
 " Canterbury, April 23, 1853. 
 "I wrote on behalf of the Kent Scripture Readers' 
 Association, to confirm the appointment of Mr B * * * 
 as the agent to be employed at Brompton — the parent 
 society to continue the same grant towards assisting the 
 payment of the salary as they made before, viz., £25 
 per annum/* 
 
 Yet, with his hands always employed in some useful 
 work, he still felt that he was doing too little — less than 
 he might, and less than others. " I envy those men," he 
 says, " who find time for everything, and who get through 
 all that they mean to do. I believe we might do more 
 than we have any idea of, if we are only resolved to do 
 it ; and this is true in spiritual as well as natural things. 
 The indolent Christian cannot be a faithful one. The soul 
 will and does languish, if we cease from active and self- 
 denying diligence in all things. Oh, to have the film re- 
 moved from our eyes, and to see the ruined and miser- 
 able condition of those who are without Christ; and to 
 
234? CONSCIENTIOUSNESS. 
 
 behold also the glory, the fulness, and the freeness»of 
 ft'race that there is in Jesus ! I feel how easy it is to 
 become careless and indifferent about the souls of others, 
 from a want of the realisation of these two things." 
 
 And, a very short time before, he wrote (March 3, 
 Newport) — "I send you a short letter from Rev. Mr 
 C * * *, thinking that you may find it calculated to stir 
 up and animate your heart in the great work of * pressing 
 towards the mark for the prize of your ' high calling in 
 Christ Jesus/ .... I feel ashamed and humbled at my 
 stunted growth, when one who set out long after me has 
 so outstripped me in the heavenly race. This ought not, 
 and need not to be. The fulness of Jesus is not exhausted, 
 neither are His promises limited. I feel that my spiritual 
 leanness is because of my indolence ; ' Ye have not, be- 
 cause ye ask not.' Let our motto be henceforth, ' Looking 
 unto Jesus."' 
 
 At Chatham, Captain Hammond formed, with an officer 
 of the Royal Engineers, one of those close friendships 
 which seeiAed to spring up and to cling round him wher- 
 ever his footsteps fell. This officer, recurring to that 
 happy acquaintance, says : — 
 
 "We had known each other but a very short time 
 before we became intimate friends. I have found a 
 delight in intercourse with him such as I have seldom 
 experienced; and in our rides and walks together, and 
 evenings very often spent at each other's houses, we 
 enjoyed a hearty, friendly sympathy, which I look back 
 upon as one of the greatest blessings of my life. Whilst 
 at Chatham, he was ever thinking of doing good. The 
 
USEFULNESS AT CHATHAM. 235 
 
 first scheme of usefulness lie set on foot there, was 
 a Sunday school for the children of the soldiers of the 
 garrison, which he superintended and managed, with 
 the assistance of his wife, Mrs J * * *, and other friends. 
 There was some opposition to the establishment of this 
 school; but he was not thereby discouraged in the work, 
 but continued it during the whole time he was at Chatham, 
 until ordered to Canterbury in the following year. He 
 used to have a Bible class in the week at the boys' 
 school in Chatham Barracks; and he took the greatest 
 delight in making arrangements for their school feasts, 
 making up the decorations of the room, and distributing 
 Scripture prints among them. He was, besides, instru- 
 mental in inducing several officers with their families, 
 and young officers, with two clergymen, to meet every 
 fortnight at each other's houses, for reading the Bible 
 and prayer. There was one friend of ours,, a lieutenant 
 in the * * *th, to whom he was of especial use in en- 
 lightening him with respect to his views of Christianity. 
 Mrs* * * told me in Malta, not long since, that she 
 longed to write to express her gratitude for the incal- 
 culable benefit in spiritual things that Captain Hammond 
 had, in a great measure, been the means of producing in 
 her son." 
 
 There are probably f^w persons by whom the leading 
 anniversaries of the year — such as Christmas, New Year's 
 Day, our birth-days, or other regularly recurring periods 
 — are altogether passed unheeded. We most of us cling 
 to them, with more or less observance, as marked points 
 in the passage of time— as resting-places in the journey 
 of life, where we can pause and look back, each with such 
 
236 CONSCIENTIOUSNESS. 
 
 mingled feelings as belong to our own individual selves, 
 but each, in common with the rest, looking forward with 
 some measure of hope to the future. Maxy Hammond 
 seems very constantly to have used these seasons as opjDor- 
 tunities for an interchange of thought, sympathy, encou- 
 raojement, or exhortation, with those friends with whom 
 he corresponded; and on one of these occasions he writes 
 the next two letters : — 
 
 "December 24, 1851. 
 
 "My dear Fkiend, — I cannot pass by this joyous 
 season — the eve of Christmas, and the anniversary of the 
 year — without sending you the assurances of my earnest 
 wishes and prayers for your welfare, both temporally and 
 spiritually. It is a happy recurring period of the year, 
 when our hearts seem peculiarly drawn forth towards 
 those whom we consider as our friends; and among 
 them I reckon you as one of the dearest and most 
 
 attached which my gracious God has given me 
 
 At present, let us dwell for a little on the glad tidings 
 of great joy which were at tliis time announced in the 
 song of the heavenly host, when the birth of the Babe at 
 Bethlehem was made known to the shepherds. 
 
 " Blessed be God, then, glad tidings have come to you 
 and to me ; so that we, too, may rejoice in the wondrous 
 event which we at this time commemorate. And as the 
 wise men declared that they had seen his star in the east, 
 so may we, too, be enabled to testify that the midnight 
 shadows have passed away ; that the day has dawned, and 
 that the day-star has arisen up in our darkened and foolish 
 hearts. Yes, my dear brother, I would wish you a meiiy 
 
THE GLAD TIDINGS. 237 
 
 Christmas, not in the worldly sense which is used to 
 desecrate this holy season, and to dishonour Him whom 
 we profess to remember, but in a sense of a holy rejoicing 
 in the blessed fact which is revealed to us in the gospel, 
 that iinto its a chikl is born, unto us a son is given, whose 
 name is called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, 
 The everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. And since 
 He came into the flesh, and endured a life of suffering 
 such as none other ever underwent, until He finally ended 
 it by becoming obedient unto death, even the death of the • 
 cross, for our si7is, we may at this season look forward 
 with humble, yet joyful hope to the period of His second 
 coming, when He will gather His elect from the four 
 corners of the earth, and shall give them a name and a 
 place better than of sons and of daughters in the kingdom 
 above. This is that blessed hope which, if more fully 
 realised and more habitually meditated upon, would afford 
 comfort in sorrow, support in trial, strength in weakness, 
 and soberness in prosperity. 
 
 " * " The Lord is at hand. " Then, sorrowing believer, lift 
 up your head, for your redemption draweth nigh; you 
 shall soon reach the place where sorrow and sighing 
 shall for ever flee away, and where God will wipe away all 
 tears from off all faces. '* The Lord is at hand." Then, 
 tried and afflicted believer, rejoice that the period has 
 arrived when it will be seen that your light affliction, 
 which was but for a moment, has been working out for 
 you a more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. " The 
 Lord is at hand.'' Then, weak and fainting believer, take 
 courage. The fight is over, the conflict done with; the 
 world, self, and Satan overcome ; the shout of victory is 
 
£33 CCNiSClENTIUOSNESS. 
 
 already heard, and you will soon be numbered with those 
 who came out of great tribulation, but who are now arrayed 
 in white linen, with palms in their hands. " The Lord is 
 at hand." Then let your moderation be known to all men, 
 believer ! if tempted by prosperity, if satisfied by thy 
 earthly rest.*' I hope to be enabled to pour out my heart 
 in prayer for you at this time, and I know I need not ask 
 you to do the same for me; nor need I remind you how 
 deeply I need your prayers, for my wants and my short- 
 comings are enough to exhaust the patience of the God of 
 patience Himself, did we not know that His compassions 
 fail not, and that He hateth putting away. I know some 
 of your trials, and, therefore, I would ask that you may 
 find repose in resting your soul on the faithfulness of your 
 covenant God, that you may find that it is indeed — 
 * Sweet to be passive in His hands, 
 And know no will but His.' 
 May Jesus be felt by you as all-sufficient, whatever trials 
 you may be called to endure ! May His grace be found 
 sufficient and His presence a full compensation for the 
 loss of earthly comforts! I cannot ask more for you than 
 to turn Phil. iii. 1 into prayer, and to pray that you may 
 know Christ in the power of His resurrection and the 
 fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable to 
 His death. 
 
 " And now, let me tell you some of my manifold wants 
 and deficiencies, that you may act accordingly. More 
 love to God, more realising faith, more of the spirit of 
 prayer, more self-denial, more faithfulness in confessing 
 Christ before men, and more zeal to promote the glory of 
 
 * This piissaye appears to have been quoted from a published tract. 
 
LETTER ON CHRISTMAS-DAY. 239: 
 
 God. How sad it is that at the close of a year, or at the 
 close of a single day, we should find that our resolutions 
 have been so seldom fulfilled, and our progress heaven- 
 ward so slow! I often think of these lines in Keble's 
 •Morning Hymn' — 
 
 ' Lord, teach us this, and every day 
 To live more nearly as we pray.' 
 How much I long to see you again in the flesh; but the 
 prospect of doing so seems very remote. Perhaps we may 
 not be permitted to meet until we reach the heavenly city, 
 and tread the streets of gold together. But how glorious 
 will that meeting be, when we shall have done with sin, 
 and when these vile and perishable bodies shall have been 
 made like unto Christ's glorious body. Oh ! to be enabled 
 to say with Paul, ' I have a desire to depart and be with 
 Christ.' If this desire is faint and difficult to trace, alas, 
 I often feel it must be because communion with Him on 
 earth is so little cultivated. The soul that lives nearest to 
 
 Him will long most to be with Him where He is 
 
 " What a state France is in ! Who can tell what may 
 come of all that has happened? It is our comfort and 
 our happiness to know that ' the Lord reigneth.' Every 
 Christian ought to be upon his watch-tower, that so he 
 may be prepared to meet any storm that may arise. What 
 a memorable night was that, when the first coming of 
 Jesus was announced to the shepherds keeping watch over 
 their flocks. It may be that the cry, ' Behold, the bride- 
 groom cometh,' will be also raised at midnight — may we 
 be found, like the shepherds, watching likewise. — With 
 much love, believe me, most affectionately yours in the 
 Lord, M. M. H.' 
 
24.0 CONSCIENTIOUSNESS. 
 
 " My very dear Friend, — ' Grace to yon, and peace 
 from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.' 
 I cannot let the old year pass away, and the new year 
 arrive, without sending you a word or two of greetin.1^. 
 We thought of you on Christmas-day, and felt peculiar 
 pleasure in calling to remembrance the happy evening we 
 spent together a year ago, w^hen we sang together, ' Glory 
 to the new-born king/ How hallowed is the recollection 
 of such intercourse, and how different from that of the 
 world. If the soul is indeed alive and near to God, how 
 bright and pleasant are even earthly scenes, when sancti- 
 fied by the Word of God and prayer. The passing away 
 of the old year seems a peculiarly solemn season ; remind- 
 ing us of broken vows, lost opportunities, and neglected 
 privileges. Oh ! what could we do if the Lord were 
 extreme to mark iniquities. But blessed be His name ! 
 He is a God who delighteth in mercy, and it is our un- 
 speakable comfort to know that the fountain for sin and 
 uncleanness is ever open, ever full, ever fresh. God grant 
 that the coming year may find us growing in grace, culti- 
 vating holiness of heart and life, and constantly striving 
 to attain to that spirituality of mind which is life and 
 peace. I feel that the spring and secret of growth lies in 
 communion with God in prayer, and we shall be found 
 advancing or declining just as we are diligent or remiss in 
 this holy exercise. I feel how sadly I come short in this 
 respect myself, and I know that this is the cause why my 
 soul so often cleaves to the dust. Let us pray one for 
 another, that we may stand perfect and complete, lacking 
 nothing. — With our united Christian love, believe me 
 ever your affectionate friend, M. M. H." 
 
EFFECTUAL WORKING OF A TRACT. 241 
 
 Perhaps in connexion with the subject of special seasons, 
 whether of Christian joy or humiliation, it may not be 
 out of place to mention one circumstance relating to Cap- 
 tain Hammond's private practice and habits. Very jealous 
 as he was of anything approaching to substitution of out- 
 ward ordinances for spiritual religion and the vital energy 
 of the heart, yet he did not undervalue, nay, highly 
 esteemed, every ordinance rightly regarded. And in this 
 light he occcasionally used fasting as a means of gi-ace, 
 with prayer. He thought it beneficial to the Christian on 
 particular occasions, when he desired especially to call his 
 sins to remembrance, and to humble himself before God. 
 
 The next letter, to a friend who had been ordered away, 
 is remarkable as an instance of the direct and effectual 
 working of a tract : — 
 
 "Chatham, Maoxh 22, 1852. 
 
 " My dear Friend, — . . . You have left many friends 
 behind who lament you. But this must be the way of 
 our pilgrim life. Our tent is pitched for a little time, and 
 then we remove it again to some other place. Sweet is 
 the assurance of our covenant God. ' My presence shall 
 go with thee, and I will give thee rest' (Ex. xxxiii. 14). 
 May our rest ever be found in abiding in Jesus : looking 
 unto Him we may be assured that He will be to us as a 
 cloudy pillar by day and of fire by night, to guide and 
 protect us by His providence, until at length He conducts 
 us to the perfect rest above. . . . 
 
 " The reading of Ryle's Tract on the Cross made a deep 
 impression upon * * *. The Thursday following I re- 
 ceived a note from him asking for another tract. * I have 
 
 Q 
 
242 CONSCIENTIOUSNESS. 
 
 to thank you much/ he says, ' for having put it in my 
 way. Your reading, I firmly believe, kindled a new light 
 in me ; and has, through God, I fervently trust, saved me 
 from falling into an error of which I was, until then, really 
 unconscious, I mean the sin of Unitarianism : for I cannot 
 now conceal from myself the painful fact, that hitherto I have 
 been more a nominal than a real Christian, praying to God 
 Almighty, but not leaning for support on Christ.' I know 
 
 you will feel deeply interested in such glad tidings 
 
 I purpose asking him to join our Thursday evening parties. 
 . . . May the Lord the Spirit abundantly bless you, and 
 make you faithful in every good word and work ! — Yours 
 ever in the best of bonds. M. M. H." 
 
 From Portsmouth Captain Hammond replies to a friend, 
 who had requested him to become sponsor to his child : — 
 
 " My deak Pkiend, — Let me say how much I felt your 
 affection in wishing me to be one of the sponsors to your 
 little son, and with what true pleasure it gives me to be 
 able to accept this responsible trust. ... I feel deeply 
 humbled under the consciousness of my utter unworthiness. 
 Indeed you little know the vileness and depravity of my 
 heart, and how hard it is to keep the flame of spiritual life 
 aKve in my soul. But it is our unspeakable comfort to 
 know, that while we dare not presume to come before the 
 Lord trusting in our own righteousness, we have an advo- 
 cate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; whose 
 blood can cleanse the iniquity of our holy things, and who is 
 ever at the right hand of God to present our vile sacrifices, 
 thro\igh the sweet incense of his own righteousness and 
 
THE OFFICE OF A SPONSOR. 243 
 
 intercession. This blessed assurance emboldens me to 
 undertake the office; and I pray God that I may have 
 grace in fulfilHng it, and that I may be preserved from 
 sinning against the Lord in ceasing to pray for him. May 
 He indeed number your little one among His jewels, and 
 give him a name and a place better than of sons and of 
 daughters, by writing upon him his new name, and sealing 
 him as His own from his earliest days.'' 
 
 In the same letter, alluding to some afflictive dispensa- 
 tion that had befallen some friends at Toronto, he says : — 
 
 " How deeply afflicted that family have been ! Wave 
 after wave has fallen upon them, and were it not that we 
 know that the Judge of all the earth cannot err, we might 
 be tempted to think that He dealt too severely. We 
 must wait until we land upon the shore where tears shall 
 be wiped away from all faces, and where we shall know 
 even as we are known, before we can understand the 
 mysteries of all His providential dealings." 
 
 The next letter is to his youngest brother, who had 
 now entered the ministry : — 
 
 " Canterbury, June 8, 1853. 
 
 " My dear H * * *, — By this time you will 
 
 be getting accustomed to the new duties and new mode 
 of life in which you have entered; for, although you have 
 been prepaiing for this work for months, and even for 
 years past, and have, to some extent, been engaged in the 
 kind of work which now occupies you, yet it is a different 
 
244 CONSCIENTIOUSNESS. 
 
 thing really to enter upon the work of a minister of 
 Christ — the most blessed and the most arduous which 
 can enofao^e a man. And who is sufficient for these 
 things ? You, indeed, are not. But, blessed be God, your 
 sufficiency is of God; and His grace shall be sufficient 
 to you in every time of need. We thought of and prayed 
 for you on Sunday, as you were, for the first time, pub- 
 licly lifting up your voice as an ambassador of Christ, and 
 witnessing for Him to perishing sinners. I long to hear 
 how you got through; though I doubt not the Lord stood 
 by and strengthened you. It must be indeed difficult, 
 perhaps impossible, to human nature, on such occasions, 
 80 far to forget self as to desire only the glory of God, 
 and that His word might be blessed in the souls of the 
 hearers — we are so much more prone to seek to please 
 men, than God who trieth the hearts. May the Lord 
 Almighty, by His Spirit, keep you humble and prayerful ; 
 enabling you at all times to remember that you are but 
 the earthen vessel, the instrument ; that you can neither 
 supply yourself with oil, nor communicate eflfectually to 
 others,, without the vital energy of the Holy Ghost. How 
 different are our callings in life ! I am sure we are both 
 rightly placed, and that we may both live and die to His 
 glory, if only we possess a single eye and an undivided 
 
 heart May you be endued with the manifold gifts 
 
 and graces of the Spirit, and be made wise to win souls 
 to Christ 1 We expect to move into camp on Tuesday. — 
 Ever, &c., M. M. H." 
 
 In the autumn of 1852, the whole battalion returned 
 from Canada, and Maxy Hammond was ordered from the 
 
EETUEN OF THE BATTALION FROM CANADA. 245 
 
 depot at Chatham to join the head-quarters at Canter- 
 bury. His delight at re-joining his own company was 
 fully reciprocated by his men, who greeted him with re- 
 peated and prolonged cheers in a manner most impres- 
 sive, and strongly exhibiting the estimation in which they 
 held him. Those who were about him at this time were 
 specially struck by the depth of his interest in the good 
 behaviour and welfare of his company. On one occasion, 
 when a non-commissioned officer of high responsibility 
 had been guilty of grave misconduct, Maxy Hammond's 
 distress was extreme. One who knew him best described 
 his grief at that occurrence as acute, and that he seemed 
 to feel it as keenly as if a family affliction had befallen 
 him. At this time the colonel of the regiment gave him 
 the entire charge of both the week-day and Sunday schools. 
 He had also charge of the band, and took great pains 
 with the buglers, always speaking of them as " his boys." 
 He induced them to attend the Sunday school, by getting 
 up for them a class in a separate room, that their dignity 
 might not be offended by being classed with the rest. 
 
 While he was at Canterbury, in the spring of 1853, he 
 employed himself in getting up lectures for the men on 
 general subjects; and he wrote, and prepared maps for 
 this purpose, "on the Opening of the Peninsular Cam- 
 paigns of 1812, including the Battle of Salamanca.'^ To 
 the preparation of this lecture he gave infinite pains, yet 
 he never delivered it, being prevented by a temporary 
 indisposition. The lecture concludes thus:— 
 
 "Surely we cannot fail to have been struck with the 
 daring intrepidity, tlie cool bravery, and the patient en- 
 
246 CONSCIENTIOUSNESS. 
 
 durance of tlie British soldier in the history of these 
 campaigns. In the surprise of Ahnaraz, we have seen 
 what resoiuuun and valour can efi'ect in the face of almost 
 insuperable difficulties; and, in the operations around 
 Salamanca, we have seen that the skill and prudence of the 
 general, and the quickness and the steadiness of his 
 troops, completely baffled the designs of one of Napoleon's 
 commanders. Surely, as soldiers, we may learn many 
 lessons from our ofallant comrades who fouo^ht Eno;land's 
 battles in years gone by. That generation has passed 
 away, but they have left behind them the records of their 
 gallantry in many a hard-fought field. If our turn should 
 come (and who shall say that it will not come ?) to fight 
 for our Queen and country, let it be our fixed determina- 
 tion to equal the Peninsular veterans in steadiness and 
 bravery before the enemy; and let us hope and pray that 
 the British army may be as distinguished for its steadi- 
 ness of conduct and its high tone of morality, as it ever 
 has been for its gallantry in the field." 
 
 " To do all to the glory of Grod," was the principle that 
 pervaded Maxy Hammond's life, and influenced all his 
 habits. Hence many occupations, to which he was by 
 nature rather disinclined than otherwise, were at once 
 seen in a new light, and adopted with the pleasure which 
 accompanies the performance of a duty. He was not 
 naturally studious, nor even fond of any kind of reading : 
 yet, obeying the precept, " Whatsoever thy hand findeth 
 to do, do it with all thy might," he studied with much 
 attention books of a professional character. So, from the 
 
INTEREST IN HIS PROFESSION. 247 
 
 same feeling, he kept up and increased the elementary 
 knowledge of military surveying which he had acquired 
 at Sandhurst; and, while he was quartered at Canterbury, 
 he made a careful military survey of the adjacent district. 
 He had a very decided taste, however, for the practical 
 part of his profession, both in the details of its internal 
 economy, and in the work of the regiment in the field. 
 When the Rifles were at Canterbury, a sham fight was 
 projected, and came off in a neighbouring park. The 
 Eifle Battalion was formed into two divisions — one, of 
 course, representing the enemy — with three squadrons of 
 the Carbiniers, and a troop of horse artillery acting in 
 combination and support. The ground was well adapted 
 for one of those mimic actions with which we have be- 
 come familiar, both at Chobham and at Aldershott ; and 
 the writer well remembers the thorough spirit of enjoy- 
 ment with which Captain Hammond entered into the 
 arrangement of the programme, and its subsequent exe- 
 cution. 
 
 During the summer of 1853, his eldest child was born 
 — an event of no little happiness and cause for thankful- 
 ness to him. 
 
 " Our precious child,'' he says, in a letter to a friend, 
 "was baptized yesterday (Sunday); the service was im- 
 pressively performed by my brother E * * *; and we 
 may hope and believe that the blessing of the Most High 
 accompanied the outward sign. She is named ' Nina 
 Charlotte.' 
 
 "By the bye," he adds, when writing to a friend iu 
 
248 CONSCIENTIOUSNESS. 
 
 Canada, " I don't tliink I have written to you since the 
 birth of our little one. She is now more than four 
 months old, and is a dear little thing, a precious gift from 
 the Lord, lent to us by Him, to be trained up for Him, 
 and, we trust, to be His to all eternity." 
 
 The remaining months of 1853 were passed quietly 
 enough in camp at Chobham ; and, at the close of the 
 autumn, the 2d battalion of the Rifles was ordered to 
 Portsmouth. 
 
 It was in the beginning of the year 1853 that a little 
 cloud arose in the East, by many scarcely heeded, as soon 
 to pass away, but whose dark folds, drifting heavily over 
 the Euxine, burst forth at last in a peal of thunder upon 
 the Danube. Before May, the Cossacks of the Don and 
 the Oural were in movement. Gortschakoff" crossed the 
 Pruth, and occupied Wallachia wdth a powerful army, and 
 Europe was roused from her long slumber of peace by the 
 cannon of Oltenitza, In England, our troops were startled 
 in the midst of sham-fights and field-days upon the Chob- 
 ham heather, by the prospect of actual warfare. To us, 
 who calmly and sadly review the speculative excitements 
 of that period, how charged with mournful thoughts, yet 
 how full of sweet comfort, are the closing sentences of this 
 letter of December ! 
 
 " The opening of the new year is very dark and threat- 
 ening. I should tremble, in looking forward, were it not 
 that I know that the Lord reigneth. Humanly speaking, 
 there is now little probability of escaping a terrible war. 
 
PKOSPECT OF WAR. 249 
 
 If SO, I may never see the close of 1854 ! But what a 
 peace-giving consideration is it, that all events shall issue 
 in the furtherance of God's purposes for His own glory, 
 and the glory of His Church ! And I humbly hope that, 
 come life or come death, I may lay claim to the promises 
 of my covenant-God, and may be assured that nothing 
 will separate me from His love in Christ Jesus." 
 
250 THE BULGAEIAN OAJVIPAIGN. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 ** And there was mustering in hot haste ; the steed. 
 
 The glittering squadron, and the clattering car, 
 
 Went pouring forward with impetuous speed. 
 
 And swiftly forming in the ranks of war ; 
 
 And the deep thunder peal on peal afar. 
 
 And near the beat of the alarming drum, 
 
 Roused up the soldier ere the morning star ; 
 
 While throng'd the citizens with terror dumb, 
 Or whispered with white lips, * The foe— they come ! th^y come.*" 
 
 In the spring of 1854 all hope that a war might be 
 avoided was at an end ; and early in February several 
 regiments received orders to hold themselves in readiness 
 for embarkation for foreign service. Among the first 
 which received orders was the 2d battalion of the Eifle 
 Brigade, On the 16th of February 1854, Captain Ham- 
 mond writes to his mother from Portsmouth : — 
 
 ''February 16, 1854. 
 
 "My deaeest Mothek, — I had scarcely reached the 
 
 barracks before a message arrived from the captain of the 
 
 Vulcan steamer, to say that he had just received orders to 
 
 embark the Rifle Brigade, and to sail for Malta on the 24th, 
 
ORDEKS FOE EMBAEKATIOIs. 251 
 
 SO we shall be off sooner than we expected. It seems 
 extremely doubtful whether the troops will disembark at 
 Malta at all. The general impression seems to be that 
 they will only rendezvous there, and proceed together at 
 
 once to Turkey 
 
 " We are not allowed to take any boxes with us, and 
 our baggage is not to be more than can be carried on the 
 back of a mule, i.e., a couple of trunks. I think of get- 
 ting, for this purpose, a pair of bullock-trunks, such as they 
 
 use in India. I have got everything necessary 
 
 I got a telescope at Harris's ; an excellent field-glass. I 
 shall wish, when I use it, that it could give me a long sight 
 of your much loved faces and of the dear old home which 
 I have left behind me. But I see you all with the eye of 
 the mind; and I delight to think that our spirits will often 
 be together, when we bend before the throne of grace, and 
 pour out our prayers for each other's welfare. God grant 
 that these separations in time may lead us to long and 
 look for that better inheritance which is above. Pray for 
 me, dearest mother, and all of you, that my faith may not 
 fail; that whatever scenes may be before me, I may so live 
 in the love and fear of God, that I may ever glorify His 
 holy name, and may bear witness for Him before my 
 fellow-men. — With fondest love to all, ever your most 
 affectionate, 
 
 *' M. M. H." 
 
 Essentially a soldier, an ardent and intelligent lover of 
 his profession. Captain Hammond would have hailed with 
 an interest, second to none, the prospects of an actual 
 campaign, had no other stake than his own })een risked 
 
252 THE BULGARIAN CAMPAIGN. 
 
 by the claims of war. But there were thoughts at such a 
 time, that repressed the throb of pride, which may law- 
 fully rise in a soldier's breast when ordered to take the 
 field. The desolate wife, the sweet unconscious child, the 
 broken-up home; these might well bring sadness to his 
 heart. Yet, in such trials — for who can doubt ho^u sore 
 such trials were to such a nature? — he knew where to look 
 for support — " Thou shalt keep him in perfect peace whose 
 mind is stayed upon thee, because he trusteth in thee." 
 To this approaching separation he alludes often. 
 
 To his father, he says: — 
 
 " The trial is a bitter one, but we are silenced, in remem- 
 bering that it is the will of that tender and loving Saviour, 
 who has said that ' the very hairs of our head are all num- 
 bered.'" 
 
 And to another friend, he writes : — 
 
 "13 Portland Terrace, Southsea, 
 February 20, 1854, 
 " It is indeed quite true that we are to sail in a few 
 
 days to the East How true it is that we know not 
 
 what a day may bring forth. I feel your sympathy. It 
 is indeed a heavy trial, to have to separate for an indefinite 
 time from wife and child, it may be never to return. But, 
 blessed be God, we know that ' if the earthly house of this 
 tabernacle be dissolved, we have a building of God, an 
 house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.' Oh ! 
 how infinite is that grace and mercy, which plucked you 
 and me as brands from the burning, and which has given 
 
THE PATH OF DUTY ONE OF SAFETY. 253 
 
 US a good hope through Him who died for sinners, even 
 the chief. In this hope and confidence I go forth, leaving 
 all in His hands, praying only that I may glorify Him in 
 my body and my spirit, which are His, under all circum- 
 stances and in all positions. 
 
 "Farewell, my very dear and faithful friend. — With 
 Christian love to your dear wife from us both, your affec- 
 tionate in the Lord Jesus, M. M. H/' 
 
 To his mother, he says : — 
 
 " Oh how precious are the consolations and hopes of the 
 gospel, at such a time as the present when the heart- 
 strings of natural affection are so violently wrenched, and 
 the future looks dark and boding ! I trust we can all say, 
 *It is well.' I feel that it is so, dearest mother; for I 
 know that the path of duty is one of safety. I go away 
 in the hope of a safe return, if the Lord will ; but let us 
 all long and look for that union above where we shall see 
 Christ as He is, and be made like unto Him. God has 
 been very gracious to me. I never enjoyed more perfect 
 peace or rest of mind than at this present time. To Him 
 only be the praise." 
 
 On the 27th of February, the 2d battalion of the Rifle 
 Brigade embarked at Portsmouth, and on the 2d of March 
 he writes to his wife : — 
 
 "Off Lisbon. — Thus far has the Lord graciously brought 
 
 us We left the dockyard very shortly after I got 
 
 down to the vessel, and steamed out to Spithead, taking 
 Avith us * * * and * * * who were unable to get from 
 the vessel to the wharf, before they discovered that the 
 
2")1« THE BULGARIAN CAMPAIGN. 
 
 ship was under weigh. At Spithead, we waited till the 
 powder was on board, and then up anchor and away, 
 taking the Needles passage to sea. I felt thankful that 
 you were not there ; and I found comfort in commending 
 you and our sweet little Nina to our one God and Eather. 
 Oh ! may this trial lead us both nearer to Himself, and 
 teach us to seek our happiness, not so much in the creature 
 as I feel that I have done — ^but in Him who is our Re- 
 deemer, God over all, blessed for evermore. I know I 
 shall hear that you have been sustained and comforted. 
 This makes me happy in thinking of you ; and in knowing 
 that to us both this shall turn to our salvation, through 
 our prayers, and the sufficiency of the Spirit of Christ. 
 
 " My miseries commenced soon after we left the Needles; 
 and the roll of the Atlantic began to be felt, and increased 
 as we crossed the Bay of Biscay, but the wind was fair, and 
 we soon reached the coast of Portugal. We expect to 
 pass Gibraltar on Saturday, and if all goes well, to reach 
 Malta about the end of next week. I never before felt so 
 well at sea. 
 
 " Monday the 6th, off the coast of Barhary. — Here we 
 are in the Mediterranean, and in sight of the bold outline 
 of mountains which run along the coast of Africa. The 
 wind changed before we reached Gibraltar, and so retarded 
 us, that instead of reaching * the Gut ' early on Saturday, 
 we did not come abreast of the Rock till midnight. When 
 it came, we saw no more than the dark outline. AVe had, 
 however, a fine view of the beautiful coast before entering 
 the strait, including Cadiz, and the Bay and Cape of Tra- 
 falgar, and passed over the spot where the action was 
 fought. Here we hailed a Spanish fishing-boat. The 
 
THE SPANISH COAST. 255 
 
 picturesque crew, who were hauling up small fish as fast as 
 they could throw in their lines, were so intent on their own 
 business, that they seemed hardly to notice the monstrous 
 ship, with its armed freight, which almost ran them down. 
 
 " Yesterday we skirted the coast of Sj)ain with the wind 
 in our teeth, and had a glorious view of the snow-clad 
 
 peaks of the Sierra Nevada high up in the clouds 
 
 The wind still a-head ; but we are steaming against it. 
 Yesterday we could make nothing against it ; so that the 
 captain let the fires out, and beat up against it under 
 double reefed topsails. I enjoyed seeing them take in the 
 reefs, and work the ship ; but it was too rough to be com- 
 fortable." 
 
 " Tuesday, off the coast of Algiers. — We have had a 
 lovely sail to-day in close view of this lonely and desolate 
 coast. The mountains rise to a considerable height and 
 seem covered with a low brushwood. We saw a village 
 this morning. The whole country looks arid and un- 
 productive, and not likely to contain any population. 
 B * # * is lono-inoj to be on shore to hunt the lions, 
 which, no doubt, are to be found in those barren hills. I 
 must say I feel with him a much stronger desire to shoot 
 an Algerian lion than a hundred Eussians." 
 
 " Thursday evening, off Tunis. — Two days have passed 
 since I wrote last. It will not make you sad, I hope, to 
 tell you that you are never away from my thoughts. 
 Each day I feel more keenly the reality of our separa- 
 tion ; but let not one murmur, or one hard thought of the 
 tenderness of our heavenly Father, be harboured in our 
 hearts. Let this word of Jesus suffice us — ' The cup that 
 my Father gives me to drink, shall I not drink it?' 
 
256 THE BULGARIAN CAMPAIGN. 
 
 When my heart is overwhelmed within me, then I long to 
 look to the 'Eock that is higher than 1/ . . . . Just after 
 I wrote yesterday, we descried huts, and people ploughing 
 with oxen some miles farther, within view of a town 
 (Tennery), built on a flat rock, about 100 feet above 
 the sea. The houses were white; and, with the back- 
 ground of noble hills, some thousands of feet high, and 
 the fine bluff, which forms the headland of the cape, 
 the scene was beautiful We hoisted an ensign as we 
 approached, and were answered by the tricolor of the 
 
 French As the sun rose yesterday, we came 
 
 within view of Algiers, but at such a distance that we 
 
 could only get a general idea In the afternoon 
 
 we sighted, and presently passed between, the Rock 
 Islands of Galita, which rise abruptly to the height of 
 1200 feet. Fifteen miles to the south of this spot, the 
 Avenger, steam-frigate, struck a sunken rock, in a dark 
 night, blowing a gale, and all hands but six perished. 
 This was in 1848. We expect to reach Malta on 
 Saturday morning 
 
 " How often have I longed to have you at my side, to 
 enjoy all this lovely scenery with me, and to trace out, 
 with me, the glorious works of our Creator and Redeemer. 
 
 "Malta Harbour, Saturday morning, 11 tk — Here we 
 are arrived alongside the dockyard. We know nothing 
 yet of our plans until Lord Raglan arrives. 
 
 "God bless and keep you." 
 
 The next letter was written, from on board the Vulcan, 
 to an old brother officer, who had been one of Captain 
 Hammond's most intimate companions, when they were 
 
THE TEEMENDOUS REALITY OF RELIGION. 257 
 
 both young subalterns in the Rifles. The letter is intro- 
 duced here, as illustrating Maxy Hammond's faithfulness, 
 both to his Master and to his friend. For some years 
 past their intercourse had been quite broken off. The 
 oflicer in question had retired from the service. But when 
 an accidental circumstance led to a correspondence, Maxy 
 Hammond avails himself instantly of the opportunity of 
 urging upon his friend, with no less delicacy than earnest- 
 ness, the acceptance of that free oiSer which had brought 
 such settled peace to his own soul. Reverting to the war, 
 and to their present expedition, he says : — 
 
 " I must say I have no desire for bloodshed, and should 
 be glad enough to be sent back again in peace to my wife 
 and home. But these things are in higher hands than 
 ours; and it is a matter of unspeakable comfort to feel 
 that we have a Father in heaven, under whose protection 
 and guidance all must be well. You and I have expe- 
 rienced great mercies at the hand of God. It is a solemn 
 question to ask ourselves. What effect have these mercies 
 produced in our hearts? Forgive me for asking you 
 whether you have found pardon and peace through the 
 cross of Christ. If you have not, delay no longer to cast 
 yourself upon Him for salvation, and remember that He is 
 able to save to the uttermost those who come to Him. I 
 would entreat you, my dear friend, to remember what a 
 tremendous reality religion is — a reality upon which hangs 
 our destiny for eternity. As far as I have practised it 
 for the last nine or ten years, I have experienced its 
 blessedness under all the changing circumstances of life; 
 and it is that wlvicli induces me now to press the sub- 
 
 K 
 
258 THE BULGARIAN CAMPAIGN. 
 
 ject on you. That you, too, may experience the peace 
 and happiness of Christ's service, is the earnest prayer 
 of your sincere friend, M. M. Hammond." 
 
 To his wife: — 
 
 " Malta, March 15. 
 
 "I must write you a few words of love, and tell 
 you how happy I was made, on Monday evening, by 
 the receipt of your precious letter. Tears of mingled 
 joy and sorrow coursed freely down my cheek. I could 
 not but rejoice and bless my God for the calm and 
 contented spirit in which you write. I do earnestly pray 
 for you; and I know that you will pray for me; but 
 whatever may befall either of us, may we be enabled to 
 say, heartily and unreservedly, ' Thy will be done.' This 
 spirit will glorify Jesus. My dearest wife, pray for me, 
 that my lamp may be kept trimmed ; and, amidst all ex- 
 citements and earthward tendencies, that it may burn 
 brightly, receiving new supplies of grace each day and 
 
 hour I am sure that you are right in asking and 
 
 expecting that the Lord, in His mercy, will bring me back 
 again to you in peace, provided that you are willing that 
 He should give or withhold this blessing as it seems good 
 to Him. 'Be careful for nothing; but, in everything 
 with prayer and supplication, let your requests be made 
 known unto God.' How I long to see again that darling 
 little Nina. I love to think of her, and to recall her 
 bright face ; and I often thank God that He has given you 
 this precious child to cheer and gladden your heart. . . . 
 
 " The prevailing opinion seems to be, that we shall not 
 mo\'e froM here until the cavalry comes up, wliich may 
 
MALTA. 259 
 
 not be before the beginning of next month, and then we 
 are quite ignorant of our destination — whether Constanti- 
 nople, the Bay of Enos, or Adrianople. There seems to 
 be little hope of a pacific arrangement. If we are to 
 be plunged into war, we may pray, 'Bless Thou our 
 sword ' in going forth to maintain the cause of right 
 against might. And surely we may hope that the Lord 
 will be on our side in the contest, though He may 
 justly chasten us for our many national and individual 
 sins." .... 
 
 From Malta, March 16th, to his father : — 
 
 " My deaeest Fathee, — ... We reached this island 
 early on the 11th. Before breakfast we all turned out to 
 have a look at our destination. The scene, to me, 
 was most curious and novel. The island, generally speak- 
 ing, is low ; the highest part being at the opposite side 
 to this (Valetta). The ground, however, is much undu- 
 lated, and covered with stone walls, enclosing fields of 
 luxuriant growth, wherever there is any earth on which 
 vegetation may take root. There is no natural soil in the 
 whole island ; but almost every spot is cultivated, the earth 
 being conveyed in vessels from Sicily and elsewhere. It 
 is said that the knights of Malta allowed no vessel to 
 come into the harbour without paying the dues in soil. 
 As we approached, we passed fleets of fishing boats ; .ind 
 very picturesque they were, with their high bows and 
 sterns, and swarthy occupants, busily engaged in putting 
 out their nets, or throwing in their lines. Here, too, we 
 saw the pretty latteen-rigged boats; some of them running 
 
260 THE BULGAEIAN CAMPAIGN. 
 
 before the scanty breeze, with such a crowd of canvass, 
 that I could not have conceived it possible. This sketch, 
 enclosed, will give you some idea of the shape of the har- 
 bour, and situation of the different towns. Here are 
 boats innumerable, to convey you from one part of the town 
 to another, with two men to pull you, an awning to cover you 
 from rain, and a lantern at night, for which you pay 2d.'' 
 
 " Our ship went straight to the dock-yard ; and the 
 men walked on shore after their dinner, and took up their 
 quarters in the rope-walk, a piece of matting and a straw 
 mattress with a blanket being provided for each man. 
 Our quarters are in a battery immediately above the men. 
 We are provided with nothing but the bare walls, ceiling, 
 and stone floor. As we waited to go on shore, numbers 
 of boats pulled off to the ship, laden with provisions, 
 oranges, dates, figs, eggs, cigars, &c. Among the rest 
 was a diver, who was glad enough to plunge in for a 
 penny, and immediately to bring it up. 
 
 " We have established ourselves pretty comfortably, as 
 we divided ourselves in small messes of three or four, 
 drawing and making our servants cook our rations. I 
 am in mess with the Colonel, I * * *, and R * * *. Our 
 dinner generally consists of broil and stew, sometimes 
 varied by a mutton-chop, and occasionally fish. I assure 
 you we eat it with as much gusto as if we were sitting 
 down to an array of French side-dishes, and perhaps 
 enjoy it really much more. Those who are more parti- 
 cular about their food, and don't mind paying for it, go 
 to the hotels ; but we prefer the cheap-and-easy system, 
 and it is more in keeping mth our present mode of life; 
 besides that, it is excellent practice for our servants, 
 
TOWN AND ISLAND OF MALTA. 261 
 
 before they may have to cook and forage for us in the 
 field 
 
 " The appearance of the streets is truly picturesque. 
 There are the various costumes — Maltese, Turkish, Alba- 
 nian, Egyptian, Arabian, and Nubian; swarms of priests 
 and Jesuits, and friars of orders gray; and in contrast 
 with all these are the Europeans and red-coated English 
 soldiers, who crowd the wine-shops and fill the streets. 
 
 " The barley is now in ear, and the beans full-grown. 
 The people feed their cattle with green wheat fodder, and 
 get three growths in the year. The fig, palm, date, and 
 lotus and cactus, seem the chief trees of the island. The 
 cactuses look very singular : whole gardens are filled with 
 them. They grow to a height of ten or twelve feet, and 
 their thick fleshy leaves measure six or eight inches in 
 diameter. The fields are irrigated by small aqueducts, 
 the water being brought from the numerous rain-tank>i 
 which abound throughout the island. The wild-flowers 
 are very pretty, and I hope to preserve some for M * * *. 
 The mules and asses are very fine. They tell me that in 
 Gozo you can find asses sixteen hands high; and there 
 are some very fine ones in Malta. The price of a first- 
 rate mule now is from £25 to ^^30. 
 
 " Popery is, as you know, rampant in this place. The 
 churches are very numerous : that of the Old Knights of 
 St John is a very handsome building. From morning to 
 night the bells do not cease to ring; and wretched bells 
 they are. They are so superstitious as to ring them all 
 if a thunder-storm approaches, to keep ofl" the lightning. 
 In all the gates there are pictures or images of the Virgin 
 or some patron saints. The other day I saw an image of 
 
262 rTHE BULGARIAN CAMPAIGN. 
 
 some saint with a gridiron by his side, and with a notice 
 underneath, that an indulgence of forty days would be 
 given to any person who would repeat an ave and a pater- 
 noster before him. Oh, that the people of England could 
 see and know what Popery is in its full development as 
 here !....! must say farewell. — With best love to you 
 all, your affectionate son, M. M. H." 
 
 To his wife : — 
 
 "March 25, 1854 
 
 . . . . " We are to embark on board the Golden Fleece 
 on Wednesday, so as to be ready to sail when Sir G. 
 Brown arrives. There are no other troops going at pre- 
 sent but 200 Sappers. It is believed that our destina- 
 tion is Gallipoli, and that we are going with the Sappers 
 to prepare the encampment for the army. .... It is 
 better for the men to get fairly into the field, where 
 they will learn to accommodate themselves to their future 
 style of life. At the same time, it is better to have been 
 here, both for officers and men, to enable us to make 
 more perfect arrangements for landing on a foreign shore, 
 and being thrown on our own resources 
 
 " I have been thinking much of you this day, and have 
 sjDent some time in earnest prayer for yon. What a pri- 
 vilege is prayer at such a time ! We had a delightful 
 sermon on prayer this morning from Mr Hare (Eph. 
 iii. 1 2) — ' In whom we have boldness and access with con- 
 fidence by the faith of him.' He described the feelings 
 of Jacob under circumstances very similar to those in 
 which we are placed, when he lay down to sleep in a 
 foreign country, with new scenes, new trials, and un- 
 
TRUST IN THE WILL OF GOD. 263 
 
 knowii dangers before him; when he had the vision of 
 the ladder, and the angels ascending and descending. 
 And as he dwelt upon the blessedness of being permitted 
 to hold intercourse with God, imder every circumstance 
 in which we can possibly be placed in this world, I felt 
 almost overcome with the thought of the tenderness and 
 loving-kindness of our God in thus permitting us to cast 
 every care upon Him. Yes, though we be separated by 
 hundreds of miles, yet our spirits can meet at the same 
 throne of grace, and we can enjoy that holy fellowship on 
 earth which we shall enjoy fully for ever in heaven. I 
 love to think of you specially in the quietness of the 
 Sabbath-day. My heart seems with you, and I do not 
 try to restrain those tears of deep love which freely fall. 
 But I am not sad, for I feel it is good for us both that 
 this trial should be laid upon us. How often have we 
 sung together — 
 
 ' Eenew my will from day to day. 
 Blend it with Thine ; and take away 
 All that now makes it hard to say, 
 Thy will be done ! ' 
 
 And now tiiis prayer is being answered I should 
 
 like to send you the calendar of Psalms according to Bick- 
 ersteth, that we may be reading the same, and feeding 
 
 together on the same parts of the bread of life 
 
 "Fancy the excitement of three French transports 
 coming into this harbour en route for Gallipoli. General 
 Canrobert, and two other generals; 50 staff horses, and 
 800 soldiers. We had a review for them of three bat- 
 talions Guards, 33d, 93d, and Rifle Brigade." 
 
26 i THE BULGARIAN CAMPAIGN. 
 
 To his wife : — 
 
 ** On Board the ' Golden Fleece,* 
 " 3Iarch 30. 
 
 . ..." I have deep need of increase of faith. There 
 is so much to distract and disturb the soul in tliis bustling, 
 exciting life that it needs much watchfulness and disciplhie 
 to keep the heart fixed on eternal things. We seem like 
 a set of people carried down a current, and nobody has 
 time to be quiet, or to thmk a moment. I have brought 
 with me the store of tracts which Miss B * * * sent, and 
 we are keeping them in reserve against the time when the 
 men will be cut off from the usual means of grace. It 
 has been a great blessing that the word of life has been so 
 faithfully preached to them since they have been here. 
 Who can tell but that some of those ' appointed imto 
 death' may have received the message of love which will 
 give them peace in a dying hour. .... We cannot tell 
 what may ba the will of God; but if we are in Christ, come 
 life, come death, all must be well. I am sure, dearest, we 
 are warranted in praying for temporal deliverance, and 
 that we may be permitted to meet again in peace, and we 
 may cheer each other by this hope, in the Lord's good 
 time 
 
 " Sir J. Burgoyne has just arrived from Turkey. It is 
 said that the ground selected for the camp at Gallipoli is 
 not supplied with water, and that we shall have to bore 
 wells when we get there. You may imagine all the reports 
 which are afloat in this place. I never pay the slightest 
 attention to them, and generally walk away whenever they 
 are discussed." 
 
ARRIVAL OF FRENCH TROOPS. 2€5 
 
 "Malta, 3farch 28, 1854. 
 
 " My dearest Mother,— .... We know nothing as 
 yet, except that we are to go to Gallipoli, probably to 
 occupy ourselves with spade and pick-axe, in throwing up 
 works which it is said are to be made across that narrow 
 
 neck of land How precious, at such a time, is the 
 
 belief in the special providence of God. This is my com- 
 fort in thinking of those from whom I am separated, and 
 this, I know, is your comfort in thinking of me. 'He 
 doeth all things well' AVe hear that a siege-train of 
 eighty heavy guns is preparing at Woolwich. The Sappers 
 arrived yesterday; Captain B * * * is to follow with pon- 
 toons. All this looks sadly like war. But the Trench 
 officers here say that it is 'tine affaire finie.' There have 
 been five or six transports in here. We had a grand turn- 
 out for General Canrobert, who was particularly pleased 
 with the Eifle battalion. Many of the officers and men have 
 been on shore, and have been fraternising with our people. 
 
 " March 30. — Yesterday we attempted to embark, but 
 the arrangements were so blundered, that all, except one 
 company, had to march back again to their barracks for 
 the night. They attempted to put all the stores on board 
 — a month's provision for 3000 men, camp equipage, 
 ammunition, engineering tools, &c., and about 25 horses 
 and 1200 men at the same time. 
 
 " General Brown arrived yesterday." 
 
 To his wife: — 
 
 " * Golden Fleece,' .... 
 " At Anchor off Cape Servi, April 3, ] 854 
 " It is such a comfort and privilege having dear 
 
^QQ THE BULGARIAN CAMPAIGN. 
 
 G * * * on board. His natural character suits me, and 
 he is so full of aftection and sympathy. I had a delightful 
 talk with him last evening, before going to bed, and I felt 
 how blessed is that bond of union which unites us in 
 Christ. I have been thinking over the verse in 1st John, 
 ' No man hath seen God at any time. He that dwelleth in 
 love dwelleth in God, and God in him.' Does it not mean 
 that as we cannot see God so as to love him, He has 
 represented Himself in His people, so that, in loving them, 
 we may love Himself. .... 
 
 " I had an interesting walk with young A * * *, of 
 the Engineers, on deck this evening. He seems very 
 desirous of following the Lord fully, and took, in very 
 good part, a word of advice from G * * *, about cards. 
 * * * is well disposed, but his indolence, poor fellow, 
 is a fearful barrier to his spiritual growth 
 
 " Have you heard anything about the poor women from 
 Mr B * * * lately? Poor creatures! I fear they must 
 be in a wretched state. Let us help them as much as we 
 can, and let us give to some of the societies, if the funds 
 will admit. 
 
 " Thursday morning, April 6, 8 A.M., Gallipoli. — 
 Arrived safe last night." 
 
THE CAMP. 267 
 
 CHAPTER XVIIL 
 
 " And now down winding to the plain. 
 The barriers of the oarap they gain." 
 
 Scott. 
 
 The transports which had conveyed the first division of 
 the British army had now reached their destination, and 
 were lying at their moorings, preparatory to disembarking 
 their troops upon Turkish territory. Never before had 
 English troops formed up upon those shores. The first 
 appearance, therefore, of the Rifles and Sappers must have 
 roused, to some degree of excitement, the almost immovable 
 and phlegmatic Turks. The formation of the strong lines, 
 which were to serve as a basis of future operations, had 
 already been determined by the engineer officers, who had 
 previousl}" surveyed the ground for that purpose. And as 
 soon as it was possible, the disembarkation was eff'ected, 
 and the troops proceeded to entrench themselves in their 
 position. Maxy Hammond's next letter is to his wife: — 
 
 To his wife : — 
 
 "April n. 
 
 . ..." It is time I should tell you something of our 
 proceedings. Two days were taken up in reconnoitering 
 
268 THE CAMP. 
 
 the ground for our camp, so that we did not disembark 
 till Saturday, when we marched to our encamping ground, 
 about nine miles from Gallipoli, and about two from a 
 Turkish village called Bulair. 
 
 " The town of Gallipoli baffles description. It is built 
 on the side of a hill, a mass of low built houses with tile 
 roofs, and here and there some minarets pointing upwards 
 above the houses, from the top of which the priests call 
 the faithful to prayer morning and evening. In the centre 
 of the town is a fine ruin of an old Byzantine castle, now 
 the depository of aU the filth of the town. At the water's 
 edge you see something in the shape of ricketty, crazy 
 piers, and above the spot a basin, full of the grey masts 
 and yards of antiquated and unpainted boats. We are 
 entirely dependent on these boats to carry our luggage on 
 shore, and fine work we have to make the sluggish Turks 
 move. We soon found out that the only Avay was to take 
 them by the shoulder and make them work. You would 
 laugh to have seen me take possession of a boat, with four 
 Sappers, and begin to get the sails up. Unfortunately we 
 ran aground before we could get off, which enabled the 
 Turks, with frantic gesticulations, to reach us, and get on 
 board, and then we forced them to take us on. The nar- 
 row streets are paved with large stones that appear to have 
 been thrown down a hundred years, and which have 
 arranged themselves in all conceivable forms. Here you 
 meet a bullock-cart of the rudest description, bumping 
 and shaking, first on the top of one of these rocks, and 
 then down into the valley beneath. There you see a caval- 
 cade of pack horses coming in from the country, escorted 
 by horsemen with a long gun slung across the shoulders, 
 
POSITION OF THE ENCAMPMENT. ^9 
 
 a pair of elaborately ornamented pistols, and a yataghan 
 stuck in the girdle. The house windows are latticed to 
 conceal the unhappy women, who are rarely seen abroad. 
 The houses cannot be said to be built, but stuck together 
 anyhow. Everything looks neglected and deserted. Even 
 the graveyards are trampled under foot ; and we were 
 horrified at seeing the holes where the dogs had been bur- 
 rowing out the graves. Of a piece with the people are 
 the storks, which sit motionless on the tops of the houses, 
 and the tortoises, which abound and typify the crawling 
 indolence of the inhabitants. 
 
 "And now for our encampment. We are on the left 
 of the position, which is to be fortified by a continuous 
 line of field works across the isthmus. The ground is 
 undulating, and rising to a height of about 500 feet. 
 There is but a poor supply of water ; and that could be 
 obtained only with great labour, by digging wells, making 
 reservoirs, &c., which will probably be dry all the summer. 
 Every stick of wood which we require for cooking has to 
 be fetched upon the miserable bullock- waggons. We have 
 the utmost difficulty in obtaining supplies, and think our- 
 selves fortunate if we can get a few onions and a little rice 
 to add to our ration beef. Green coffee is our staple drink. 
 It seems to be a country without resources. The people 
 themselves are almost starving. How an army is to move 
 in this country I cannot imagine. We are told to provide 
 ourselves with baggage animals. Captains are allowed 
 one animal on which their own luggage, tent, camp kettle, 
 &c., are to be carried. Field officers no more. Subalterns 
 have one animal and a tent. I have got two ponies, Jack 
 and Gill 
 
270 THE CAMP. 
 
 " Within the last few days the 28th, 44<th, 77th, and 
 93d have arrived. The 83d and 41st have gone to Con- 
 stantinople. There are also 5000 or 6000 French, in- 
 cluding several regiments of Zouaves. These form an 
 African corps. They are all Frenchmen, dressed a la mode 
 d'Afrique — Fez cap, green turban, en grande tenue, blue 
 jacket, open, with socks of red embroidery, waistcoat, 
 no stock or neckcloth, coarse Turkish trousers hang- 
 ing below the knees, yellow-coloured gaiters on the calf, 
 and white shoe gaiters. They are splendid-looking fel- 
 lows, and I believe as active and daring as they look. 
 They are armed with the tige rifle, and carry their tent.*^ 
 on their backs 
 
 " The God of peace be with you." 
 
 To his wife: — 
 
 " Camp near Gallipoli, Sunday, 
 April 23, 1854. 
 
 . ..." I never felt more deeply the blessing of a 
 Christian Sabbath than in this far land, when we are cut 
 off from the means of grace in our own favoured country, 
 and are in this dark and benighted part of the globe. 
 The Sabbath is especially welcome in camp life — to have 
 a day set apart for God, to be able to spend some time in 
 quietness, in communing with one s own breast, and seek- 
 ing God in prayer. We have had a chaplain here to-day. 
 He preached on — ' Prepare to meet thy God : ' good, as 
 far as it went. He spoke nicely to the men, at the close, 
 of his desire to be of service to them, and his readiness 
 to attend them in sickness, or any other time when they 
 were in need of the consolations of the gospel 
 
SOURCE OF SUPPORT IN TIMES OF UNCERTAINTY. 271 
 
 " This afternoon I gave H * * * a bundle of tracts to 
 take round to the tents. I wish we could keep a supply- 
 in hand. I should like you to send me out by post a 
 dozen copies of the Leisure Hour, and Churchmans 
 Fenny Magazine 
 
 '* And now, I commend you to Him who is able to do 
 exceeding abundantly above that we can ask or think." 
 
 To his wife :— 
 
 ** Camp near Gallipoli, 
 May 1, >854. 
 
 "Lord Eaglan arrived on the 28th, and, 
 
 after an interview with General Brown, went the same 
 evening to Constantinople. The works here are pro- 
 gressing rapidly, and will probably be completed in a few 
 weeks 
 
 " One feels lost in trpng to conjecture as to what may 
 happen; but there is peace in leaving all in His hands, 
 whose wisdom cannot err, and whose love cannot fail. 
 
 What should we do if we had not this hope 
 
 full of immortality, to comfort and sustain our hands at 
 such a time as this? I sometimes wonder how those 
 people can endure it who have not this source of consola- 
 tion. We have just heard of the bombardment and de- 
 struction of Odessa. How awful are these beginnings of 
 the horrors of war ! How it should make us pray for 
 peace; and long for the beginning of the reign of peace 
 and righteousness, which shall at length dawn upon our 
 sin-smitten world ! . . . . 
 
 " We enjoy our Saturday evenings so much — they are 
 
272 THE CAJVIP. 
 
 SO refreshing in this place, where one is constrained so 
 often to say, ' Woe is me that I sojourn in Mesech, and 
 dwell in the tents of Kedar/ The language of the men 
 is awful; but I am thankful to say that the officers have 
 been unanimous in trying to repress it. One has been 
 painfully reminded of David's description of the wicked — 
 ' Their mouths are full of cursing/ Notwithstanding 
 this apparent godlessness, it is strange with what avidity 
 tracts are received. I wish I had a large supply. I am 
 in hopes that some depot will be established at Constanti- 
 nople for this purpose. The Bible Society have an agent 
 there, and they have determined to issue a copy of the 
 New Testament to every soldier and sailor in these parts, 
 
 if possible 
 
 " We are to embark on Saturday for Scutari. The 1st 
 Eoyals arrived to-day, and the 38 th are exj^ected in a few 
 days. The Melita also arrived with staff-officers, including 
 dear J***F***: dear fellow, you may conceive 
 the joy it was to us both to meet again. This is another 
 of the mercies mingled in our cup. 'He stayeth the 
 rough wind in the day of his east wind.' .... God bless 
 
 you.'' 
 
 The profane language of the men, upon which Captain 
 Hammond dwells in this last letter, caused him very deep 
 pain; and in more than one other letter he refers to the 
 same subject. In a letter to his wife, he remarks: "I 
 like what you say about contact with sin, and the pain 
 which it must cost the holy Jesus to endure this con- 
 tradiction of sinners. If I Avas indeed filled with the 
 Spirit, the words of sin would pierce and wound my 
 
ATTEMPT TO CHECK PKOFANE LANGUAGE. 273 
 
 heart more than they do. But I am thankful to say there 
 has been a marked difference in the language used by the 
 men of my o^vn company." At another time he says: 
 ''The most painful part of this kind of life is, the being 
 obliged to hear the horrible oaths and bad language that 
 the men use. This morning I spoke to my company on 
 the subject, and I trust there may be some improvement 
 outwardly. But, oh ! one's heart sinks at the thought of 
 so many souls dead in sins — sold under sin to Satan." 
 
 An officer of the Engineers, speaking of the delight he 
 found in Captain Hammond's society at this period, men- 
 tions a fact which is illustrative of his boldness in confess- 
 ing Christ before men, and of his love and anxiety for 
 others. He says, " There is one passage in * * *'s letter 
 that I must mention. It is that of having prayers with 
 his servant. I am sure he was the first officer in camp in 
 Turkey who did so. In May 1854?, I remember well talk- 
 ing about it to him; I was so glad, and felt it so good of 
 him, amid our excitement, and the excessive work of our 
 new lines at Boulair." 
 
 To his wife : — 
 
 "Scutari, May 9, 1854. 
 
 . ..." We left our encampment on Saturday morning 
 early, and, for the first time, loaded our mules with 
 baggage for the march. About half-way, the whole force 
 was reviewed by General Brown, in presence of all the 
 French Generals and their staffs. The morning was 
 excessively hot, and the men over-weighted. Many poor 
 fellows fainted in the ranks. It is very painful to see men 
 
274? THE CAMP. 
 
 fairly sinking under the heavy loads on their backs, and 
 very humiliating to be obliged to confess that the French 
 are so superior to us in the equipment of their soldiers. 
 
 " We arrived here on Sunday morning. The view of 
 Constantinople, as you get near, is certainly very beautiful ; 
 and the tents of our array on the Scutari side add much 
 to the picturesque effect. The town is built on a slope, 
 and the Golden Horn divides Stamboul from the French 
 districts. On the opposite side of the water stands Scutari. 
 Stamboul is very striking, with its many domes, and 
 minarets, and cypresses ; and the Sultan's seraglio, occupy- 
 ing a large space of ground at the corner next to the 
 Golden Horn 
 
 " The ground which the army occupies here is rather 
 pretty. The camps are close to the water's edge, in a 
 grassy slope, backed by a splendid grove of cypress, which 
 
 shades the tombs of the departed who lie beneath 
 
 The barracks and the hospital are magnificent buildings as 
 to space. It is said the barracks will hold 10,000 men; 
 but they have managed so to fill it with the staff that at 
 present there are only four regiments in it 
 
 " I had a visit yesterday from Mr T * * *, the Free 
 Church missionary to the Jews in Constantinople. He 
 appears to be 'a very nice and good man. There are 
 80,000 Spanish Jews in Constantinople. They were 
 expelled from Spain by Philip III. at the end of the 
 sixteenth century. I believe they speak a compound of 
 Arabic and Spanish; but they cannot read the Eoman 
 chaiacter, so the books are in the Spanish language, with 
 the Hebrew character. Little more has been done among 
 them than the establishment of schools, and the awakening 
 
KELIGIOUS TOLERATION. 275 
 
 a spirit of inquiry. Mr T * * * told us that the 
 American missionaries are doing a great deal of good 
 among the Armenians. There are very many Protestant 
 congregations of them scattered throughout Turkey, both 
 in Europe and Asia. There is perfect toleration here given 
 to all religions, and the Bible may be freely circulated to all 
 but the Mahometans. With them the spirit of persecu- 
 tion is still as strong as ever. Mr T * * * told us that a 
 Mahometan was put to death at Adrianople about three 
 months ao^o for becominoj a Christian. I trust that France 
 and ourselves will insist on religious liberty to all, before 
 we leave this country." 
 
 To his wife: — 
 
 " Scutari, May 22, 1854. 
 
 .... "Never before have I felt so much need of 
 putting on the armour of God; and it seems sometimes as 
 if this is the place where Satan's seat is ; and my soul 
 longs for the perfect purity above, where there will be no 
 sights and sounds of sin, and where we shall no longer be 
 made wretched by the corruption within, which, after all, 
 is our worst enemy 
 
 "Amidst so much that is trying from within and 
 without, I have found that the good Shepherd who is 
 leading us along these rugged paths can give songs in the 
 wilderness, and that He does provide rills of comfort and 
 refreshment such as the world knows not of. Such a 
 stream of mercy was the communion which was adminis- 
 tered yesterday in one of the passages of the barracks. I 
 felt it to be a peculiarly solemn and affecting season. The 
 circumstances under wliich we were met together in this 
 
276 THE CAMP. 
 
 foreign and heathen land, where we have been assembled 
 for the purpose of war, produced a feeling in my mind 
 such as I never before remember. The love of Christ did 
 appear to be inexpressibly precious, and His words of love 
 in John vi. melted me to tears. I think the thoughts of 
 His love filled my heart above everything else. In the 
 afternoon I went with F ♦ * * and J * * * to the ser- 
 vice of the Embassy. The chaplain is a truly good and 
 very superior man. He preached on Psalm xxiii. 4 — ' The 
 shadow of death,' a beautiful sermon. I was particularly 
 struck with his searching address to believers on the fear 
 of evil, the cause of which was to be found in our practical 
 unbelief. He bade us look to the state of our spiritual 
 affections, and to find out the source of this root of bitter- 
 ness. The realised presence of the Lord can alone cast 
 out this fear. 
 
 " And now, good night. May the angel of God's pre- 
 sence watch over thee and preserve thee from evil by 
 night and by day ! . . . 
 
 " May 23. — I believe it is pretty certain now tliat the 
 Light Division is to move to Varna on Saturday; and the 
 remainder of the army Avill follow as soon as possible. 
 The report is that Silistria is invested by 70,000 Russians, 
 and cannot hold out ; so that, perhaps, we shall be pushed 
 on to relieve the f)lace, if it has not already fallen, in con- 
 cert with the French and Turks. These things, uncertain 
 as they are, make one feel that the reahties of war may be 
 near at hand. But, dearest, this is one of the numbered 
 waves, that we trust are wafting us to the haven of rest 
 where we would be. May we both have grace to take 
 hold of the words which were addressed to Joshua, and 
 
IS MOVED TO VARNA. 277 
 
 which seem so peculiarly aiDplicable to us now (Josh. i. 
 7-9). There is a connexion here between obedience and 
 safety. If we, too, are living by faith in Jesus, the pro- 
 mise will assuredly be fulfilled to us both (ver. 9), ' for 
 the Lord thy God is v/ith thee, whithersoever thou goest.' 
 
 " I should like much to be able to adopt your sugges- 
 tion, of securing a clear half-hour, the first thing in the 
 morning, for prayer. I shall try to do so. But with our 
 early parades, at half -past six, it is rather hard work getting 
 up in time ; but I shall make an effort, for I feel with you 
 that there never was a time when I needed so much to 
 seek strength by prayer. 
 
 "10 P.M. — The order has come out for the Light Division 
 to embark on Friday the 26th for Varna. So, by the time 
 this reaches you, I shall probably be in our new encamj)- 
 ment somewhere between Varna and Shumla. Farewell," 
 
 To his wife : — 
 
 " CA3IP AT Vaena, June 1, 1854. 
 
 . . . . " We are encamped just outside the town till the 
 disembarkation of the horses and troops has taken place ; 
 and we are then to march to Devna, at the head of the 
 lake, and await the arrival of the other divisions. The 
 regiments composing the Light Division, the 7th, 29th, 
 23d, 33d, 77th, 88th, Rifle Brigade, and 8th Hussars, and 
 a troop of Horse Artillery, are here. The others will fol- 
 low as soon as possible. 
 
 " Camp eight miles west of Varna, on the road to 
 Sliumla, June 7. — I wish you could see our present 
 camp, it is so pretty, situated in the lake district, sur- 
 rounded by lovely hills, ofF-shoots from the Balkan. It is 
 
278 THE CAMP. 
 
 a shame that such a lovely country should lie waste ; and 
 I must own I hope it will pass into other hands, for the 
 Turks have had it too long, and it is time that the ground 
 should be cultivated and the people civilised and Chris- 
 tianised. The whole division is encamped on this spot 
 except the Hussars and the 17th Lancers, who have gone on 
 to Devna, seven miles further. We have fairly commenced 
 the routine of an army in the field, and have an outlying 
 plcquet to cover the camp by day and night. I was 
 sent with half my company, for the first time since I have 
 been a soldier, on this duty the day that we marched in. 
 This is more for practice than necessity, as there are no 
 Russians within fifty miies of us. . . . 
 
 " I dined with A * * * on Sunday, the night before 
 we left Varna, and met * * *. I don't think I ever came 
 across a more earnest and zealous Christian, or a more 
 fearless one. * Out of the abundance of his heart his mouth 
 spoke' the whole evening, and he urged upon us to read and 
 pray together before parting. I envied his holy boldness 
 and single-hearted zeal for God and the salvation of souls ; 
 and I felt deeply humbled by such an example. It is diffi- 
 cult to know what to do, but the chief difficulty lies in the 
 coldness of my heart and want of love towards my Saviour. 
 Some would say that * * * is incautious. But I am 
 convinced that such a witness for Christ must be blessed, 
 wherever he goes. .... The God of peace be with you.'' 
 
 To his wife: — 
 
 " Camp, eight miles feom Vaena, 
 June 9, 1854 
 .... "We are to move our camp to-morrow. The 
 
SUNDAY IN CAMP. 270 
 
 order in which we move is as follows : 1 , A squadron of 
 Hussars ; 2, Advanced guard of Rifles (two companies) ; 3, 
 Horse Artillery; 4, Battalion of Rifles ; 5, Regiment of Line ; 
 6, Baggage animals ; 7, Slaughter animals ; 8, Rear-guard 
 of one company. 
 
 "Sunday, Wth. — What a curious Sunday this has been 
 to me ! I am writing on out-lying picquet, in a little hut 
 made of boughs, with my waterproof sheet spread over 
 the roof. We go on picquet at half -past two A.M. ! and 
 are relieved at that hour ; so you may imagine I was very 
 sleepy this morning, and did not feel at all in a Sabbath 
 spirit. .... 
 
 " I love to read the Church Service, and to join in spirit 
 with all Christ's people, who are using these beautiful 
 forms of prayer, on this holy day. Soon, dearest, we 
 shall join the Church above, having 'washed our robes, 
 and made them white, in the blood of the Lamb.' I 
 foimd much comfort to-day in the Psalms, especially the 
 60th; it seemed so applicable to present circumstances: 
 driven out to this horrid war on account of national and 
 individual sins. The heavy hand of God laid upon me, 
 not altogether in judgment, but in love ; for are we not 
 told to look upon chastisements as a token of His 
 love? .... 
 
 " Saturday night, June 17th. — I have just got back to 
 my tent, after our Saturday evening reading with * * *, 
 * * * , * * *. How singular that we should be per- 
 mitted still to meet together in this changing world, as 
 we used to do in dearest N * * *'s drawing-room, at 
 Halifax, nearly ten years ago. Do you think the saints 
 in heaven know at all what is taking place on earth? If 
 
280 THE CAMP. 
 
 they do, how must she rejoice in seeing the same little 
 party still feeding together among the gi'een pastures and 
 still waters of the blessed Word. It is such a comfort 
 to refresh and animate each other's hearts, by spiritual 
 communion, in this time of bustle and unrest. We were 
 saying, to-night, what peculiar sweetness, what considera- 
 tion for the darkness of our hearts, there is in the 
 admonition, ' not forsaking the assembling of yourselves 
 together.' .... 
 
 " There are rumours of a forward move to Silistria. I 
 believe few people have any idea of the difficulties of 
 moving an army in such a country. You may have some 
 idea of this from the single fact, that it is said that it will 
 require 12,000 horses to carry up the food and necessary 
 stores for the troops on the march to Silistria. All 
 supplies must be brought up from the rear.'' .... 
 
 To his wife: — 
 
 " Camp Aladyn, Outlying Picquet, 
 June 20th. 
 
 " You see we have not moved yet I had such a 
 
 nice dream last night, about seeing you and our sweet 
 little Nina. I thought she was grown so enormously, 
 and had come on so in mind and manners, and looked 
 most lovely. I like such dreams of home; though my 
 heart aches when I remember that I am in this strange 
 and far-off land. I am, at times, very very sad; and the 
 bitterness of separation is, if possible, more keenly felt 
 than ever. Is it not hard to our poor weak natures to 
 learn the lesson that God has been teaching us, to 
 cease from seeking repose here on earth. My heart 
 
MILITAEY SUKVEYIKG. 281 
 
 does cling to home, and the hope of meeting those I 
 love dearest on earth again. Do you think this is 
 wrong? I hope not; for this sustains and keeps me up 
 when I might almost sink, 'because of the way/ If 
 we are, indeed, setting our affections on things above, 
 I don't tliink we need fear letting our earthly affections 
 have their full and natural sway 
 
 " Various reports and rumours are afloat ; some say the 
 Kussians, disheartened by frequent repulses, have retired 
 from Silistria; and I believe it is a fact, that Omar Pacha 
 has thrown 12,000 additional troops into the place. My 
 impression is, that if transport, sufficient for ourselves 
 and the French, can be procured, we shall move forward; 
 and, as a soldier, I think we ought to do so 
 
 " I have been amusing and instructing myself by sur- 
 veying the ground around the camp, and have finished my 
 sketch to-day. I like the work, and it may be useful. . . 
 The wild flowers are lovely; most of them are in our gar- 
 dens at home. There are beautiful insects, too, which I 
 delight in, and long to preserve; but this is impos- 
 sible. . . , Farewell. 
 
 " June 28th. — By the time this reaches you, you will 
 have heard of the retreat of the Russians from Silistria. 
 .... We march to Devna to-morrow for certain."' 
 
 To his wife : — 
 
 " Camp, Devna, July 3, 
 Sunday. 
 " I have wandered to the top of the high range of hills 
 in roar of our camp, that I migbt find a solitary place, 
 
282 THE CAMP. 
 
 far from the haunts of men, where I might seek alone the 
 presence and blessing of my heavenly Father, in lifting up 
 my heart to Him, and spreading my wants and cares 
 before Him. And here, too, have I in spirit held com- 
 munion with my wife, at our common mercy seat. I am 
 most thankful that you have been enabled to cast all your 
 cares on Him. Let us both pray for faith for each day as 
 it comes ; and let us not attempt to look beyond, into the 
 unknown future. To-day is om's; to-morrow is the 
 Lord's ; and we may safely leave it to Him to dispose of 
 it as He sees best. With me, the uncertainty is so great 
 as to what is going to take place, that I am, of necessity, 
 driven to leave all in His hands. 
 
 ''July 10th. — The communion was celebrated yester- 
 day morning, in the open air, under a burning smi. 
 I felt the heat so much, that it deprived me of the power 
 of fixing my mind; and I did not, therefore, find that 
 enjoyment in the ordinance that I did the last time at 
 Scutari; though the occasion, yesterday, was equally 
 solenm; and it was deeply interesting to see so many 
 
 humbly kneeling before the cross of Jesus I was 
 
 thinking yesterday, of the duty of Christian love, as ex- 
 pressed in those words of our Lord (John xv. 12) — ' This is 
 my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved 
 you.' This, no doubt, refers, in the first place, to the love 
 of the brethren. But does it not extend to the love of our 
 fellow-men generally, for Christ's sake? I feel that I 
 have come far short of this exercise of love. It is one 
 of the peculiar temptations of canip life, where there is 
 so much gossip and evil speaking, and so much laughing 
 at other people. I know that you will piiiv that I may 
 
EUMOUKS OF EXPEDITION TO THE CEIMEA. 283 
 
 overcome this besetting sin, and possess more of the mind 
 of Christ. That is no unmeaning term used to describe 
 His character — ' harmless.' .... The hospital tent is a 
 sad place for a dying man. One feels how almost hope- 
 less it is for any one to begin to seek Christ there." 
 
 To his wife : — 
 
 « Camp, Devna, July 20. 
 
 .... "We shall all be glad to get away from this 
 place. The ground is low and marshy, and it cannot be 
 healthy ; not that there is any serious sickness among the 
 troops, but there have been a good many cases of remit- 
 tent fever. .... Various rumours are afloat as to our 
 future movements, and a council of war has been called 
 at Varna. The transports are assembling at Varna, and 
 the fleet is to be there on the 29th. Some say they are 
 to take us to the Crimea, and others, to Anapa in Cir- 
 
 cassia I cannot think we are in a position to make 
 
 an attack on Sebastopol at present; and I must confess I 
 
 do not feel eager for such a hazardous attempt 
 
 We are likely to move a few miles on Monday, for change 
 of air. General Brown is on a cruise in the Black Sea ; 
 but no one knows where he is gone, or what is contem- 
 plated. The more I think of Sebastopol, the more con- 
 vinced I feel that we cannot attempt any attack upon it 
 tliis year : we have neither the men nor the material. 
 Tliis life is becoming very weary; there is not even any 
 excitement to keep one up. Sometimes I long to beat 
 my sword into a pruning-hook, it is so uncongenial to all 
 my tastes and feelings. But I must not allow myself to 
 indulge in such feelings. It ought to be enough to know 
 
284j the camp. 
 
 that I am following in the path of duty, leaving my wife 
 and child behind me; and I know there is no position 
 in which I may not glorify God 
 
 " 10.30 P.M. — Just come back from A * * *'s tent: 
 these occasions are very refreshing to one's spirit. We 
 were reading 1 Thess. iii. St Paul's prayer that the Lord 
 would dii'ect his way to them, is an encouragement to us, 
 I think, in asking that we may be permitted to meet again 
 in peace by the will of God. 
 
 " What a rest -will be that above, when we shall serve 
 and praise our Kedeemer, without weary bodies to drag 
 down our souls, and without the still heavier clog of sin 
 to prevent our hearts ascending to God ! * His servants 
 shall serve him, and they shall see his face.' " 
 
 " Ca^ip at Devna, July 8, 1854. 
 " My veey dear Feiend, — .... What a comfort it 
 is, in such troublous times as these, amid "wars and ru- 
 mours of wars, to turn to the promises of the gospel ; and 
 to feel that, when these things come to pass, v/c may lift 
 up our hands, and recognise, above the storm of human 
 commotions, and the intrigues of politicians and states- 
 men, the hand that is directing and overruling all ! And 
 we know that it is the same Hand that was once pierced 
 for us, and which was once stretched over the troubled 
 sea, 'and there was a great calm.' God grant that out of 
 all these things showers of blessings may come down, and 
 the gospel be promoted in the East ! " 
 
 " Camp,.Monastie, July 28, 1854. 
 " My dearest Father, — .... I have told R * ♦ « — 
 
CHOLERA BREAKS OUT. 285 
 
 and you will probably see in the papers — that the cholera 
 has broken out amon^ the troops within the last live days, 
 and there have been between forty and fifty deaths in the 
 division. We immediately removed our camp from Devna 
 to this beautiful and airy spot. Our regiment has hitherto 
 
 escaped, most mercifully, with only two deaths 
 
 The 7th, 23d, and 88th, have been the chief sufferers. 
 The situation of our camp at Devna was decidedly un- 
 healthy, being close to an extensive marsh at the head of 
 the lake. We are now encamped in a Turkish village a 
 short distance from Pravady. There is generally a de- 
 lightful breeze coming from the sea. The weather has 
 been hot — ^generally between 80° and 90° in the shade; 
 but we have all built bowers in front of our tents. 
 The ride from here to Pravady is across a large plain, 
 on which are several tumuli, where the Eussians are said 
 to have buried six thousand, who died of the plague in 
 1828." .... 
 
 "Camp, Monastir, August 8, 1854. 
 " My dearest Mother,— .... I am afraid you will 
 be made anxious by accounts of the sickness amongst us. 
 In some regiments it is abating, in others there are still 
 some fatal cases. We have been mercifully dealt with, 
 and have not lost so many as^^ther regiments. Our poor 
 old paymaster, N * * *, diedlast Friday, after four days' 
 illness. He was a good man, and died, I believe, in 
 liumble dependence on the merits of his Redeemer. ^My 
 patience is getting very much tried, being kept month 
 after month in this stationary camp. We are now a little 
 revived by rumours of an expedition somewhere in the 
 
286 THE CAMP. 
 
 Black Sea. The general opinion is that it is to be Sebas- 
 topol, and that we are to attempt it by a coup-de-mam. 
 Of course, our generals must have well weighed the pro- 
 babilities of success, and the disastrous consequences of 
 failure, before they decided on risking such an attempt. 
 Strange as it is to say, though I hate war, and have no 
 desire to see bullets fly, I shall be glad if the path of duty 
 leads me to more active operations. This stand-still, do- 
 nothing existence is most trying, especially now that sick- 
 ness is in our camp. It is a time for setting our house in 
 order; but blessed be God there is strong consolation, if, 
 as guilty sinners, we can rest upon the finished work of 
 the Lord Jesus, and embrace the gracious invitation, 
 ' Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, 
 and I will give you rest.' .... 
 
 " Soon they must consider the question of winter quar- 
 ters for our army; and I have a dim and shadowy vision 
 of getting two months' leave and seeing home. But there 
 have been too many lessons, lately, of the uncertainty of 
 all human events, to set my heart on such an air-castle. 
 How quieting to the mind is that little clause, which 
 ought to precede all our plans for the future, 'If the 
 Lord will' we will do this or that ! — ^Your affectionate 
 
 "Max.'' 
 
 To his wife : — 
 
 " Camp, Mon astir, Jul^/ 26. 
 
 . ..." I am sorry to say cholera has appeared among 
 us within the last few days. There is a quantity of unripe 
 fruit al)out, plums and apricots ; and the men ^v^ll eat it, 
 notwithstanding a positive prohibition, and their being 
 
GENERAL BEOWN RECONXOITRES IN THE BLACK SEA. 287 
 
 punished if caught. The division was moved in consequence. 
 This is such a beautiful healthy-looking i3lace that I trust 
 the awful disease may abate. But after all, though we 
 may talk about second causes, it is the finger of God that 
 is upon us, justly punishing us for our sins. The wonder 
 is, not that He should punish us for our offences, but that 
 we are not utterly consumed. What comfort there is in 
 what David said, when he chose the judgment of pestilence 
 in preference to famine or the sword of the enemy — ' Let 
 us now fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercies are 
 great' The saddest part of all is to think of the unprepared- 
 ness of those poor souls to meet their God, when they are 
 suddenly cut ^ovm in a moment. And yet you hear the 
 
 same words of cm'sing and ungodliness as ever 
 
 " General Brown has returned from his cruise in the 
 Black Sea. The fleet went to Sebastopol with an equal 
 number of ships to the Eussian fleet ; and they threw 
 down the gauntlet to them, but they could not be induced 
 to come out. The Furious, in which Brown was, went 
 rather close to the batteries and fired a shot in defiance ; 
 which was instantly returned by eight shots from the enemy, 
 three of which fell on board the Furious, without, how- 
 ever, doing any other damage than playing havoc among 
 the bottles in the midshipmen's mess-room. 
 
 To his wife : — 
 
 "Camp, Mon astir, August 5. 
 
 " Trial is the furnace in which the dross must be purged 
 away, and the soul made to reflect more clearly the image 
 of Jesus. Let us, then, wait patiently and constantly upon 
 the Lord, as PauL did, when he besought Him that the 
 
288 THE CAMP. 
 
 thorn might be removed. May we, too, be satisfied with 
 the same answer — 'My grace is sufficient for thee,' and may 
 it be given to us gladly to suffer infirmities, that the power 
 of Christ may rest upon us. May we be enabled more 
 fully to enter into 1 Pet. L 8. 
 
 " To-morrow is the Sabbath. I shall try, by God's grace, 
 to make these things special subjects of prayer for us both." 
 
 To his wile : — 
 
 "MoNASTiR, August 10, 1854<. 
 
 . , . " I am afraid you and the St Alban's people will have 
 thought my letters very tinste. But it is not easy to keep 
 up a cheerful countenance when there is sadness within ; 
 and I must own to have felt very sad and unhappy for a 
 few days, with so much sickness amongst us, and a gloom, 
 in consequence, over the whole camp. But we have been 
 most mercifully dealt with. I have felt more peace lately. 
 
 ... At times I have been brought very low ; but the 
 Lord has graciously lifted me up again, and I have been 
 enabled to hope in His mercy, and to feel that in the most 
 trying dispensations He is doing all well. Would that I 
 could indeed long more earnestly for that glory which is 
 to be revealed. Yet, notwithstanding the many lessons I 
 have had, of the uncertainty of human things, and the 
 folly of setting the heart upon them, I find myself still 
 cleaving to earth, nor can I say I have a desire to depart 
 and be with Christ ; my prayer rather is. Lord spare me 
 to see, once more, those dearest to me on earth, and if 
 not, help me to acquiesce in thy holy will. How much 
 more blessed is the hope of the coming of Christ. For 
 then we shall all be gathered unto Him — then ' we which 
 
TRIALS OF FAITH. 2cS9 
 
 are alive shall be caught up together to meet the Lord in 
 the air, and so shall we be ever with the Lord/ I suppose 
 that if the heart were filled with the love of Jesus, as Paul's 
 was, even death would seem desirable, for the joy of being 
 with Him. ' Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and 
 peace in believing, that you may abound in hope, through 
 the power of the Holy Ghost.' 
 
 " My faith has been sorely tried of late, and there have 
 been times when I could not cast myself upon God, or 
 trust the keeping of my soul and body to Him— when 
 the enemy seemed saying to me, ' Where is now thy God?' 
 (What a precious soul-comforting psalm is that forty- 
 second!) The thought of home made me fear death; but 
 now, through the mercy of the Lord, the cloud has passed 
 away, and I hope I can trust in the love and wisdom and 
 faithfulness of my Saviour God.'' 
 
 From the foregoing letters, we may infer how intense 
 was the trial which Captain Hammond was called upon to 
 undergo during this period of sickness and inaction in 
 camp. There can be no doubt, more especially from his 
 own statements afterwards, that the bitterness of separa- 
 tion from his wife and child was, to the highest degree, 
 increased by the fear of death. Not in the sense applicable 
 to those who fear because they have no hope — no other 
 prospect than " a certain fenrful looking for of judgment." 
 His was a hope, blessed be God, sure and steadfast. But 
 there was a deep longing for life — a burning thirst for a 
 return, that, if it wore possible, he might once more see 
 liis wife, his child, and the home that he loved. He looked 
 for a prolongation of life, in order that this reluctance to 
 
 T 
 
290 THE CAMP. 
 
 acquiesce so completely in God's will, as to desire, notwith- 
 standing, that he might depart and be with Christ, might 
 be entirely overcome; that he might, from his heart and 
 without reservation, say, '0 death, where is thy sting?' 
 That this prayer was abundantly answered, the sequel will 
 shew. His wife, to whom these letters were addressed, 
 has added, at the close of one of them, this note : — 
 
 "When he came home in October 1854, he alluded to 
 this time as one of much inward conflict — much more 
 than he had expressed in his letters. His desires after 
 home were painfully strong; and it was a source of deep 
 humility to him, that for many days he could not bring 
 his will into subjection to God's will. He could not feel 
 willing to be taken away then, without seeing those he 
 loved once more. He used, at this season, frequently to 
 rise and pray in the middle of the night — pray, not for 
 life, but for entire submission. He several times alluded 
 to it as the time of severest conflict of soul that he had ever 
 passed through." 
 
 To his wife : — 
 
 " Camp, Monastie, August 25. 
 
 " We are rather in a bustle to-day, in expectation of a 
 march to-morrow. They talk of our marching in two 
 days, and carrying the whole of the men's knapsacks in 
 waggons. The few sick are to go also. I have good 
 reason to hope that cholera is disappearing. .... What 
 is the object of our march to Varna? I cannot tell you. 
 It is said the generals are determined on Sebastopol. If 
 it is so, you v>'ill join us in the prayer — ' God speed us.' 
 
A SPECIAL PKOVIDEXCE. 291 
 
 May the same all-sufficient Saviour, vAio has sustained you 
 in peace in many a dark and trying hour, enable you now 
 to glorify Him by trusting in His unclianging love. I 
 send you Isa. xli. 14^, compared with 2 Cor. xii. 9 — 'the 
 worm' and the 'weakness.' .... We are borne out by 
 Scripture, I think, in believing that a special providence 
 watches over believers, else what is the meaning of Ps. 
 xci.; Ps. cxxi.; Matt. x. 29, 30; 1 Tim. iv. 10. And hoia 
 do the angels minister to the heirs of salvation, if not in 
 temporal deliverances, or other little mercies? It was the 
 'angel of God' who stood before Paul before the ship- 
 wreck, promising that God would save them (Acts xxvii. 
 23, 2rt). And is it not reasonable to suppose tliat the 
 angel directed the course of the tempest- tossed ship, and 
 brought about all the circumstances which led to the safe 
 landing of them all? So comfort yourself with the word 
 of the Lord, if your heart is filled with anxiety and appre- 
 hension about coming events ; and forget not that He, who 
 in mercy hath delivered your husband from the pestilence, 
 can equally deliver him from the sword. 
 
 "It is believed that we shall embark on Thursday, so 
 all doubt is now at an end about the grand expedition. 
 'I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not.' The 
 details are not fully known, but it is said that we shall 
 embark some 60,000 or 70,000 men, including 10,000 
 Turks ; effect a landing about five miles from Sebastopol ; 
 besiege Port Constantine, which commands the town and 
 batteries, and which, if taken, would put us in possession 
 of the place 
 
 " It was a great comfort to be left in ciuietness on this 
 holy day. The communion wms ecleln'ated. It was a 
 
292 THE CAMP. 
 
 hallowed season and my soul enjoyed some of the sweet- 
 ness of that fellowship with the Father and with His Son 
 Jesus Christ which He so delights to impart. To Him I 
 commend you." 
 
 " Varna Harbour, 
 " On Board the ' Pride op the Ocean/ 
 "August 29, 1854. 
 
 " Scarcely had the letters left the camp, the day before 
 yesterday, when an order arrived for the Rifle Brigade to 
 move into Varna, and to embark next day. It is difficult to 
 realise this, after all the doubts one has had on the subject. 
 Varna is in a state of the most extraordinary confusion. 
 Everywhere you see the material of war. The shore is 
 strewed with gabions, fascines, rafts, carts in pieces, &c. 
 &c. The large bay is filled with shipping, men-of-war, 
 and transports. The Guards and Highlanders embarked 
 yesterday, and the Artillery are all at Baltshik. More 
 troops are going on board to-day 
 
 "I pray that you may be kept from sinking. Where 
 the path of duty is so plainly marked out, we must do all 
 we can not to give way. I was reading, this moniing, 
 Ps. Ivii. The first verse came with special comfort to my 
 heart — * Yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my 
 refuge, until these calamities be overpast.' " 
 
THE HOSPITAL. 293 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 e Jospital 
 
 " Fountain of life and living breath. 
 
 Whose mercies cannot fail nor fade, 
 Fill me with life that hath uo death; 
 
 Fill me with light that hath no shade; 
 Appoint the remnant of my days. 
 To see Thy power, and sing Thy praise." 
 
 In the first days of September 1854, took place that extra- 
 ordinary scene in Baltshik Bay, the rendezvous of the allied 
 armies. Swarming like midges upon the quiet surface of 
 the Euxine, the transports poured in, and took up their 
 positions; and above them all towered the mighty forms 
 of the ships of war, bearing the flags of France and Eng- 
 land. Suspense was at an end; and the troops, full of 
 hope and excitement, were at last on the very eve of 
 a mighty enterprise. But, while the fresh sea breeze 
 brought health, and while excitement raised the spirits of 
 the army, Captain Hammond fell ill. A fever, caught 
 from the stagnant marshes of Devna, had stricken him 
 down, at the very moment when health was most needed ; 
 and, by the time the expedition had reached Eupatoria, 
 he was prostrated with a dangerous illness. He writes 
 from on board the Pride of tJie Ocean, 2d September:— 
 
294? THE HOSPITAL. 
 
 " We have not yet left Varna Bay. I have not been 
 quite well ; but I think, however, that I am a little better 
 to-day ; and I trust that, by J * * * F * * *'s quinine 
 and the sea air, I may be set up before the work begins. I 
 began to feel unwell on the line of march, and since then 
 have continued very weak. At this particular time, any- 
 thing in the shape of illness is more than usually trying, 
 when one wishes to be in full possession of all his bodily 
 powers. But it is part of the discipline my heavenly Father 
 sees fit to lay upon me ; and I have been enabled to submit 
 myself to His will, without doubting His wisdom or love." 
 
 To his father he ^vrites on September 3d; and at the 
 close of the letter, in a tremulous hand, says : — 
 
 " I shall send this note, shaky though it is. The fact is, 
 I have been far from well for some days, with slight 
 remittent fever, and am very weak. I hope, however, to 
 be set up by the time the work begins. The Lord teacfi 
 us all to trust in Him at this anxious time." 
 
 When the troops reached their destination, and their 
 disembarkation took place. Captain Hammond's accom- 
 panying them was impossible. He afterwards described 
 his bodily sufferings as very great; but, he said, they were 
 nothing to the intense anguish of mind he felt at being 
 unable to accompany his men, when the hour for action 
 had come. When visiting a friend, after his return to 
 England in January 1855, he was congratulated on his 
 having been prevented by fever from landing with his 
 men; when he replied, with an earnestness never for- 
 gotten by the hearer, " Oh ! don't say that You don't 
 
FALLS ILL WITH FEVER. 295 
 
 know what it luas to me not to be able to go witli my ]nen." 
 As his mind was wandering, under the effects of fever, he 
 was not aware of his own weakness, and more than once 
 insisted upon trying to dress, and to make preparations for 
 the landing with the troops; and he was with difficulty 
 prevailed upon to remain quiet in his berth. He was 
 ordered to remain on board; and the next mail brought 
 the following letter from the colonel of the battalion: — 
 
 " My dear Mr Hammond, — Maxy's last letter will have 
 told you that he had not been feeling well. A fortnight 
 ago, he was obliged to put himself into Dr F * * *'s 
 hands. We have discouraged him from making the least 
 effort ; and it is necessary to keep him as quiet as pos- 
 sible; and, as he may not write for himself, I have 
 
 thought it best to send a few lines It is, indeed, 
 
 a source of additional regret, that we are to lose the ser- 
 vices of so good a soldier, when we are about to undertake 
 so important an enterprise; and dear Maxy feels it as 
 much as we do. But his landing is out of the question. 
 .... Fortunately F * * * accompanied me ; which gave 
 Maxy not only a tender friend, but a skilful physician.'' 
 
 As soon as the army had disembarked, Captain Ham-» 
 mond was sent down to Scutari, on board the Kangaroo, 
 with a large number of sick. During that voyage, the 
 wretched condition of the unhappy men, who were 
 crowded to suffocation, and most insufficiently provided 
 with medical aid and necessaries of the most ordinary 
 kind, excited his sympathy and indignation; and, when 
 sufficiently recovered, he thought it his duty to make an 
 official representation on the subject. .. 
 
29 G THE HOSPITAL. 
 
 His next letter, in a hand scarcely legible, is dated 
 Scutari, September 19th: — 
 
 " Don't be frightened at my ' infantine' style of writing. 
 This is my first attempt since my illness. The Lord has 
 been very gracious to me and to you in having raised me 
 up again. ' Bless the Lord, my soul ; and all that is 
 within me bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, my 
 soul, and forget not all his benefits.' I pray that the life 
 which He has spared may be more devoted to Him hence- 
 forth. I went with the expedition to the Crimea, and 
 stayed there until the troops landed, when the whole of the 
 sick got an order to go to Constantinople. I am so much 
 better, and gaining strength every day — Lady E * * * 
 has been so kind to me. Oh, how I longed to have you 
 near me in my illness I but the Lord was my stay, and 
 
 the everlasting arms underneath How wonderful 
 
 the providence of God, that this illness should have been 
 sent to save me from the dangers of Sebastopol! He 
 answers prayer in a way we looked not for." 
 
 To his mother he says: — 
 
 " Scutari, September 23, 1854. 
 "My dearest Mother, — I am just recovering from 
 the fever, which commenced on the line of march about 
 1st September, and which I carried with me on board 
 ship. It all seems like a dream ; but this I know, that 
 the Lord has mercifully raised me up again, and spared 
 my life. Blessed be His holy name ! I am sure I have 
 been very ill; but, though I was not delirious, I have 
 
SCUTARI HOSPITAL. 297 
 
 hardly any recollection of anything, except that I felt peace 
 in the love of my Saviour; and, though I could not lift 
 up my heart to Him, I felt that all was well, and that 
 
 underneath were the everlasting arms I have no 
 
 fever now, but am very weak both in mind and body, as 
 you will see by my writing. I wish they would send me 
 liome. L * * * K * * * is here sick of fever. There 
 are a great number of sick officers and men. — Your most 
 affectionate Max." 
 
 The sad scenes in the hospital at Scutari, the mis- 
 management of that miserable winter of 1854-55, are no 
 new tale. Still it is scarcely possible, in these extracts 
 from the letters of one who was himself a sufferer there, 
 to omit all reference to the deplorable neglect which 
 existed : — 
 
 " Scutari, September 28. 
 
 " I am certainly getting stronger, but I feel 
 
 great difficulty in writing; and in the afternoon my feet 
 get numbed, as if they had been crushed under a roller. 
 What they mean to do with us, I don't know. There are 
 hardly any medical officers to attend us. I have not seen 
 a doctor for three days. The hospital and barracks are 
 filled with sick and wounded men. Fancy 90 officers, 
 and about 1900 men, killed and wounded in the engage- 
 ment. The poor fellows are sadly neglected. A man of 
 my company, with a grape-shot through his calf, has been 
 eight days in hospital, and no doctor has been near him 
 to dress his wound. It is a sad sight to see the poor 
 fellows lying there. The passages, as well as the wards, 
 are all filled. Oh, the scourge of war! Lord, send us 
 
238 THE HO^riTAL. 
 
 peace, in thy great mercy. I have some hopes of being 
 sent home, but the doctors seem too busy to attend to 
 anything 
 
 " I have been enabled to speak a word to several of 
 the sick officers, and I find that their hearts are much 
 softened, and ready to hear. Pray for me, that I may not 
 be ashamed to confess my dear Lord and Saviour, who 
 loved me. and gave Himself for me. I hope I can truly 
 say He is precious to me. In my weakness, I have felt 
 Him near me, though I could not pray, or raise my 
 thoughts above. 
 
 '^ September 29. — I have seen my doctor, who says that 
 he shall recommend me to appear before a medical board, 
 for the purpose of being sent home. There may be, and 
 possibly will be, great delay, or I may be disappointed 
 altogether; so don't set your heart on seeing me, but 
 be content patiently to wait on the Lord, who will order 
 my steps aright whether I go or remain. I dare not 
 let myself think of meeting; such joy seems too great 
 to be fulfilled. My feet are very weak. I lose all sensa- 
 tion in them about the middle of the day, and they ache 
 most acutely. 
 
 " W * * * is here with a wound in the leg ; the ball 
 entered the knee, and came out about half-way up the 
 underside of the thigh. Providentially, no bone is touched, 
 and he is doing very well. Tell C * # ♦ this. War is 
 a horrible reality. .... Words cannot express how I 
 
 long to see you and our sweet little Nina There 
 
 are almost 2500 sick and wounded in the hospital and 
 barracks, and not more than 20 doctors to attend them. 
 Farewell. 
 
LETTER TO HIS WIPE. 299 
 
 To his wife : — 
 
 " Baeracks, Scutari, October 2. 
 
 "Since I last wrote, another sick officer has 
 
 arrived. It has been quite a providential thing his being 
 sent here, for I found out the first evening that he was 
 under deep concern about his soul, the Lord having 
 touched his heart during his illness. I have had many 
 deeply interesting conversations with him, and he seems 
 most eager to receive the truth, and to give his heart to 
 God. He is, as might be expected, very ignorant of the 
 gospel scheme. I have read with him, and he listens 
 eagerly to the Word of God. He has had cholera, which 
 has reduced him very low. Yesterday (Sunday) the 
 chaplain came to us a little before ten, and gave us a 
 faithful exhortation to repentance — the difference between 
 the repentance of fear, and the repentance of love 
 
 " I had a visit to-day from Mr T * * *, the Free Kirk 
 missionary to the Jews here. He read the first part of 
 Eom. V. to us, and commented very beautifully and clearly 
 upon it, and prayed with us 
 
 " The doctors say I am to go before a board to-morrow. 
 If so, I may perhaps get home by the packet of the 10th. 
 But we must not build our hopes on such a joyful pro- 
 spect, nor be unprepared for disappointment 
 
 " October 3. — The Board has examined me, and pro- 
 nounce me to be a fit case to go home ! God grant that 
 we may meet in the fulness of the blessing of the gospel 
 of Christ, with the one supreme desire that we may glorify 
 
 God, and live more wholly to Him My companion 
 
 improves in health, I think, slowly. I read to him, and 
 
300 THE HOSPITAL. 
 
 last night offered to pray with him ; and I have got him 
 a reference Bible from the depot of the Bible Society at 
 Constantinople. God grant that the good work may go 
 forward in him. Oh, how I shall rejoice to leave the 
 wards of this barrack ! Yet, God be praised, goodness 
 and mercy have followed me even here " 
 
 " Scutari, October 4, 1854. 
 
 " My dearest Father, — .... The board of medical 
 officers examined me yesterday, and pronounced me a fit 
 case to go home ; to which I did not object. I trust and 
 believe I am in the path of duty pointed out by the pro- 
 vidence of God; for the matter has been so completely 
 settled for me, that I do feel it has not been my own 
 choice or doing. I am sure I cannot be fit for duty with 
 my regiment in the Crimea this autumn; nor am I likely 
 to be fit for work for some time, if I remain in this 
 country. I am much better ; my feet are my chief trouble, 
 but improving daily. Still I am kept lying down, and 
 not yet able to walk beyond a few steps. For some days 
 the suffering was acute day and night; but I have been 
 mercifully relieved of pain. Oh, the joy of returning home 
 to you all ! I can scarcely realise it; it seems too good 
 to be possible. What abundant cause have I for thank- 
 fulness to the Father of mercies ! . . . . 
 
 "By the latest accounts from the army, our battalion 
 and the 88th have taken the fort and town where they 
 landed the siege train. The attack on Sebastopol was to 
 commence on the 3d. The battahon has been always to 
 the front, and without much loss." 
 
 A little delay occurred after the sitting of the Board 
 
ATTENDS TO THE V/OUNDED, 801 
 
 and Captain Hammond could not avail himself of the 
 packet of the 10th. 
 
 "Barracks, Scutari, October 9, 1854. 
 
 " I feel you will be sadly disappointed at receiving only 
 
 my writing instead of myself And now I hope to 
 
 be able to go by the steamer of the 15th. ' Hope deferred 
 maketh the heart sick.' Nevertheless, this little disap- 
 pointment may be good to chasten our joy, and keep us 
 from being over-elated. Let us always try to trace the 
 hand of God in every event of our lives; this will sweeten 
 every pleasure, and give comfort and peace in sorrow. . . . 
 
 "There is a delightful spirit of Christian union and 
 love among all the evangelical ministers at Constantinople 
 — a lovely exhibition of the oneness of Christ's Church, 
 however differing in outward things — a true and practical 
 'Evangelical Alliance.' 
 
 "My comrade * * * has gone over to Pera, and I 
 don't think he will return here. He is much better as to 
 bodily health; and I trust that what seemed to be a work 
 of grace begun in him will go on unto perfection. If it 
 
 is the Lord's work, it Avill Among other reasons 
 
 which reconcile me to staying here a few days longer is 
 this, that I am now well enough to be able to look a little 
 after our poor sick and wounded men, many of whom 
 are without any change of linen, and even without soap. 
 Owing to the want of system and arrangement, many poor 
 fellows have been kept for days without food; and I verily 
 believe that a large number have died from exhaustion, 
 from want of feeding and proper nursing. . . . Farewell. 
 The Lord give us both patience to wait His will," 
 
302 THE HOSPITAL. 
 
 Captain Hammond oot a passage on board the steamer 
 of the loth, and landed in England early in October. His 
 delight at returning home is expressed in a letter to a 
 friend : — 
 
 " Great indeed have been the Lord's tender 
 
 mercies to me. I feel that words cannot express all I 
 owe ; and when I say, ' What shall I render unto the 
 Lord?' I feel I cannot make Him any other return than 
 thankfully to receive the cup of salvation and call upon 
 His name. What a mercy to have been spared the dread- 
 ful scenes and deeds that have been and are still going on 
 at the seat of war ! — though sometimes I feel anxious to 
 be sharing those dangers with my friends and comrades. 
 At the same time, I cannot but feel thankful to be re- 
 moved from the dreadful realities of war, and to find 
 myself restored to my precious wife and all my dear 
 friends and relations at home 
 
 " It is said that * * * has become a decided Christian 
 lately. God grant that it may indeed be so. We must 
 not limit the Holy One of Israel. The remembrance that 
 such were some of us, should silence every difficulty with 
 regard to others being brought into the fold. 
 
 " Did you know poor T * * * ? What a glorious 
 change for him, from the din and tumult of battle to the 
 realms of peace and the immediate presence of Jesus ! 
 He has left a lasting remembrance of his Christian 
 labours in this place, where he was quartered for four 
 years. Our dear colonel had a providential escape at 
 Inkermann: two shots through his coat. Tvlio says that 
 'man is immortal till his work is done?' it ii doubly 
 
JOY o^ i;eachikg engla:nd. 303 
 
 true of the believer. 'There shall not an liair of your 
 head perish/ " 
 
 And to his brother: — 
 
 " Dover, Sunday Night. 
 
 " My dearest H * * *,— I have written to tell you 
 of my safe arrival here on Friday evening. Imagine my 
 joy and deep gratitude to the Father of all mercies. He 
 has indeed ' brought me up out of an horrible pit and the 
 miry clay,' and 'has put a new song into my mouth, even 
 praise unto my God.' The feeling that I cannot praise 
 
 and thank Him enough is almost oppressive I 
 
 bless His holy name for the love and sympathy of so 
 many of His dear people, whose prayers have been offered 
 for me continua Jy ; and I feel assured that my return in 
 safety and in peace is in answer to those prayers." 
 
 Thus, even through a rough and stony road, through 
 sickness and suffering, God graciously answered the prayer 
 that constantly rose to Maxy Hammond's lips, and from 
 his heart, during the long days of that Bulgarian summer. 
 He looked himself upon that sickness, in connexion with 
 his fear of death, which we have before alluded to, as expe- 
 rienced by him in Bulgaria; and contrasting it with the 
 inward peace which he felt during his illness, he believed 
 it was sent in order to manifest to him the Lord's ffrace as 
 sufficient for him in his weakness. 
 
 Home, his wife, and his child were before him once 
 more. " Thou hast given him his heart's desire, and hast 
 not withholden the request of his lips." Joyful .indeed 
 was that return to his father's roof. Yet but a little 
 
sot THE HOSPITAL. 
 
 longer, a few short months, and another home would be 
 liis. "In my Father's house are many mansions;" and 
 with that one family already gathered there, his place 
 would soon be found. But, short as the time was, there 
 was trial yet for the Christian soldier, sore enough, to 
 come. 
 
 On Captain Hammond's recovery from his illness, his 
 first thought was to devote himself more entirely than ever 
 to the Lord. "What shall I say?'' was the outpouring of 
 his soul ; " he hath both spoken unto me, and himself hath 
 done it: I shall go softly all my years. Thou hast, in 
 love to my soul, delivered it from the pit of corruption. 
 The living, the living he shall praise thee, as I do this 
 day." Many years before, as we have mentioned, he had 
 conceived the idea of entering the ministry. Now that 
 desire returned with tenfold force. For some time past 
 he had felt the deadening pressure of camp life. Like 
 just Lot, his soul was vexed with the filthy conversation 
 of the wicked. He loathed war in itself; and he longed 
 to withdraw from the red field of slaughter, that he midit 
 preach the gospel of peace. From Monastir, he had 
 written, in the August previous, " I must confess to you 
 that I feel sick of my profession, and long to be otherwise 
 employed. Camj) life is uphill work for a Christian ; and, 
 though the fault lies mainly with myself, there are so 
 many difficulties and impediments to doing good that it 
 seems next to impossible to do anything." There was 
 also in his nature an innate repugnance to the scenes of 
 the battle-field. Long before the war, while once talking 
 of the. battle of Waterloo, and of the numbers that fell, he 
 said, " He hoped that there were many who went to glory 
 
KEPUGNANCE TO THE EVIL PASSIONS OF WAR. 305 
 
 from that field of battle," and then added, " It was not a 
 desirable death for a Christian, since the excitement was 
 calculated to stir up the evil passions of the heart;" and 
 afterwards, when he heard of Captain Vicars' death, he 
 said, " It is a painful thought that his mind was excited 
 at the time leading his men against the Eussians, in 
 repelling a sortie." And on his return from Scutari, when 
 one said that a field of battle must be an opportunity for 
 the exercise of a Christian state of mind, he replied, " He 
 thought not. It would be a letting loose of all the evil of 
 the natural man." Then came the struggle — " Is this the 
 path of duty? Ought I, at such a time, upon any call, 
 however strong, to leave those with whom I have cast in 
 my lot? Bitter, indeed, repugnant to my very nature, these 
 scenes of suffering, of horror, and of sin ; and yet ' The 
 cup that my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?''' 
 He even went so far towards this step as to have an inter- 
 view with the Archbishop of Canterbury, who kindly con- 
 sented to ordain him. But he felt, as the war thickened, 
 that the way was more and more closed against him, and 
 his mind was made up. On the morning on which he 
 sailed for the Crimea, he said, " I have no regret at my 
 determination not to take orders; I feel that my path of 
 duty lies in the army, whether for life or death." 
 In a letter to his brother. May 7, 1855, he says: — 
 
 "You ask me about leaving the army. My feeling 
 now is, and for some time has been, that I could not leave 
 on the score of health, though I am not as strong as I 
 used to be; and I do not feel at liberty to leave for any 
 other reason at such a crisis. The path of duty seems 
 
 u 
 
30 G THE HOSPITAL. 
 
 plain before me — to return, in due time, to share the 
 labours of the army in the field, whenever called upon to 
 do so.'' 
 
 Closing a note to a friend, with some observations on our 
 opportunities for action wherever we may be, he says : — 
 
 " Doubtless there is work for you to do where you are. 
 May we know more fully what it is to live by the faith of 
 the Son of God ! It is easy to make resolutions, and to 
 wi'ite them; but how difficult to perform them! How 
 much there was in those last words of Haldane Stewart — 
 ' I have not got beyond, " God be merciful to me a sin- 
 ner !"' We shall never go beyond our need of the con- 
 stant prayer, ' Lord, increase our faith/ These two prayers 
 will keep us in our right place — sinners looking to Jesus." 
 
 " Did you read," he says, in another note about this 
 time, "a letter in the Times bearing noble testimony to 
 the gallantry and Christian character of young Vicars? 
 
 Such men are rare, and their place not easily 
 
 filled." 
 
 The spring and summer of 1855 was passed by him 
 partly at his home, and partly at Southsea, where he had 
 taken a house, and was stationed in command of the 
 depot. His earnestness in doing his Master's work at 
 this time, especially attracted the observations of his 
 friends. The first Sunday, he went to the clergyman to 
 ask if he could be of use in the school, being unable, in 
 consequence of the distance, to undertake both the hospi- 
 tal and the school, which he had previously established in 
 
LABOUES IN THE SCHOOL AND HOSPITAL. 307 
 
 the spring at Fort Cumberland for the children of the 
 depot. At the hospital he attended every Sunday after- 
 noon, and, though still suffering in his feet from the 
 effects of the Bulgarian fever, he always walked to Fort 
 Cumberland and back (between three and four miles). 
 He was very earnest and diligent as a Sunday school 
 teacher, always preparing his lesson the day before, and 
 making the children the subject of prayer. 
 
 At these Sunday visits to the hospital, Maxy Hammond 
 conducted a service for the sick, with the chaplain's per- 
 mission. He used to read a portion of the Liturgy, and 
 then expound some portion of Scripture. He valued these 
 opportunities extremely, and used to say, he could get at 
 the men better, and speak to them more familiarly and 
 personally than at any other time. During the spring 
 and summer of 1855, there was an average attendance of 
 sixteen — some who had been in the Crimea, and some 
 about to go there ; and he found men thus circumstanced 
 ready listeners. After this service, he would read and 
 pray separately with any who were seriously ill, and con- 
 fined to their beds. But he was not intended to remain 
 here much longer. The siege of Sebastopol, like the 
 horse-leech, was crying. Give, give ! and the blood that 
 flowed freely required re-placing. 
 
 Early in April, he writes the next note : — 
 
 " My dearest Father, — An order came down this day 
 week for 1 captain, 4 subalterns, 6 sergeants, and 200 
 men, to be held in readiness for immediate embarkation 
 for Malta. E * * * has written to General Wetherall, 
 to know whether he wishes to retain me to command the 
 
308 THE HOSPITAL. 
 
 depot. No answer has been received It is most 
 
 worrying to be in such a state of uncertainty, as I can- 
 not make my preparations for going out. As for myself, 
 I am quite willing to go or remain, only I wish they 
 would tell me one way or the other There is com- 
 fort in knowing, amidst all these changes of outward life, 
 that there is an unseen hand guiding and directing all. 
 If only we acknowledge Him in all, He will surely direct 
 our steps aright." 
 
 " FoET Cumberland, April 17. 
 
 " My dear Father, — After all, another officer 
 
 is ordered to go out, as they wish to detain me at the 
 
 depot Though I am quite ready to go abroad 
 
 when called upon, I must own I am thankful, on many 
 accounts, to be left at home in peace. The Crimea is not 
 a destination to be desired. I fear there is little doubt 
 that warlike operations will last there long enough, to 
 give one full time to take part in them sooner or later. 
 Therefore, I need be in no hurry to get there. My rule 
 always has been, and I believe always will be, never to 
 ask for a thing; but I hope I never shall be an idle 
 soldier as long as I am one at alL" 
 
 Scarcely ten days later, and he writes again in sus- 
 pense : — 
 
 " My dearest M * * *, — This morning an order was 
 received from the Crimea for three captains and twelve 
 subalterns, to go immediately. The only three available 
 captains are N * * *, W * * *, and myself; so I be- 
 lieve I must really go this time. E « « » has gon6 
 
BUSPENSE. S09 
 
 to-day to London, to learn what arrangements are to be 
 made; and he promised to telegraph: so I hope to hear 
 to-morrow. ' The lot is cast into the lap, but (blessed 
 be our covenant God) the whole disposing thereof is of the 
 Lord/ — Ever your most affectionate 
 
 " M. M. H." 
 
 But there was yet another change; the order was 
 countermanded, and the immediate prospect of embarka- 
 tion removed. Painful, indeed, as all this uncertainty 
 must have been, it was but a further exercise of faith — a 
 further refinement of the gold in the furnace— a further 
 retouching and repolishing the jewel, that was needed to 
 fit it for the Saviours crown. At such a season, espe- 
 cially. Captain Hammond could sympathise with one Avho 
 was then a weeping mother, and exhort her to bear a 
 sorrow kindred to his own, but deeper still: — 
 
 "Hay 16, 1855. 
 "My dear Mrs H * * *,— I wished to be able to 
 tell you when I wrote how the matter had been decided. 
 Nothing is to be done at present about sending officers 
 out; so we are left in suspense. I had hoped to see you 
 as the summer approaches; but, in these changing and 
 
 troublous times, no future plans can be made The 
 
 loss of your precious boy makes me feel how watchful we 
 ought to be not to make an idol of a child, seeing that 
 they may be snatched away in a moment. But — 
 " ' Oh not in anger nor in wrath 
 Tlie reaper came that day ; 
 Twas an augel visited the green earth, 
 And took the flower away.' 
 
810 THE HOSPITAL. 
 
 The sweet boy is far above the reach of the turmoil and 
 trouble of this world of sin. Our heavenly Father 
 knoweth that we have need of these things — the chas- 
 tisement as well as the joys. We must have tribulation, 
 if we would enter the kingdom. You must give up a 
 child, and my wife and I must have separations and 
 seasons of bitter trial and anxiety. But, whatever our 
 trials may be, let us realise more fully the love and 
 wisdom that orders all, and then we shall be able even 
 to kiss the rod. — ^Your sincere friend, 
 
 "M. M. H." 
 
THE HAKBLJfGEE. Jili 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 " While the labour lasted, while the race was running. 
 Many times the sinews ached and half refused the struggle. 
 
 But soon all would be quietness 
 
 Hope was glad at the beginning, and fear was sad midway. 
 But sweet fruition cometh at the end." 
 
 In the early part of August 1855, after all these orders 
 and counter-orders, the fiat was issued that was at last to 
 send Maxy Hammond forth to finish the work that had 
 been appointed for him here. Was he indeed, through 
 the darkness and doubt that clouded his last autumn 
 mornings, permitted to see in their near reality the eternal 
 towers ? Did he, like the Idumean inquirer, through the 
 dim twilight of time, seek for the morning ? " Watchman, 
 what of the night? watchman, what of the night?" If 
 so, doubtless, the answer was vouchsafed to him — " The 
 morning cometh " — the night was indeed far spent, and 
 the day was at hand. 
 
 On the .9th of August his father, his mother, one brother, 
 and one sister, went down to Southsca. On Friday, 
 August 10, Maxy read with his wife for the last time 
 1 Pet. i. 1-8. After tlie passage had been read, he repeated 
 to himself, " incorrUptii)le, uiKkf.led, and that fadeth nut 
 
312 THE HARBINGER. 
 
 away." He then said he had chosen a verse for his wife, 
 " Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning 
 on her beloved V And said, ^Aa^ was the attitude of soul 
 that we should seek after. It had been settled that the 
 rest of his family should come on that morning at nine to 
 breakfast: so that he, with his wife, had a quiet time for 
 prayer before they arrived. They knelt together in the 
 drawing-room. He prayed for his wife, that the removal 
 of earthly joy might the more endear to her her God and 
 her Saviour. The impression on his mind seemed that of 
 a very long separation as before them, and he used the 
 expression, " Give her wisdom and grace to train up her 
 child in the nurture and admonition of the Lord," as 
 though she were going to bring it up herself. In the 
 same prayer he said, " Thou hast given us life : none can 
 take away that life until thou dost thyself recall it." 
 
 In the previous year, February 1854, when on the eve 
 of embarkation, at a season precisely analogous to this, 
 with all the uncertain future before him, he made use of 
 a very remarkable expression, treasured up by us all, 
 which perhaps comes more home to us now, and will find 
 its place most seasonably here. He was sitting with his 
 wife before the evening service ; and, speaking of the 
 coming trials and the dangers of war, he said, " I know 
 the anxiety you will feel ; but one cannot be anxious about 
 one's self, for I feel I am so entirely in God's hands," and 
 then he added, with a calm solemnity of tone, and as if 
 weighing every word, " and if God should see fit to take 
 me in that manner, sudden death is to the believer but 
 sudden glory." 
 
 TJie St Albans party, his father, mother, brother, and 
 
HIS LAST PRAYER WITH HIS FAMILY. 313 
 
 sister, anivecl They were all in the dining-room. The 
 servants came in. There was a depth of feeling and a calm 
 dignity in Maxy's manner which was very striking. All 
 present felt it. He said to his brother E * * *, a clergy- 
 man, " E * * *, you must let me be my own priest to-day, 
 please," and he then read the 121st and 125th Psalms, "I 
 will lift mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh 
 my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made 
 heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to bo 
 moved : he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold 
 he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. 
 The Lord is thy keeper, the Lord is thy shade upon thy 
 right liand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the 
 moon by night. The Lord shall preserve thee from all 
 evil : lie shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve 
 thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, 
 and even for evermore." " They that trust in the Lord 
 shall be as Mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but 
 abideth for ever. As the mountains are round about 
 Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about his people from 
 henceforth even for ever. For the rod of the wicked shall 
 not rest upon the lot of tlie righteous, lest the righteous 
 put forth their hands unto iniquity. Do good, Lord, 
 unto those that be good, and to them that are upright in 
 their hearts. As for such as turn aside unto their crooked 
 ways, the Lord shall lead them forth with tlie workers of 
 iniquity: but peace shall be wmu Israel." 
 
 Those who were present will never forget the calming 
 and solemnising effect of his beautiful prayer: commending 
 himself to God, and those especially whom he was leaving 
 behind to His love, and care, and grace. His special prayer 
 
314) THE HAKBINGER. 
 
 for himself was, " That he niiglit honour God, whatever 
 scenes he might pass through/' Little Nina, his child, 
 two years and one month old, knelt at the sofa between 
 her mother and her aunt F * * *. They feared she 
 would interrupt the stillness, but she seemed to feel the 
 solemnity of what was passing, and was quiet throughout. 
 
 The preparations for departure were soon completed, 
 and Maxy took leave of his wife, his child, and those of his 
 family assembled at Southsea, to see them here no more. 
 Bitter indeed was the parting, nor would it be possible it 
 should pass without some misgivings, some forecast of 
 sorrow in store. If holy Jacob could pour out the sorrows 
 of an anxious heart, might not the Christian father, with- 
 out rebelling, say, " If mischief befall him by the way in 
 the which ye go, then shall ye bring down my grey hairs 
 with sorrow to the grave." 
 
 Before sailing, Maxy Hammond found time, as usual, 
 to make some provision for the spiritual wants of his men. 
 A well-known publisher says in a letter — " Captain Ham- 
 mond was in * * * Street a few days before he sailed, 
 and he was then, as always, intent upon obtaining for his 
 men such publications as he thought likely to do them good. 
 In the brief conversation we then had with him, we can 
 weU remember how warm a place the men under his com- 
 mand had in his Christian sympathies.'' 
 
 The vessel appointed to convey those officers who were 
 under orders for the Crimea was lying at Woolwich, and 
 there Captain Hammond arrived late on the evening of 
 the 11th. Here he was joined by his two other brothers 
 and a sister, who had not received intelligence of his 
 sudden departure in time to join the rest at Southsea. 
 
LAST PARTINGS. 315 
 
 At the house of a kind and old friend they were expecting 
 his arrival. Late at night a carriage drove up, and he 
 jumped out; his face, as usual, forestalling the warm and 
 joyful greeting of his lips. He was in uniform, with his 
 pouch-belt and sword. All were struck with the very 
 great apparent improvement in his health. He had latterly 
 entirely thrown off the effects of his illness ; and it seemed 
 as if God, in His gracious love, had restored him to the full 
 and complete possession of his bodily vigour, in order 
 that, in the last great earthly struggle that remained, he 
 might go forth " strong in the power of His might," and 
 honour Him, by his bearing before man,- in auswer to his 
 prayers. 
 
 Very cheerlessly the Sabbath morning came. The sun 
 strove feebly to break the cold grey sky, and then with- 
 drew within the mist. At an officer's quarters in the 
 dockyard the party met and breakfasted together. They 
 then joined together in prayer. The chapter read was 
 Heb. xiii., " Let brotherly love continue." After break- 
 fast, they walked through the dockyard to the quay. 
 And though no sound of hammer, nor axe, nor iron tool 
 was there, yet gun, mortar, ambulance, and tumbril, and 
 pyramids of heavy shot and shell, spoke to us of purpose 
 strangely at variance with that day of holy rest. Nearly 
 midway across the river, the Harbinger was lying at her 
 moorings, her black hull casting a heavy shadow upon the 
 dull water. Volumes of brown smoke from her funnel 
 indicated that she would soon be under weigh. Hailing a 
 boat to go on board, and passing down the granite steps, 
 along whose sides the sleepy ripple floated up the slimy 
 weeds, and washed the red rust from cramp and iron 
 
C 1 6 THE HARBINGER. 
 
 cable, with sad and full hearts the little party pulled off, 
 and " accompanied him to the ship, sorrowing, most of all, 
 that they should see his face no more." Upon the gang- 
 way of the steamer, the sister and brothers parted; yet 
 not sorrowing as those without hope. Those who Avere 
 loft, returned in time to worship with those who were 
 assembled in God's house, and to lift up their hearts to Him, 
 comforted by a hymn singularly suited to the occasion. 
 Before the congregation had left that roof, the Harbinger 
 had weighed her anchor and had left the river; and 
 Captain Hammond seized a moment of leisure to write 
 a parting line of farewell to some of his friends : — 
 
 " * Harbinger,' at Anchor, off N. Foreland, 
 " August \%\S5o. 
 
 " My dear Friend, — Often have you and I been called 
 to enter into each other's joys and sorrows — in your case 
 more frequently the latter. Now I write to tell you that 
 the time has arrived when I am again called upon to part 
 with those dearer to me than anything else on earth, to 
 return to the East. The order came somewhat unex- 
 pectedly at the last. For though I had been under orders 
 for three weeks, I had still expected to have been kept for 
 a time longer in charge of the depot, in consequence of 
 the colonel having applied for this purpose to the adjutant- 
 general. 
 
 " But it is all ordered in wisdom and love; and, there- 
 fore, it is well. The trial to my poor dear wife is one 
 which is beyond human aid, but, blessed be God, not 
 beyond the all-sufficiency of His grace. Do pray for her, 
 my dear friend ; and for me also, that I may be enabled 
 
HIS JOURNAL ON THE PASSAGE OUT. 317 
 
 to Iionour God before men. I wonder how you are. Oh, 
 tliat the waves and billows of life may be wafting us all 
 toward the haven of rest above. — Ever your affectionate 
 friend, M. M. H." 
 
 And to another friend — 
 
 "My dearest J * * *," he writes in one of these 
 hurried notes, " you will be somewhat astonished to hear 
 that I am actually en route for the Crimea. So, farewell 
 to all pleasant dreams of paying you and your dear wife a 
 visit, for some time to come. The order to go out came 
 upon us rather unexpectedly ; and I had thought I should 
 have been kept for a time longer in charge of the depot. 
 But it is well. My only thought is for my poor wife; 
 grace only can keep her heart from sinking, and that grace 
 is sufficient. Here is my comfort — you and your dear wife 
 will pray for her, I know, and for me, that I may have 
 grace to honour God before men." 
 
 The next letter is a short one to his father, accompanied 
 by a sort of journal, which it was his intention to keep 
 from that period: — 
 
 "August 25, 1855. 
 " My dear Father, — I send you the journal, which may 
 tell you something of our voyage as far as Malta. We 
 have had a fine passage, though not a quick one, having 
 had head winds since crossing the Bay of Biscay. Were 
 it not that I was going aivay, I should really have enjoyed 
 it. There is not the novelty in a second voyage that there 
 was at first, though I had not before seen Gibraltar or 
 
318 THE HARBINGER. 
 
 Algiers, as we have done this time. We expect to reach 
 Malta very early to-morrow (Sunday) morning. I am 
 very much afraid we shall coal, and go on without delay, 
 which will be inconvenient, as I had reckoned upon pro- 
 viding myself with sundry necessaries at Malta I 
 
 cannot tell you the satisfaction I felt at having seen you 
 all before I left. It is so nice to have you all fresh in my 
 recollection, as among the last things I saw before leaving 
 dear old England 
 
 " We don't know, until we arrive at Malta, whether we 
 shall go on at once in this ship, or be kept there. The 
 captain's orders are only to take us as far as Malta, but I 
 shall produce my letter for the Crimea (which I believe to 
 have been a mistake of the clerk at the Brigade Office at 
 Portsmouth), and I have little doubt the admiral will send 
 us on at once. I sincerely trust so, for it would be very 
 trying to be kept at Malta doing nothing 
 
 ''Monday, August 27, Malta. — Arrived yesterday 
 morning, and to sail this morning. Direct to the Crimea, 
 of course. — ^Your most afl'ectionate Max.'' 
 
 Some extracts from the journal above alluded to may 
 be read with interest: — ■ 
 
 "August 11. — Embarked at ten AM. this morning, on 
 board the Harbinger, weighed anchor at eleven, and 
 steamed down the river. .... Our party consists of five 
 officers Eiile Brigade, one of the 17th, and ten surgeons; 
 our cargo, 200 tons of shot and shell, 50 tons of gun- 
 powder, and other portions of a battering-train 
 
 " August 17, Bay of Biscay. — Nearly every one suf- 
 fered, more or less, from the rolling of the vessel. To-day 
 
J0UE3SUL ON ini: PASSAGE OUT. S19 
 
 it Kas been delightfully smooth. Thankfully, indeed, did 
 my heart ascend this morning to Him who says to the 
 waves, ' Be still/ for the comfort, mental and bodily, thus 
 afforded 
 
 August 19. — The wind freshened from the east, and 
 the captain prorrnosticated a Levanter, as we aj^proached 
 the Gut of Gibraltar, which surely enough came true — 
 the breeze gradually increasing all day, and till we entered 
 the strait after midnight. The phosphorescent nature of 
 the water in these latitudes is very curious and beautiful. 
 Last night we all crowded to the bows to see it, and were 
 astonished at the myriads of fish which were swimming 
 in endless shoals on the surface, and which fled in all 
 directions as the ship surged into the midst of them. At 
 one time we came into the midst of a number of phos- 
 phorescent flashes like watery meteors, which we could not 
 account for. But the most exciting thing of all was the 
 cry of porpoises, which played about the ship's bows, 
 heedless of the speed with which we were cutting through 
 the water, each porpoise illuminated with phosphoric light, 
 and leaving behind it a long track like a luminous tail. 
 They were evidently hunting the hordes of fish that we 
 were driving before us 
 
 "We had service yesterday morning on the quarter- 
 deck, the captain reading the prayers, and the doctor the 
 lessons. The poop was prepared with flags and awnings 
 for the occasion, and every one appeared in Sunday best. 
 The sailors seemed attentive, and the service (which never 
 appeared more beautiful in my eyes) was altogether an 
 impressive one. A quiet Sunday at sea is peculiarly re- 
 frcKhin!:" to one's spirit. No unnecessary work is done, 
 
320 THE HAEBINGER. 
 
 and tbe day is observed as a day of rest. We had a 
 beautiful view of the African side of the strait; the out- 
 line of the hills is wild and picturesque. On the other 
 side, but at a greater distance than one would have de- 
 sired, * The Eock' rose abruptly and majestically out of 
 the water. It is, in truth, a striking object, and one that 
 does not disappoint one's expectations. We passed close 
 to the Spanish town of Cintra, with a fortified citadel. 
 
 " August 23. — Overhauled and spoke the Samuel Lang, 
 transport, No. 219, at eleven p.m., bound for Malta and 
 Balaklava. The excitement on such occasions is great. 
 
 *' August 24;. — We have just passed Bonah, and are 
 now lying motionless between the Sorelli rocks (where 
 the Avenger steamer was lost) and the mainland. About 
 ten miles distant are the rocky and uninhabited islands of 
 Galita. In the afternoon stopped the engines, to clean 
 out the pipes which heat the boiler. While doing so, the 
 John Boiues, steam-transport, passed close to us, bound 
 for Balaklava with medical comforts. 
 
 " August 25. — Passed the Sarah Sands, mth another 
 transport in tow, about five miles off, apparently convey- 
 ing troops 
 
 "August 27. — Arrived at Malta yesterday (Sunday) 
 morning, about six o'clock; attended the mid-day service 
 at the palace at eleven; heard a very striking sermon 
 from the chaplain, Mr Hare, on Ps. xc. 2, 3 — ' The Eter- 
 nity of God.' Paid a visit afterwards to these kind, warm- 
 hearted people. Felt thankful for a quiet Sunday, and 
 for Mr Hare's stuTing sermon. Up, and on shore early, 
 as we were coaling, and expected to sail at ten. Tried, 
 and bought for £'28, a very nice little Spanish horse, 
 
JOURNAL ON THE PASSAGE OUT. 321 
 
 which had been left at Malta by Sir J. Ferguson. The 
 little horse stands about fourteen hands high, well-shaped 
 and strong, and very quiet; ten or twelve years' old, and 
 white. Our captain was excessively good-natured; got 
 leave for me from the admiral to take the horse, and set 
 his carpenter to make up a stall for him on deck. The 
 harbour presents a wonderful spectacle in these times. 
 We counted about fourteen steam- transports all filled 
 with troops or stores, which had put in to coal ; and this 
 goes on day after day, and week after week. What an 
 idea it gives one of the expense of this war ! Colonel 
 P * * * told me that they had sent up 8000 men from 
 Malta within the last three months ; but still the returns 
 shew about the same number — 21,000 actually on service. 
 My little horse ' the General' gets on famously, and seems 
 quite at home. He is a gTeat favourite with all the 
 sailors. I shall try to get a goat, if possible, at Constan- 
 tinople, as milk is a luxury unknown in the Crimea 
 
 " September 3. — Arrived at Constantinople about five 
 
 on Saturday evening On Sunday went to the 
 
 service at the Embassy; heard a good sermon; received 
 the communion afterwards. Felt it a great privilege to 
 have this opportunity of receiving the sacrament on the 
 last Sunday before reaching the Crimea. Went to Scutari 
 in the afternoon to see an old 5 2d friend. He is now 
 deputy-inspector of the Barrack Hospital. Went with 
 him into some of the wards, and revisited the hospital 
 again yesterday, when we completed our inspection of it. 
 What a change for the better since I saw it last ! We 
 have read endless accounts of all that was amiss there, 
 but who has read any full description of the improvements 
 
822 THE HARBINGER. 
 
 that have taken place, and the state of perfection to which 
 it has now attained ? The wards are in beautiful order, 
 well provided with shelves and utensils of all kinds ; the 
 bedding and dresses of the patients beautifully clean. 
 There are stores innumerable of every sort and descrip- 
 tion imaginable — medicines, provisions, preserved meats, 
 clothing, wine, porter, &c. The whole building is divided 
 into so many numbered divisions, each one subdivided 
 again into so many wards. Each division has its staff of 
 superintendent, ward-master, orderlies, &c. We saw the 
 bath-room, where every patient, not too ill, is washed on 
 admission, has his old clothes taken from him, and re- 
 ceives his hospital suit. There is a pack-room, where all 
 the knapsacks are taken, and registered in a book ; so that 
 here nothing can be lost. Within the interior ground 
 many sheds have been erected for the convalescents, with 
 dining-room and reading-room attached. In the reading- 
 room there are comfortable English arm-chairs, and plenty 
 of newspapers, besides books of all sorts. There is also 
 another well-stocked library for the use of the sick. I 
 saw several of our men who recognised me, though I 
 seldom knew them, poor fellows 
 
 The letters to his wife, written on his way out, contain 
 passages strikingly beautiful. His mind was evidently 
 becoming more and more abstracted from all earthly 
 things. His affection for his wife was, indeed, intense; 
 but still he w^as rapidly and practically concentrating his 
 affections on things above; and his whole spirit was be- 
 coming attuned to the harmony awaiting him in a higher 
 and heavenly sphere. 
 
LETTER TO HIS WIFE. 323 
 
 To his wife: — 
 
 "Off Eddystone Lighthouse, 
 August 14^, 1855. 
 
 " With an aching heart, I am passing away from the 
 land which contains my wife, child, and all whom I love 
 dearest on earth. Were it not that I can, through grace, 
 feel that my Saviour God is with m-^ my heart would sink 
 beneath the weight of the past, and anticipation of the 
 future. Already I have felt that it has been good for me 
 to have been thus cut off from the happiness of my 
 home. My heart has been drawn closer to Jesus, and my 
 constant prayer is — 
 
 Nearer my God to Thee, nearer to Thee, 
 E'en though it be a cross that raiseth me. 
 Be sure that the right trial comes at the right moment. 
 We could not have chosen so well for ourselves, hard 
 though it be for flesh and blood. Jesus hath ' prayed for 
 thee, that thy faith fail not.' Here is my comfort in 
 thinking of you. He will not suffer your faith utterly to 
 fail. So 'lift up your heart to the hills from whence 
 Cometh your help.' When your heart is overwhelmed, then 
 pray — ' Lead me to the Eock that is higher' than 1/ * He 
 (Jesus) is a Eock, and His way is perfect.' I have needed 
 this trial; perhaps we both have. For I know the ten- 
 dency of our hearts to lean too much in, and rest too 
 much on, each other's love. When with you, I am satis- 
 fied, and feel at rest. But he ' builds too low that builds 
 below the skies.' I have yet to learn that we must look 
 only for rest in the kingdom of the Prince of Peace. 
 
 " jUigust 17. — I can scarcely believe that six days have 
 passed since tliat day. The last two have been miserable 
 
324 THE HARBINGER. 
 
 enough; l)odily, and t'lerefore mentally. For sea-sickness 
 prostrates all our energies, and wholly unfits one for 
 speech, thought, or action. But, to-day, it is dehghtfully 
 smooth, and I breathe once more. I trust our experience 
 will be found to agree that 
 
 Trials make the promise sweet, 
 Trials give new life to prayer. 
 I have found it so, through the rich mercy of my God. 
 But I must watch against the deceitfulness of my heart, 
 and not forget whence alone my strength can come. 
 You are never absent from my thoughts; but, again and 
 again, I fall back upon the comfort of knowing that Jesus 
 loves you more tenderly, more wisely, and more constantly 
 than I do. He will sustain and keep you, and give you 
 songs in the night. I was comforted this morning in 
 prayer for you, in thinking that the promise would be 
 fulfilled to you — 'I will not leave you comfortless; I mil 
 come to you.' Oh! if Jesus come to you, you will have 
 such a portion as your husband can never be to you. . . . 
 
 " It was such a comfort to me to have seen all the 
 family, except dear F # * *, before I left. I wrote short 
 notes to Mr M * * *, W * * * J * * *, A * * * 
 P * * *, and G * * *; dear M * * * and S * * *, 
 give them my parting love when you Amte 
 
 " We had a pleasant Sabbath yesterday. The service 
 was very impressive. Never do I more fully appreciate 
 the beauty and fulness of our Liturgy than on these 
 occasions. It was sweet to feel, too, that those at home 
 were worshipping the same God, through the same 
 Mediator. , . . 
 
 •'I have become so fond of little G * * *, and her 
 
LETTEIt TO HIS WIFE. 325 
 
 good aunt ; she is such a nice and affectionate child ; and, 
 moreover, I trust a child of God. She has got a number 
 of tracts and little books, which she was anxious to give 
 to the sailors and soldiers; so I went round with her, 
 and she was well received. 
 
 " August 21. — I enjoyed so much the hour I spent with 
 dear F * * *, after returning from the H * * *'s, on 
 the night of Saturday. Though dreadfully tired, I would 
 not have missed that quiet time with him on any account. 
 He read Heb. iii., and prayed with me. My Jieart is 
 much cast down; but I would not liave it otherwise. 
 Only I pray that I may glorify God, by trusting in Him, 
 even in the darkest day. It is not easy to keep up the 
 outward appearance of cheerfulness; but I feel that I 
 ought to do so. I always endeavour to do so, as far 
 as I can, for the sake of those with me. . . . 
 
 " Monday, August 27th, Malta. — We go this morning 
 direct to the Crimea. In great haste, I must end." 
 
 To his wife : — 
 
 " August 29, Harbinger. 
 
 "It was a great comfort to me to have a 
 
 quiet Sunday at Malta. I enjoyed the service, though, 
 alas! my thoughts wandered sadly. Mr H * * ♦ 
 preached in his usually earnest and striking style. I felt 
 that I ought to make the most of this 'meat,' in the 
 strength of which I shall probably have to go for many 
 days. . . . Alas! how cold often is my heart; and yet, 
 through all its wanderings, and worldliness, and sin, I 
 trust I can say, ' Lord, Thou knowest all things ; Thou 
 knowest that I love Thee.' I do so prize that svreet 
 
32 G THE HARBINGER. 
 
 little book, 'The Mind and Words of Jesus;' it so often 
 speaks a word in season to me. We are getting on but 
 slowly; some on board are 'grumbling,' which I abhor 
 above all things 
 
 " I do trust and pray that you may be able to commit 
 my way to Him in humble confidence, and that your heart 
 may be kept in peace, resting on Him. Hitherto, thank 
 God, I have had no disquieting thoughts for myself. 
 FeeUng so fully that I am in His hands, I can calmly 
 look forward to all dangers and risks, to which I shall 
 probably be exposed. ' The determinate counsel and fore- 
 knowledge of God ' affords, at this season, peculiar com- 
 fort. Seek to cherish this blessed truth, that all is be- 
 fore appointed. Then, come what will, all must be 
 well. I have no presentiment of coming evil, and no 
 vain confidence of escaping danger. I place myself in 
 the hands of my Saviour God. I rest in His finished 
 work, as a poor guilty sinner. I hope in His mercy, and 
 leave the issue in His hands, without carefulness. This 
 trial is for the exercise of our faith. Oh! that grace may 
 be given us to glorify our Lord, by doing or suffering 
 what He may appoint. 
 
 ''September 2d, Constantinople. — Arrived this morn- 
 ing, and am to see Mr F * * * (the Free Church mis- 
 sionary) afterwards. I want also to pay a visit to 
 Scutari. God bless and be with you. M. M. H." 
 
 In the little volume above alluded to — " The Mind and 
 Words of Jesus" — the following passages underlined may 
 be taken as expressive of the spirit and temper of mind 
 to which he had attained at this period : — 
 
EXTEACTS FROM THE 'MIND AND WORDS OF JESUS." 32? 
 
 P. 74 — "Be pcatieiit. The Lord is good to them that 
 wait for Him. With thee, the tribukition that worketh 
 patience is needful discipline.'' 
 
 P. 75 — " In patience, then, possess ye your souls. Let 
 it not be a grace for peculiar seasons, called forth in pecu- 
 liar exigencies ; but an habitual frame, manifested in the 
 calm serenity of a daily walk; placidity amid the little, 
 fretting annoyances of everyday life ; and fixed purpose 
 of the heart to imit upon God, and cast its every burden 
 upon Him." 
 
 P. 114 — "We know not what tenderness of the blast 
 there is in the rough wind; what 'needs-he' are folded 
 under the wings of the storm." 
 
 P. 115 — " Do not anticipate the trials of to-morrow, to 
 aggravate those of to-daj^" 
 
 P. 125 — "Then let death overtake you when it may, 
 you will have nothing to do but to die." This is the last 
 'passage marked in the volume. 
 
 A few more extracts from his journal will connect this 
 letter with Captain Hammond's arrival at Balaklava:— 
 
 ''Sept. 3. — Got steam up, and under weigli about five 
 o'clock on Monday. Through the Bosphorus before dark. 
 Stormy head wind and heavy sea greeted us as we entered 
 the Black Sea. ... 
 
 " Sept. 5, one p.m. — Cape Cherson is now full in sight, 
 and we expect to reach Balaklava in three or four hours. 
 Arrived in Balaklava Eoads about half-past three. The 
 approach is very striking : cliffs of varying heights, from 
 eight hundred to two thousand feet, of red or slate- 
 coloured rock, rise abruptly from the water's edge ; and 
 one can form some idea of the terrible predicament those 
 
o2S THE HARBINGER 
 
 poor fellows were in, who were anchored where v/e are 
 now, in that terrible gale of the 14th of November. Not 
 a trace can be perceived of anything like a harbour until 
 you are close to it, when you discover the masts of vessels 
 peeping up from out of the rocks. Went into harbour 
 with the captain for orders. As we entered, we read the 
 names, painted on the rocks — 'Powell Point,' 'Castle 
 
 Point,' * Leander Bay,' &c The harbour is full of 
 
 shipping, arranged in excellent order on both sides, leav- 
 ing a channel between just sufficient for a ship to pass in 
 or out. Landed at the Ordnance, where shells and other 
 stores were being landed, and taken away by artillery- 
 waggons. Learned that the fire opened this morning: 
 could see the flashes of the guns from our decks." 
 
 Here the journal closes. 
 
 Captain Hammond had also written on the same day to 
 his wife, from the Harbinger, in sight of Cape Cherson : — 
 
 ''September o, 1855. 
 
 "We are steaming quietly along towards Balaklava. 
 We expect to be off the harbour by four o'clock. You 
 would think this would be an exciting time ; but it is not 
 so. I have been so long and so calmly looking forward 
 to it, that it fails to produce the excitement that it might 
 once have done. The quiet time on board ship has been 
 a great privilege, before entering on the distractions and 
 turmoils of camp life. I have been enabled, in some 
 measure, to commune with my own heart and with my 
 God in secret ; and on Sunday last I was thankful to 
 have an opportunity of partaking of the sacrament at the 
 
LETTER TO HIS WIFE. 329 
 
 Embassy. I felt much comfort and peace in the ordi- 
 nance; its value seemed enhanced from the feeling that 
 it was probably the last time that I should have an op- 
 portunity of receiving it in anything like a church. Mr 
 B * * * has engaged the services of a good man during 
 his absence. He preached from Job, on the words — ' I 
 Avould not live alway : ' shewing the reason why the 
 Christian might adopt them as his own. Oh, ought we 
 not to bless our God for every trial which may lead us to 
 a desire to depart and to be with Christ 1 When all is 
 bright, and prosperous, and happy, then we would not 
 give up these earthly blessings, no, not even for those 
 hio^her blessinojs which are above : but when all is dark, 
 and gloomy, and uncertain, earthly blessings and consola- 
 tions gone, then the heart yearns for those things which 
 pass not away — for that 'inheritance' which is 'incorrup- 
 tible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away.' I long to 
 hear that you can tell me that our God is leading us 
 aright, and that you can trust His faithfulness to do all 
 things well. My constant prayer for you is, that your 
 faith may not fail — that His strength may be sufficient 
 for you always. 
 
 " 8.30. — Here we are safely anchored in the roadstead 
 
 of Balaklava You will learn by telegraph that ^Ye 
 
 opened fae again this morning; but not much is expected 
 from it, so far as I can learn from Balaklava. We hfive 
 been watching the flashes in the direction of Sebastopol. 
 Their frequency astonishes us novices. Strange to say, 
 we cannot hear the report of the guns ; but, doubtless, 
 we shall hear and see more than enough of them before 
 we have done 
 
S30 THE HARBINGER. 
 
 " Went on shore to arrange about getting our bairgage 
 up to camp. Saw Dr B * * * (one of our assistant- 
 surgeons in Balaklava), and learned from him that dear 
 J * * * is in camp, and well 
 
 " The Lord be with you and with us both for time and 
 eternity." 
 
 There are one or two passages in this letter, which, 
 without attributing to them any undue meaning, still 
 cannot fail to strike us, as we read them now, with sin- 
 gular solemnity — passages especially fulfilled in the result, 
 though we would not assign to them any prophetic cha- 
 racter, beyond that general one, which they bear in rela- 
 tion to all those similarly circumstanced with Captain 
 Hammond. Yet let us view them in connexion with the 
 whole out-breathing of his soul during the last year of 
 his life; his yearnings for rest in a continuing city — his 
 consciousness of the frailty of the silver cord that binds 
 body and soul together here, and that, seventy-fold more, 
 in those days of peril. And, if we so weigh them, do they 
 not waken solemn thoughts in our minds ? Was it not 
 under the immediate guidance of the Holy Spirit that the 
 preacher chose his text on that last Sunday on which 
 Captain Hammond was to bow the knee in God's house — 
 *' I would not live alway?" Might not that text have 
 come with a resistless v/elcome to the heart of the hearer, 
 — yet, comparing them, as he listened to another pas- 
 sage, which, though perhaps uncertainly prophetic of the 
 Saviour, is yet so striking to all who read it now, that it 
 is, as it were, impossible to disconnect it with Christ — " I 
 know that my Redeemer liveth; and although after my 
 
EEFLECTIOXS. 331 
 
 skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see 
 God?" Or, as that ripened Christian wrote and spoke of 
 peace and comfort of soul, of a strengthening and refresh- 
 ing by a partaking of the sacred feast of love in remem- 
 brance of the Lord Jesus, was he not lifted up in spirit 
 beyond this world to the next, when he recorded this 
 occasion as "probably the last time 1 shall have an oppor- 
 tunity of receiving it in anything like a church?" It 
 almost seems as if the Saviour's voice was sounding in 
 his ears — " I will not henceforth drink of this fruit of the 
 vine, until the day when I drink it new with you in my 
 Father's kino:dom." 
 
332 THE CEIMEA. 
 
 CHAPTER XXL 
 
 '* Father, oh ! lead me on ! 
 Lead me to death or to victory send me ! 
 Lord, to Thy sovereign will I commend me. 
 Lord as Thou -wilt, so lead me on. 
 Father ! Thy will be done." 
 
 Battle Pkayeb. 
 
 The short period of two days that elapsed between Cap- 
 tain Hammond's landing and the final attack upon Sebas- 
 topol were chiefly occupied in settling himself in camp, 
 superintending the disembarkation of his luggage, and 
 paying visits to his friends. And yet he found time in 
 the first confusion of arrival to visit the sick in hospital, 
 remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, " Come, ye 
 blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for 
 you, ... for I was sick and ye visited me." 
 
 The few particulars of these last two days may be best 
 gathered from the letters of a brother officer and most 
 attached friend. 
 
 " Camp before Sebastopol. 
 
 " I will just in a few words mention some things that 
 will interest you, regarding the two days he spent in camp 
 
BEFORE THE ATTACK. 333 
 
 with US. Having heard, on the evening of the 5th, that 
 he liad arrived at Balaklava, I rode down the following 
 morning, and met him on Colonel L * * *'s horse, which 
 had been sent to meet him. We rode back to camp, wel- 
 coming each other with a chastened joy, and with some 
 vague misgivings in my mind. He was cheerful, looked 
 well, and I pointed out to him the various localities ren- 
 dered remarkable by recent events in this weary campaign. 
 He dined with me, enjoying the camp comfort of the hut 
 in which I live. Afterwards, true to his old spirit of love 
 and benevolence, he visited the hospital, talked and shook 
 hands with all the old soldiers he recognised, and also had 
 a kind conversation with the hospital sergeant, whose wife 
 is with Mrs Hammond. We then walked to the front of 
 our encampment, and I pointed out to him such works of 
 the enemy and the allies as were within view. On return- 
 ing to camp we mounted our horses again, and rode to 
 Cathcart's Hill, where a good view of the town can be 
 obtained. On our return we called on his cousin, Major 
 G * * *. After tea we walked again to the front to see 
 the cannonade and the shelling. On the following morning 
 at breakfast he said he had slept but little, from the dust 
 which was flying about and the excitement connected with 
 the terrific firing. He afterwards rode into Balaklava to 
 inquire for his horse, and wi'ote a letter to his wife, when 
 in the meantime the plan of the morrow's attack was pub- 
 lished in orders. 
 
 " We talked together of the dread work before the army 
 and the regiment, and in compliance with his then request 
 I now write to you. ' John,' as he always affectionately 
 called 131^- ' wri'tc to my father if any thing befalls me. 
 
2S4i THE CKIMEA. 
 
 You know his address.' He tlieii added, his eyes filling 
 with tears, ' Write to my wife, too,' and spoke about selling 
 his things; under no kind of dej^ression, but as if to 
 be ready for the worst. I agreed, of course, and asked 
 him to leave his watch with me, with his keys, which he 
 did, passing the subject off by saying that we often talked 
 of such matters among ourselves, from the uncertainty of 
 camp life, from sickness, as well as the shot of the enemy. 
 " After finishing our letters, he proposed that we should 
 have our ordinary reading of the Scriptures, with prayer, 
 asking me to read. I read the .91st Psalm, which led to 
 some conversation regarding God's care of His own pecu- 
 liar people. He said he did not think this applied lite- 
 rally to every individual believer, or words to that effect ; 
 and then read a passage from one of his wife's letters, as 
 expressive of what he felt to be the right view of the sub- 
 ject.* He then prayed with a fervour and unction that 
 recalled the many sweet prayers that I have heard uttered 
 by that dear voice which is now attuned to everlasting 
 praise before the Lamb. My mind was much distracted 
 about him ; but I recollect feeling how he dwelt on the 
 undue importance we attach to seen and temporal things, 
 and the importance of unseen and eteinal things. He 
 mentioned in prayer his wife and child, and those dear 
 brethren whom we are accustomed to remember in our 
 social prayers. We bid each other good night with an 
 affectionate shake, our hearts filled with hopes and fears 
 regarding the morrow. He wished me to call him early 
 in the morning, that he might have some time for prayer 
 
 * It is well to compare his altered opinion on this bead with that expressed 
 in a letter to his wife, dated August 25, \S5i. 
 
LAST LETTER TO HIS WIFE. ^35 
 
 before breakfast, which was earlier than usual on account 
 of parade/' 
 
 The letter to his wife, alluded to above, as written on 
 the evening of the 7th, the night before the attack, is as 
 follows : — 
 
 " Camp befoee Sebastopol, 
 October 7, 1855. 
 " I am not going to write a long letter, because I have 
 already posted one for you, and I am rather tired this 
 evening through the excitement of the scenes around me, 
 the sights and sounds, which have taken the place of what 
 we used only to read of. Long before this reaches you 
 you will probably have heard of another attack on the 
 Redan, Malakofi', or both. Who shall say whether it will 
 be attended with success or failure ? But the Lord reign- 
 eth, and to Him only can the soul turn in looking to the 
 unknown future. A very heavy bombardment has been 
 going on for the last three days without intermission ; a 
 heavier fire than any other that has hitherto taken place. 
 There is no manner of doubt that something great is to 
 take place immediately. In fact we were told so on parade 
 this evening by General C * * *. Two days' rations 
 have been issued to the Second and Light Divisions, and 
 it is expected that we shall move down to the trenches to- 
 morrow morning. At all events, it is to be hoped that this 
 time they will not repeat the blunders of the 18th, and 
 that we shall not attack till the French have stormed the 
 Malakoff. I have not yet been down to the trenches, so 
 that my inauguration will probably be a serious one. But 
 I can calmly leave the event in the hands of a Saviour 
 
336 THE CRmEA. 
 
 God. Come life or come death, my only hope is in the 
 blood which cleanseth from all sin. My heart sometimes 
 sinks when I think of those at home. But He is faithful 
 who has said, ' When thou passest through the waters / 
 will be with thee.' And He luill be with thee, even to the 
 
 end of the world One does not realise the curse of 
 
 war until one comes in contact with it 
 
 " The order for the attack has just come out; thankful I 
 am that you cannot know it, dearest, beforehand. F * * *, 
 with 100 men, form the covering party to the whole. The 
 remainder of our battalion form part of the reserve, and 
 follow up the attack. The Lord Jesus be with you ! 
 
 " P.S. — September 8th, 6.80 A.M. — I have had a peaceful 
 time for prayer, and have committed the keeping of my 
 soul and body to the Lord my God, and have commended 
 to His grace and care my wife and child, my parents, 
 brothers and sisters, and all dear to me. Come what will, 
 all is well. This day will be a memorable one. Fare- 
 well, once more ! Ps. xci. 15 is my text for to-day, espe- 
 cially the words, * I will be with him in trouble.'" 
 
 This calm awaiting of whatever might befall him in 
 the Lord's good time, calls to remembrance some very 
 beautiful lines, whose source the writer cannot at this 
 moment remember ; yet they seem almost penned to illus- 
 trate his last-written words : — 
 
 '' Art thou not sadly weary ? Answer me, 
 Mariner, What thinkest thou, when the waters beat 
 Thy frail bark backv/ard from the wished-for harbour ? 
 Oh, brother! though innumerable waves 
 
AK OVEKKULIKG PEOVIDEXCE, 337 
 
 Shall seem to rise betwixt me and my home, 
 
 / hiow that they are numbered; not one less 
 
 Should bear me homeward, if I had my will ; 
 
 For One, who knows what tempests are to weather, 
 
 O'er whom there broke the wildest billows once, 
 
 He bids these waters swell. In His good time 
 
 The last rough wave shall bear me on its bosom 
 
 Into the bosom of eternal peace* 
 
 No billows after ! They are numbered, brother. 
 
 Oh, gentle mariner, steer on, steer on ; 
 
 My tears still fall for thee, but they are tears 
 
 In which faith strives with grief and overcomes." 
 
 The mysterious deaHngs of God's providence, which 
 placed Captain Hammond on the soil of the Crimea, on 
 the ver3^ eve of the assault, are most remarkable. Humanly 
 speaking, all circumstances seemed to point to a different 
 result. His final embarkation occurred after a succession 
 of delays, counter-orders, and uncertainty, as to whether 
 he or some other officer should be sent. A direct appli- 
 cation, that he should be left in charge of the depot, was 
 made by his commanding officer, who was most anxious 
 to keep him at a post where the qualilies of an efficient 
 officer were called for. This application was actually 
 granted, and subsequently withdrawn. Then occurred the 
 error of one of the clerks, who made out the route for 
 the Crimea instead of Malta, where, in the ordinary 
 course, the draft would have been landed, had not Captain 
 Hammond himself explained and overruled the mistake. Any 
 slight occurrence, a little longer delayat Constantinople, the 
 prevalence of head winds on the passage out, a very trifling 
 
 y 
 
338 THE CRIMEA. 
 
 circumstance, indeed, would have caused those two days to 
 slip away that alone intervened between Captain Ham- 
 mond's arrival and the storming of the great Eedan. Yet 
 what avail those combinations of second causes, which 
 men term " chance " or accident, in the ordained decrees 
 of Him " by whom we live, and move, and have our being." 
 The grain was ripe, and the husbandman was ready to put 
 in the sickle, because the harvest was come. 
 
 " On the evening preceding the attack," we quote from 
 an officer's letter, " Captain Hammond entered the mess- 
 room, where all the officers were assembled, after haviug 
 volunteered for duties of special danger on the following 
 day. The real feeling of each officer may probably be 
 guessed ; but the conversation was generally of that light 
 and thoughtless character usual in a mess-room. An orderly 
 came to the door, and having whispered an announcement, 
 the party prepared to break up. ' Hammond, we are all 
 going to take the sacrament ; of course you will come.' ' I 
 wish I had known ; why did they not tell me,' was the reply ; 
 and, after a few moments' hesitation, Captain Hammond 
 added, 'No, I am not prepared now.' The whole of the 
 officers then repaired to the little wooden chapel." 
 
 On returning to the hut of an intimate friend, Captain 
 Hammond said, " He did not like this ' rushing ' to the 
 table of the Lord, and that he had, besides, on the preceding 
 Sabbath communicated at Constantinople, and had found 
 it good to be there." 
 
 On the same afternoon a parade had taken place, and 
 General C * ♦ * here brieiiy addi^essed the troops in 
 
"QUITE KEADY." 339 
 
 connexion with the expected assault. At the conclusion, 
 Captain Hammond was returning to his tent with an officer, 
 at that time a subaltern, and who had been a fellow-pas- 
 senger with him on board the Harbinger. On the way 
 that officer addressed him, " Well, it is as I prophesied on 
 board the Harbinger ; they have got a field-day for us." 
 Captain Hammond's reply was one of no little significance, 
 and not easily forgotten by those who knew the deep cur- 
 rent of his thoughts. " Well, I am quite ready," he said, 
 "for anything that may happen." It is not a little in- 
 structive to compare this short utterance with that ardent 
 desire for prolonged life which he had experienced in Bul- 
 garia. The request of his lips had been heard. His 
 home, his wife and child, had been restored to him. In 
 the restoration of these blessings for a very considerable 
 time, he had been enabled to await the issue of a return 
 to the seat of war with perfect acquiescence in the will of 
 God. The growing feeling of his heart was now that of 
 the preceding Sunday's text — " I would not live alway." " I 
 have a desire to depart, and to be with Christ, which is/ar 
 better." " He was indeed ready to be offered, and the time 
 of his departure was at hand." 
 
 It is not improbable that the following marked passage, 
 in a little volume of "Hymns for a Week," was selected 
 by him on the Friday preceding his death : — 
 
 " Dost thou with dread still greater, shrink, 
 From pain for those on earth so dear. 
 And oft with sickening anguish think, 
 On all they yet may suffer here? 
 
3^0 THE CRIMEA. 
 
 Oh 1 faithless, unbelieving heart ! 
 
 Too slow to trust that tenderest Friend, 
 Who will the needful strength impart; 
 
 Who loving, loves unto the end. 
 
 No longer doubt, nor fear, nor grieve ; 
 
 Nor on uncertain evils dwell; 
 Past, present, future calmly leave 
 
 To Him who will do all things well/* 
 
 He was very fond of " Clark's Scripture Promises ; " and, 
 having lost his old copy, had taken pains to procure 
 another before he left England. When it was returned, 
 with other things, the marks were in p. 98 of that 
 edition (112 of the latest), of which the following is a 
 transcript: — 
 
 Deuteronomy xxxii. 11, 12. — "As an eagle stirreth up 
 her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her 
 wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings: so the 
 Lord alone did lead him, and there was no strange god 
 with him.'* 
 
 Psalm xxxiii. 18. — "The eye of the Lord is upon them 
 that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy." 
 
 Isaiah xlvi. 3, 4. — " Hearken unto me, house of 
 Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, which 
 are born by me from the belly, which are carried from 
 the womb: And even to your old age I am he, and even 
 to hoar hairs will I carry you. I have made and wiU 
 bear; even I will carry and will deliver you." 
 
 Isaiah Ixiii. 9. — " In all their affliction he was afflicted, 
 and the angel of his presence saved them: ia his love and 
 
NIGHT BEFOEE THE ATTACK. 34:1 
 
 in his pity he redeemed them ; and he bare them, and 
 carried them all the days of old/' 
 
 Zechariah ii. 8. — " He that toncheth you, toucheth the 
 apple of his eye." 
 
 1 Peter v. 7. — " Casting all your care upon him; for he 
 careth for you." 
 
 Matthew x. 30. — " The very hairs of your head are all 
 numbered." 
 
 Luke xxi. 18. — "There shall not an hair of your head 
 perish." 
 
 We all know the history of the first attack. To that 
 " terrific fire," which was poured for three successive days 
 upon the devoted city, a night of quiet succeeded. Out- 
 wardly, at least, there was a semblance of repose through- 
 out the weary camp. But it was like the rest that 
 precedes the uptearing of the earth — the rending of the 
 everlasting hills — the bursting forth of the lava flood. 
 Well, indeed, might we speculate on the train that filled 
 each soldier's thoughts that night. Many jaded forms 
 tliere must have been, who, under the gentle hand of 
 sleep, were lulled to forgetfulness of the awful morrow. 
 Some there may have been, to whom sweet rest refused 
 to come. Would to God there were many a one, and 
 such there doubtless were, who, at such an hour, on that 
 solemn night-watch before the day of terror, could say 
 with him with whom we have to do, " Come life or come 
 death, my hope is in the blood which cleanseth from all 
 sin." 
 
342 THE STORMING. 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 ** Few, few shall part where many meet ; 
 The snow shall be their winding-sheet — 
 And many a turf beneath their feet 
 
 Shall be a soldier's sepulchre." 
 
 Campbell. 
 
 " And, behold, a man came out of the camp. And David 
 said unto him. How went the matter ? I pray thee, tell 
 me. And he answered, That the people are fled from the 
 battle, and many of the people also are fallen and dead; 
 
 and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also And 
 
 David took hold of his clothes, and rent them; and he 
 mourned, and wept, and fasted until even, for Saul and 
 for Jonathan, and for the people of the Lord, because 
 they were fallen by the sword." 
 
 Early on the morning of the 8th, the bugles of the 
 Rifle Brigade sounded for the parade. It was Captain 
 Hammond's first day of duty in the Crimea. He had 
 slept well, was refreshed, and quite cheerful. He had 
 expressed a wish to Colonel M * * * to lead his own 
 old company, and it was placed at his disposal: and, duly 
 equipped and accoutred, he marched down to the trenches 
 with the battalion. A portion of them, as before stated. 
 
THE RIFLES ADVANCE TO ATTACK. 3 i3 
 
 were to act as coverers to the column of attack; the re- 
 mainder were to be held in reserve ; and for this duty 
 Colonel M * * * had selected those officers whose recent 
 arrival rendered them imperfectly acquainted with the 
 trenches. Among these was Captain Hammond. The 
 reserve was directed to occupy a portion of the third 
 parallel, where, though under fire, they were compara- 
 tively safe. There they remained, conversing cheerfully, 
 and watching the troops, for an hour or so. Suddenly 
 word was passed for the Rifles to come to the front, as 
 the assaulting party required support. The battalion rose, 
 and filed off, under a heavy direct and flanking fire, into 
 the fifth parallel, through an intricate maze of trenches 
 and approaches. Here there was a momentary pause. 
 Then the dark column, clearing the parapet, issued fi-om 
 the trench. Amid a storm of shot and shell, bringing 
 death and destruction on all sides, the riflemen rush across 
 the intermediate space. Those who escape that iron hail • 
 storm gain the glacis. At the edge of the ditch, two 
 ofiicers are resting, side by side, to gather breath. The 
 lips of one of them are moving in prayer. One moment 
 more, and he ascends the scaling-ladder. On the summit 
 of the parapet his hand is grasped by a friend. They had 
 not seen one another for years : it was a strange meeting. 
 But this was no time for words of welcome : all was in 
 confusion. After a few sentences about rallying the men, 
 Captain Hammond passes on. Here, for some little time, 
 he is seen vainly endeavouring to restore order. His exer- 
 tions at this time were observed by General W * * *, 
 who, unaware of his fate, subsequently recommended him 
 in orders. Soon alter this he is seen by another officer 
 
24i^ THE STOKMIXG. 
 
 of the Rifles (Mr B * * *, himself also now no more). 
 Captain Hammond was then suffering great pain, probably 
 from a contusion of the hand ; and B * * * told him he 
 ought to go to the rear. He said, "This is no time for 
 that;" and ordered B * * * to collect some men and 
 try the other flank of the Redan. 
 
 Pressing forward then himself into the heart of the 
 work, with a colour-serjeant and one or two devoted men 
 who had bound up their fate in his, his sword is seen 
 flashing far in advance in personal encounter. " I saw 
 an officer of the Rifles/* said one, immediately after the 
 action, "whose name I do not know — a fine tall man — 
 behaving heroically."' Once or twice in that deadly fray 
 his form ai)pears through the embrasures ; and, for a few 
 moments, before his strong arm the Russian foeman retires 
 and closes again. But to him neither earthly crown, nor 
 medal, nor grateful country's praise, is in store for these 
 moments of devotion. The deadly bayonets close around 
 him, the sword drops from the uplifted hand, and he sinks 
 into the arms of an oflicer of the 41st. But with angels, 
 and seraphs, and the hosts of heaven, who were waiting 
 *' on the other side of the river," there were hymns of joy 
 that day. Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath 
 it entered the heart of man, the things that God hath pre- 
 pared for that happy ransomed spirit. " And, lo, a Lamb 
 stood on mount Sion, and with him an hundred and forty 
 and four thousand, havmg his Father's name written in 
 their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the 
 voice of many waters; and I heard the voice of harpers 
 harping with their harps ; and they sung as it were a nev/ 
 sono- before the throne: and no man could learn that saufr 
 
THE SEARCH. S t5 
 
 but the liimdred and forty and four thousand which were 
 redeemed from the earth/' *' And, lo, a great multitude, 
 which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, 
 and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and 
 before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in 
 their hands. They shall hunger no more, neither shall 
 they thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, 
 nor any heat. For the Lamb, which is in the midst of 
 the throne, shall feed them, and shall lead them unto 
 living fountains of waters ; and God shall wipe away all 
 tears from their eyes.'" 
 
 No need to speak at length of that miserable day. No 
 need to dwell upon the gloom that pervaded the British 
 camp. Yet, merging the national disappointment in the 
 grief of personal loss, the foot of friendship went forth in 
 the grey twilight to seek, among the slain in that fatal 
 ditch, some comrade, some beloved brother. Before night- 
 fall, an effort was made to recover the body. Captain 
 R * * *, an officer of the72d Highlanders, at much risk, 
 took with him a party of men, and made search in vain. 
 In the morning, very early, a party of Riflemen approached 
 from the works towards the camp. The precious object 
 of their search had been found. An expression of sweet 
 peace rested on the placid features. A very small punc- 
 ture, close to the heart, told how instantaneous must have 
 been his death. Almost upon the wound, a locket, bathed 
 in his heart's blood, was lying; and many of those, who 
 looked through their tears, must have read, in that fixed 
 calmness of death, the seal of the promise, '• Mark the 
 perfect man, and behold the upright for the end of that 
 man is peace." 
 
84:6 THE STOKJVIIJS'G. 
 
 Yet for him, over whom the heavenly host rejoiced that 
 day, why should we mourn? Should we not rather take 
 up the song of praise? Should we not rather, while we 
 lift up our hearts in thankful gratitude to Him who loved 
 him and redeemed him, give utterance to thoughts such 
 as these: — 
 
 "To weep for HBi? to weep for whom'? 
 
 The loved on earth — the saved in heaven; 
 Triumphant o'er the narrow tomb — 
 
 His sorrows past — his sins forgiven — 
 What! weep for hbi? it must not be — 
 Our tears woiild blot his victory. 
 
 "Nay! hymn his flight in rapturous songs; 
 
 For he, in death's embrace, hath done 
 With human griefs, and fears, and wrongs; 
 
 His fight is fought — his triumph won; 
 The immortal crown is round his brow; 
 He dwells beside the Saviour now. 
 
 " Weep not ! or weep as those should weep 
 Whose hope is stronger than their sorrow: 
 To-night our loved and lost ones sleep, 
 
 But Christ will bring them back to-morrow ! 
 We shall not long lament them here; 
 Our home is in a brighter sphere." 
 
 Moultrie. 
 
 Then let us, while our hearts bum with these thoughts, 
 follow him to his place of rest — 
 
THE BUKIAL PLACE. 347 
 
 The place is silent; rarely sound 
 Is heard those craggy hills around ; 
 No hum of business, dull and loud. 
 Nor murmur of the passing crowd, 
 Nor soldiers' drum, nor trumpet's swell, 
 From yonder fallen citadel, 
 Nor sound of human toil or strife, 
 In that lone valley, speaks of life ; 
 Nor breaks the silence, calm and deep, 
 Where thou, beneath thy burial stone 
 Art laid, in that unstartled sleep 
 That living eye hath never known. 
 
 In one of those deep ravines near Sebastopol, imdis- 
 turbed now by other sound than bell of browsing sheep, 
 is the burial ground of the Light Division. Thither very 
 shortly the precious remains were borne to their last 
 resting-place, with all a soldier's honours. A white stone 
 cross was placed over the grave; and at its foot a few 
 summer flowets were planted. These simple lines record 
 his early death and blessed end : — 
 
 " SACKED TO THE MEMOEY 
 
 OF 
 
 CAPT. M. M. HAMMOND, 2d BATT? R. B., 
 
 WHO WAS KILLED IN THE ASSAULT ON 
 
 THE KEDAN, 
 
 8th SEPTEMBER 1855: 
 
 AGED 31 YEARS. 
 
 ' Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord.'" 
 In the country church of Nonington, the parish of his own 
 
o IrS THE STOEMING. 
 
 home, a tablet has also been erected, bearing these 
 words : — 
 
 ** TO THE PRAISE OF THE GLORY OF HIS GRACE, 
 
 WHICH GAVE A 
 
 CHRISTIAN LUSTRE TO THE LIFE, 
 
 AND A 
 
 BLESSEDNESS TO THE HONOURABLE DEATH, 
 
 OF 
 
 MAXIMILIAN MONTAGU HAMMOND, 
 
 CAPTAIN IN THE 2d BATTALION OF THE RIFLE BRIGADE; 
 
 THIRD SON OF W. O. HAMMOND, ESQ., 
 
 OF 
 
 ST alban's court, dt this parish. 
 
 HE FELL AT THE ATTACK ON THE REDAN, 
 
 BEFORE SEBASTOPOL, 
 
 SEPT. 8th, 1855: AGED 31. 
 
 'They which receive abundance of grace, and of the 
 gift of righteousness, shall reign in life by one, Jesus 
 Christ' (Eom. v. 17)." 
 
lESTlJVLONIAL LETTERS. 3:t9 
 
 CHAPTER XXIIL 
 
 Ctstimomal %tiim. 
 
 "Farewell! 
 We hang this garland on the grave 
 Where thou art laid." 
 
 Tatler. 
 
 And now, perhaps, that we have followed this Christian 
 soldier through his short but speaking life, it might not 
 be out of place to introduce a few of those numerous 
 letters, in which, after his departure, many a sorrowing 
 friend strove, as he would have done, to lighten the 
 pressure of heavy grief, by paying each their several 
 tributes to his worth. 
 
 Not alone on his own immediate circle ; not alone on his 
 regiment; not alone on the bosom of his family, was the 
 strong hand of grief laid by his early removal ; but there 
 were those who, with quick perception of the sterling value 
 of his character, holding positions of trust themselves, 
 mourned his loss upon larger than mere personal grounds. 
 One who holds high office in the state, and no speaker 
 of light words without consideration, on hearing his name 
 among those who had fallen, said of him, " that he looked 
 to him as the man whose influence would be felt to be of 
 untold benefit to the army;" and again, on another occa- 
 
350 TESTIMONIAL LETTERS. 
 
 sioii, in almost similar words — " that he looked to him as 
 the regenerator of the army." Another, who faithfully 
 discharged his sacred office as a minister of Christ, during 
 the whole of the Crimean campaign, said, in words scarcely 
 less valuable, " Of course, I feel for the family ; but it is for 
 the nation that I feel most. I look upon his death as a 
 public calamity." 
 
 Colonel, now Major-General L # * *, who for some 
 years commanded the battalion in which Captain Ham- 
 mond was, says, in a letter from which we have already 
 made many extracts: — 
 
 " October ^0, 1855. 
 
 " It was my happiness to be associated with him, both in 
 public and private, for the last ten years of his life ; and I 
 may truly say, that some of my happiest days were spent 
 in his society. Many a time has he soothed my troubled 
 spirit, with a tenderness I shall never forget ; many a time 
 sympathised in my trials; while his even temper, and his 
 peculiarly bright smile, gladdened my heart. Very 
 pleasant was our iiitercourse; and truly delightful was 
 it to see his rapid growth in grace, and the consistency of 
 his course, " shining more and more unto the perfect day." 
 Nor was his bearing, as an officer, less to be admired from 
 the heartiness with which he acted ; combining great firm- 
 ness with kindness; and obtaining considerable influence 
 over both officers and men. The day on which he fell 
 within the Redan, the service lost an officer of no common 
 merit 
 
 " From the day that he first joined with us in our 
 searching the Scriptures, he never looked back. He 
 
TESTIMONIAL LETTERS. 351 
 
 became first a diligent inquii'er into the truth of revealed 
 religion, and afterwards a teacher in the regimental garrison 
 Sunday school. His progress in knowledge was remark- 
 able. As the light of truth broke upon him, he acted 
 upon it with the strength, forwardness, and courage for 
 which he had ever been distinguished. He never seemed 
 to falter or to hesitate, and those who watched his career 
 with the most interest never felt any fears on his behalf. 
 There was a remarkable consistency in his course, which 
 made itself felt, and acquired for him the respect of those 
 who differed widely from him on the subject of religion. 
 .... We know the spirit in which he went out to the 
 Crimea. But he so impressed everybody with his earnest- 
 ness in whatever he had to do, that Captain N * * *, 
 writing from Malta, said, ' Hammond passed on his way 
 to the Crimea, full of military ardour.'" 
 
 Colonel M * * *, of the Eifle Brigade, in the remainder 
 of a letter of which the substance- has in part been given, 
 
 .... "I recollect seeing him last at a distance in the 
 trench, while I was proceeding over the parapet; and I 
 saw him no more, in consequence of the confusion attend- 
 ing the struggle. All I could afterwards learn of his fate 
 lead me to suppose that, after clearing the parapet, he 
 must have rushed impetuously on the enemy's ranks, 
 foUow^ed by a few to meet overpowering numbers, the 
 while exhibiting a daring seldom equalled and never 
 surpassed in the history of strife. Closing an exemplary 
 life, he fell, as he had lived, an honour to his country. I 
 hud barely time to renew my former acquaintance with one 
 
So 2 TESTIMONIAL LETTERS. 
 
 SO noble, when he was suddenly snatched from us. The 
 heroism attending his fatal end sheds so bright a halo on 
 his past life, that, while his loss will occasion heart-rending 
 sorrow, yet there is consolation in the consciousness that 
 none could be better prepared to meet his Maker and 
 eternal life. In the ravine where many of the Light 
 Division now rest, two plain white stone crosses mark the 
 spot where Maxy and *R * * * rest. The stationary 
 nature of the present war has enabled us, until now, to pay 
 this slight tribute of esteem to the memory of our departed 
 comrades. And, as respect for the dead is imiversal in 
 Russia, these two crosses will never be disturbed. — Believe 
 me, with the deepest sympathy, yours very sincerely, 
 
 " A. F. M * * *. 
 "Camp, Sebastopol, November 16, ]85o." 
 
 From Major Woodford, R. B. : — 
 
 " Dear Sir, — .... I regret much that I had never 
 been for any length of time in the society of your brother, 
 than whom it would be difficult to find a better, truer, or 
 braver man. He had only joined the 2d battalion on the 
 5th September. I had seen him on the 6th, when he 
 came and sat in my tent for a considerable time. On the 
 morning of the 8th, we all paraded together in camp, and 
 he seemed in good spirits, and prepared for anything. . . 
 
 " You must be aware that no dead, or even wounded, 
 could be removed from the neighbourhood of the Redan 
 till after midnight, when it was discovered that the enemy 
 were evacuating. Efforts were made to discover the body 
 
 * Lieutenant Rydt^r, Rifle Brigade, whose gallantry on this occasion la 
 mentioned in a subsequent extract, p. 363 of this volume. 
 
TESTIMONIAL LETTERS. 853 
 
 that night, but it was impossible. I went into the Eedan 
 just before daylight, and had the melancholy duty of find- 
 ing our two poor fellows, and having them carried to the 
 camp. Your brother lay in the ditch, and all that I could 
 find left on his person was a locket and chain, smeared 
 with his heart's blood, and which was carefully preserved. 
 Captain B * * *, of the 41 st regiment, yesterday informed 
 me that your brother died almost in his arms ; for he caught 
 him as he fell, having come back running from the inside 
 of the Kedan, evidently very dangerously wounded, with 
 both his arms out; and as he reached the parapet, life was 
 exhausted, and he fell into the ditch, half supported by 
 Captain B * * *, and such was his end. To know that 
 your brother behaved nobly and did his duty to the last, 
 will, I hope, be some little consolation to you and all his 
 family; and also to know how much and deservedly he is 
 regretted by us, and all who knew him, for his many noble 
 
 and good qualities 
 
 " I have it from General W * * *, that he is personally 
 grateful to a tall dark officer of the Eifles (he did not 
 know your brother), who stood by him in the Eedan, and 
 endeavoured to assist him in forming the men ; which was, 
 
 however, in the confusion, quite impossible I am 
 
 much grieved at the sad fate he met with, after so much 
 bravery, which will long and ever, I hope, be remembered 
 by Eiflemen. — Believe me, my dear Sir, very sincerely 
 yours, C. WOODFOKD."* 
 
 * While these sheets were going through the press, Lieutenant-Colonel 
 Woodford, the writer of this letter, has fallen, as he had lived, in his 
 country's service. A fttr a period of seven tetn years in the army, comprising 
 the campaipDs of 1852-3 in South Africa (medal), and the campaign ia the 
 CriuKa, duiing which he acted as Deputy- Adjutant-Quarter-Master-General 
 
 Z 
 
354j testbioxial letters. 
 
 From Captain B « * *, 4)lst Regiment: — 
 
 " 2d Division, 9th November, 1855. 
 
 " My deae Sir, — .... We were, many of us, officers 
 and men, standing inside the Eedan at the time Captain 
 Hammond was wounded. Your brother was in advance 
 of most of us, and the last I saw of him was when he 
 came running back, with both arms uplifted, towards the 
 ditch. He came directly in the line where I was standing, 
 and I then caught him, to prevent his falling into the 
 ditch; he was perfectly dead. Death must have been 
 instantaneous. I do not think he could have suffered 
 anything like pain .... His sword dropped from his 
 hand, when I ran forward and picked it up, and afterwards 
 
 gave it to one of his brother officers — Believe, &c., 
 
 F. C. B * * *, 
 
 From Lieut. -Colonel G * * *, 90th Light Infantry: — 
 
 " Camp before Sebastopol, 
 September 11, 1855. 
 
 " My dear Mr Hammond, — Sad indeed was our list of 
 casualties on the 8th; but saddest of all was the scanty 
 but too true information I got last night, that my very 
 dear friend, poor Maxy, was killed. Poor fellow ! he had 
 only just arrived here ; and when I stood on the crest of 
 the Redan, turning round to see if supi^orts were coming, 
 
 at head-quarters, and was wounded at the Redan (medal, Brevet-Maj(Mr and 
 Lieutenant-Colonel, and Sai'dinian medal). He fell while successfully 
 charging a battery of Sepoy mutineers, ixx the recent attack under General 
 Wyndham before Cawnpore. 
 
TESTIMONIAL LETTERS. 355 
 
 I found your son, my old friend, coming up the ladder, 
 followed by a handful of his men. I greeted him, and 
 caught his hand; and at once entered on some military 
 suggestions about using the bayonet on the right, and 
 stopping the men from useless firing. I added, ' But you 
 are senior to me now;' and so he passed on, and with him 
 poor young Eyder. In a very short time they were both 
 killed by the enemy. Fine fellow ! he was pressing on so 
 hard— ^00 hard. He little knew or cared for our mur- 
 derous position. I thought you would like a line from 
 me, who, perhaps, was the last that ever shook his hand 
 alive. Our meeting was very extraordinary; our parting 
 in this w^orld very melancholy. But you, Mr Hammond, 
 and all your family, have this consolation — you know 
 
 his spirit is at rest Out of the nineteen officers I 
 
 commanded at the assault, fifteen w^ere either killed or 
 
 wounded — Yours very sincerely, 
 
 ''KG** */' 
 
 From Major N * * *, Rifle Brigade: — 
 
 - October 21, 1857. 
 
 " My dear Hammond, — .... A short time since I 
 was talking to Captain D * * *, on half-pay from the 
 90th Regiment, who was in the Redan on the 8th Sep- 
 tember. He mentioned the conduct of one of our officers 
 as having particularly struck him. He said he never saiu 
 so brave a man, and that he fought desperately. He went 
 up to him after he was wounded, and found that he was 
 killed ; but, to use his own words, ' that he looked just 
 as if he was asleep.' From the description he gave, I am 
 quite sure that this w^as Maxy." 
 
356 TESTBIONIAL LETTERS. 
 
 From Lieut-Colonel G * * *, R B. : — 
 
 " My dear W * * *, — From F * * *'s pen you will 
 have heard all the particulars of poor dear Maxy's death. 
 My chief object in wiiting is to bear testimony to his 
 devoted gallantry. I shook hands with him on the fifth 
 parallel, and was talking to him when the Riflemen were 
 ordered to advance, who, led as they were by your dear 
 brother, rushed to the assault as did no men that day. 
 .... The 2d battalion, sent up to the support, behaved 
 nobly. Maxy's gallant behaviour was remarked by all." 
 
 From Dr F * * *, R B. : — 
 
 The preceding portion of this letter has been quoted 
 before, either in substance or in letter. It is resumed: — 
 
 " After bidding good-bye to some of the officers, I 
 hastened to the hospital, and avoided meeting beloved 
 Hammond. Colonel M * * * will tell you, from his 
 own personal knowledge, of the bravery and gallantry of 
 your darling son. He was killed on the parapet of the 
 Redan, by a bayonet wound into the heart, while (as I 
 learn from a soldier who was near him) making a path- 
 way for the soldiers through the parapet. He was found 
 in the ditch, into which he must have fallen or been 
 pushed by the numbers that surrounded him, and amongst 
 whom his sword did fell work. His death must have 
 been instantaneous. He was also in the act of cheering 
 on the men of other regiments who were retiring. His 
 body was found this morning in the ditch of the Redan 
 by Major W * * * ; Captain B * * * and the latter 
 
TESTBIONIAL LETTERS. 357 
 
 having taken a locket which he wore, which I send you 
 with his watch, and other little mementos of one for ever 
 dear to my heart. Sebastopol in flames this morning 
 saddened my heart, and drove me to tears ; for it had 
 taken from me my beloved friend. I saw him put into 
 his coffin, and followed him to his grave in the adjoining 
 ravine, and buried him side by side with young Eyder, 
 who was also killed in the Redan. All our officers, his 
 own old company, many from the 1st battalion, and 
 General Codrington, paid the last office of respect to one 
 whom every one in the regiment — -officer and soldier — ■ 
 respected and loved. And, who ever knew that noble 
 fellow — that shining Christian, Maxy Hammond — but 
 loved him ? The blank can never be filled up to me again 
 in this world, for we loved each other with a brother's 
 love. He died in the Lord, and shall ever be with Him. 
 This is our abiding comfort — this alone sustains the heart 
 under the oppressive cloud of affliction. One remark 
 occurs to me during our last conversation. He said, that 
 of late he had received peculiar comfort from the doc- 
 trine of election, which had occupied his mind very much 
 during the passage ; and that at Constantinople he had 
 had a precious opportunity of partaking of the Lord's 
 Supper. His servant, in tears, told me this morning that 
 he had called him in to prayer in his tent yesterday 
 morning before going out. He was found watching, and 
 desirous to gather others in. — Ever faithfully yours, 
 
 " John F * * *." 
 
 From a private in the 2d battalion, Rifle Brigade, lato 
 servant to Colonel L ♦ * *: — 
 
358 testimonial lettees. 
 
 " Camp before Sebastopol, 
 September 10, 1855. 
 
 " It is with deep regret that I write to communicate 
 the sad account of poor Captain Hammond's death. He 
 was killed on the 8th in storming the Redan. He led his 
 men most gallantly to the charge. The battle was fought 
 on the 8th ; commenced at twelve o'clock, and did not end 
 till seven in the evening. It was an awful sight; our regi- 
 ment suffered very severely. We had two officers kille<:l and 
 seven wounded, and about 250 or 300 in men. Sebastopol 
 is taken. The south side belongs to tlie allies. It has 
 been a dearly purchased place. The valuable lives that 
 have been sacrificed this war ! Oh ! the horrors of war ! 
 no tongue can teU nor pen describe. 
 
 " Poor Captain Hammond disembarked from on board 
 ship at Balaklava on the 6th. I vrent dov^m to meet him 
 with Colonel L * * *'s horse. He shook hands with 
 me. I spoke to him on the morning of the 8th. He 
 said, ' I have to face the enemy in earnest.' It was the 
 lirst time he had done a trench, which was against him, 
 in being unacquainted with the nature of the works. But 
 this did not alter his fate if he had known the works ever 
 so. He was a noble soldier, a good Christian, beloved by 
 his brother officers, and his men speak in the highest 
 terms of him. What a consolation to know his peace was 
 made with his God, and he is now at that better and 
 heavenly place where all is peace and happiness. My 
 sincere prayer to Almighty God is, that He will guide, 
 guard, and protect poor Mrs M. Hammond, ajid give her 
 consolation under the very severe trial which it has pleased 
 the Lord for her to undergo. It . is heart-rending to tear 
 
TESTIMONIAL LETTEES. 359 
 
 husband and wife, father and child, from one another. 
 The Lord has promised to be a husband to the widow and 
 a father to the fatherless. Yes, His promises are sure to 
 those who trust in Christ for salvation 
 
 " I cannot express my sorrow for the loss your family 
 have to sustain in the loss of so good a man as Captain 
 Hammond was. I have wrote in the best manner I could 
 to communicate this sad intelligence to you ; for I felt 
 such a shock, knowing liim so well. When I lived with 
 Colonel L * * * we were as one family. It is a great 
 blow. I can say no more. You shall all have my prayers, 
 and the God of heaven hears and answers those that put 
 their trust in Him 
 
 " How good the providence of God has been to me, 
 when so many thousands have fallen and I left I Thank 
 God for all his mercies. I very often think of you all, 
 when laying in my hard bed here. — Believe me, your sin- 
 cere friend and well-wisher, 
 
 "WW « ♦." 
 
 From Surgeon C * * *, Rifle Brigade : — 
 
 " My dear Sir, — .... I trust that the members of 
 the late Captain Hammond's family will accept from me, 
 though an entire stranger, the expression of profound 
 sympathy with them: sympathy which is felt by every 
 man, officer and private, in the regiment. On the evening 
 of the 8th, when the Rifles mustered at their camp, and 
 it was known that Caj^tain Hammond had fallen, I was 
 most painfully reminded of the last interview I had with 
 him. On the day I left Fort Cumberland, early in July, 
 
360 TESTIMONIAL LETTERS. 
 
 Captain Hammond came to my quarters to say 'good-bye.' 
 Several lithographic drawings were on the walls of my 
 sitting-room, one of them being a sort of chart of the 
 Redan Battery. Whilst I was packing my trunks, Captain 
 Hammond remained silently for about a quarter of an 
 hour examining the plan. At last he said with a smile, 
 ' I wonder you hang this on the wall. It is enough to 
 alarm all your friends, who expect to go there.' I replied 
 that it looked indeed like a forlorn hope, but that the 
 young officers at the fort were never tired of joking in 
 reference to the difficulty of storming the embankments. 
 Captain Hammond remarked, still with a smile, and yet 
 with much of solemnity, ' Well ! I suppose Ave shall all be 
 going out with the next draft. If we are in the storm- 
 ing party, some of us will be left the^-e. Perhaps I may: 
 God alone knows.' 
 
 "When the draft under Captain Hammond's command 
 was ordered to embark, their destination was suj^posed to 
 be Malta. At Malta the draft was ordered to the Crimea, 
 
 and arrived on the evening of the 5th September 
 
 On the morning of the 8th, when the regiment was about 
 to march to the assault, Captain Hammond's demeanour 
 was such as you, who know him so much better than I, 
 may readily understand. Cheerful, yet serious, a man at 
 2)eace and in charity with all men ; a soldier, resolved to 
 perform the stem duty required by his country. It was 
 at this time that Lieutenant Eyre addressed him in the 
 lang-uage mentioned in the letter to which you have alluded. 
 The reply was, ' I am quite ready.' I may further men- 
 tion, that the belief of the regiment (who still constantly 
 talk of it) is, that in marching down with his company 
 
TESTIMOMAL LETTERS. Sol 
 
 Captain Hammond was fully impressed with the conviction 
 that he should never return. 
 
 " You are already acquainted with the circumstances of 
 the attack on the Eedan. Instead of sendins: whole reo-i- 
 ments, half the army, against fortifications which 1000 
 men might have held against the world, companies of 50 
 or 1 00 men were sent from various regiments. Of course, 
 all were mixed up together. The result was indescribable 
 confusion and excitement. Our men, reeling amidst a 
 hurricane of grape, fired on this side and on that, into the 
 air; and only the old soldiers can recall a single incident, 
 or tell you what really happened in the storming of the 
 Great Redan. Officers lost their men, and men lost their offi- 
 cers. Half the storming party were composed of boys; 
 recruits, who had never been under fire before ; and of 
 these, many hundreds fled in every direction, and hid 
 themselves in the ditch, creating a panic through all 
 the ranks behind them. Amidst all this confusion, at 
 one of the embrasures of the Redan, fighting with a 
 few of his company who followed him to the death, 
 was. Captain Hammond. Their black coats were easily 
 distinguished. Captain Hammond was seen to cut down 
 several of the enemy with his own sword. He then 
 disappeared for a time. Whether he was made a prisoner, 
 or whether he entered the Redan and fought there, it is 
 impossible to say. The men who were with him died 
 with him. But I think it probable that, having fought 
 ]iis way into the Redan, being wholly unsupported, he was 
 compelled to fight his way back again. He reaj^peared 
 at one of the embrasures, still fiojhting, when he fell back- 
 wards. 
 
362 TESTIMONIAL LETTERS. 
 
 " Early on tlie next morning-, a party went ont to 
 search for the body, * Captain B * * * in command. For 
 two honrs the search was continned withont snccess; and 
 the men were about to return, hopino- that your brother 
 might be a prisoner, when Captain B * * * noticed an 
 arm stretched upwards, from beneath a heap of slain, 
 in the Redan ditch; and the body was immediately dis- 
 covered. The eyes were closed, and the features bore 
 an expression of singular placidity. Death had been 
 painless and instantaneous. On the afternoon of the 
 same day, Captain Hammond and Lieutenant Ryder were 
 buried in the ravine, which the 1st Brigade, Light Divi- 
 sion, have consecrated as their burial ground.-f* A very 
 neat cross, of white stone, ha.s been placed at the head 
 
 of your brother's grave When last I visited his 
 
 gi'ave, about a fortnight ago, a very large and massive 
 slab, which would cover the whole of the mound, was 
 being laid down. The grave, however, had not been 
 previously neglected. Some kind hand had placed round 
 it a low wall, formed of fragments of granite; and a 
 shrub, bearing a beautiful purple flower, was planted at 
 the foot. I know that I need ofl'er no apology for this 
 long letter. — Believe me, my dear sir, yours faithfully, 
 
 " Walter C * * *." 
 
 A notice of the death of these two officers, from the 
 same pen, appeared in the Illustrated London News: — 
 
 * This is an error of tbe writer. Colonel Woodford commanded the party 
 \iho went in search. 
 
 + The Jiearer cross in the fronti.spiece indicates the grave of Cnptain Ham* 
 lU' nd ; the most distant, that ot Lieutenant Ryder. 
 
testimo>ial leiteks. s63 
 
 " Camp before Sebastopol, 
 September 9, 1855. 
 " In the 2d battalion, Rifle Brigade, we have to lament 
 the loss of Captain Hammond and Lieutenant Ryder. We 
 have Lieutenants Carey, Eyre, Eccles, and Riley wounded ; 
 and about 130 men killed and wounded. With Captain 
 Hammond's name you will be familiar; as I frequently 
 mentioned to you the many acts of kindness I received 
 from him when he commanded the depot at Fort Cumber- 
 land. A braver soldier never, on that day, mounted the 
 Redan. A Christian of more unaffected piety never 
 entered the presence of God. He had only been in the 
 Crimea forty-eight hours when he was killed. When the 
 Rifles were forming for the attack, a young subaltern, 
 o'oino' into action for the first time, who had come out 
 with Hammond, addressed him, ' Captain Hammond, how 
 fortunate we are, we are just in time for Sebastopol!' 
 Hammond's eyes were gazing where the rays of the sun 
 made a path of golden light over the sea, and his answer 
 Avas short and remarkable, and accompanied by the quiet 
 smile, which those who knew him will so well remember. 
 * / am quite ready' said he. The next that was seen of 
 him was, when his sword was flasliing above one of the 
 embrasures of the Redan. He was, indeed, at the head of 
 his company, fighting to gain an entrance for them. A 
 dozen bayonets were at his heart, and once he Avas dragged 
 in a prisoner. In a few moments, he was recognised 
 again outside the embrasui-e, still hacking with his sword. 
 The next morning, at six o'clock, Captain B « * * found 
 him in the ditch, beneath a dozen of the shiin, with a 
 bayonet wound through tlie heart. Hammond and Ryder 
 
364? TESTIMONIAL LETTEIIS. 
 
 were buried this afternoon, in the burial ground of the 
 Division, rendered sacred, long ago, by the sepulture of 
 brave men. Kyder was barely eighteen years old ; and 
 was one of my earliest friends after I entered the service. 
 Before the assault had lasted an hour, he was shot in the 
 throat and fell ; and was carried to the rear, and consigned 
 to a surgeon. But, as it happened, the surgeon was en- 
 gaged at the moment that Ryder was brought in ; and the 
 young lieutenant tied his handkerchief round his throat, 
 and was seen again on the ladder ; and when he was found 
 the next day in the ditch, a bayonet thrust had transfixed 
 his forehead. — I am, dear * * *, yours faithfully, 
 
 " Walter C * * » , 
 *' Staff Assistant-surgeon, attached to the 
 " Light Division." 
 
 Such is the testimony borne to his professional worth. 
 Let us see in what manner his private qualities were 
 valued. It is no slight evidence of his life of active use- 
 fulness, that in eight different churches, and four of them 
 in parishes where he had been quartered, sermons were 
 preached on the occasion of his death. 
 
 At Canterbury, the Rev. B. L. W * * *, on the 1 6th 
 September, spoke in these words: "I cannot forbear to 
 remind you of a brave young officer in the British army, 
 who only the week before last was so signally privileged 
 to experience in his own person the blessed reality of this 
 triumphant victory over our last enemy — death. You 
 can most of you well remember that, only two short years 
 ago, the officer to whom I am alluding resided for a con- 
 siderable time in this city, and was accustomed. Sabbath 
 
after Sabbath, to assemble here with us in this house of 
 prayer to worsliip the Lord. You can most of you realise 
 to your mind's eye afresh his form and features, how he 
 was clothed with all the health and strength of robust 
 youth, and looked as if it would be many, many years 
 before he would be visited by death. You can also most 
 of you remember his holy bearing and consistent cha- 
 racter ; how evident it was to all who knew him, that he 
 had, indeed, been with Jesus in real earnest; that the 
 Spirit of Christ did, indeed, dwell in him, and walk in 
 him ; that it was his daily and hourly delight to glorify 
 his Saviour in all things, to live for Him, and to follow 
 Him here in this present evil, persecuting world, with all 
 holy conversation and gentleness, that hereafter he might 
 follow Him and dwell with Him for ever in His own 
 heavenly kingdom above. You can most of you readily 
 call to mind, in one word, how manifestly to him 'to 
 live was Christ.' And now, notwithstanding his bodily 
 strength; notwithstanding the bright and glorious pro- 
 mise of his youth that his life would be prolonged to ex- 
 treme old age, whilst bravely fighting for his country, he 
 was cut down by the murderous weapons of his enemies, 
 and in an instant was numbered with the dead. But now 
 comes the vital, the all-important question, Did death 
 triumph over the young soldier? Did death, his last 
 enemy, really obtain a victory over him ? Standing here 
 as a minister of Christ, and in dependence upon His ex- 
 press assurance, ' By their fruits ye shall know them,' I 
 fearlessly answer. No ! Even when he fell to the earth a 
 lifeless corpse, he was more than conqueror through Him 
 that loved him. Through faith in Christ Jesus, that al- 
 
S66 TESTIMONIAL LETTERS. 
 
 mighty Scavionr to whom he had so long, so completely 
 committed his immortal soul, he found in that last moment 
 of his seeming helplessness, that last struggle of his sink- 
 ing mortality, that death, his last enemy, was indeed most 
 completely destroyed; for that to be absent from the 
 body was t(5 be present witli the Lord ; that to die was, 
 indeed, the most glorious gain to him, for his liberated 
 soul was at once admitted into the presence of Jesus, to 
 be for ever with the Lord ; for ever to see Jesus as He is, 
 and in all His inconceivable loveliness; for ever to rejoice 
 in the immediate and glorious presence of his Saviour- 
 God. Oh ! who can realise such blessedness as this, with- 
 out most earnestly longing to be a partaker of it himself 
 when he comes to die ! Who can contemplate the glo- 
 rious entrance of the dying soldier of Christ into the 
 kingdom of heaven, without exclaiming from his inmost 
 heart, ' Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my 
 last end be like his ! ' " 
 
 We will conclude with some extracts from the letters 
 that poured in after he was taken away: — 
 
 No. 1. 
 " God help you all under your affliction. Need I say 
 how I sympathise with you in the loss of such a son. To 
 me I cannot say what he has not been — brother and 
 friend. I never met his like, or expect to see it again. 
 After witnessing for Christ for ten years, he has gone to 
 be with Him." 
 
 No. 2. 
 
 " I know very well, from my own experience in the 
 army, that there used to be a very prevalent opinion thatj 
 
TESTIMONIAL LETTERS. 367 
 
 when an officer became a * saint,' he ceases to be good for 
 anything as a soldier. I rejoice, therefore, for the sol- 
 dier's sake, and for the honour of my Lord and Saviour, 
 that we have not to j>'0 back as far as the times of Colonel 
 Gardiner or General Burn for an instance of a Christian 
 officer. Thanks be to God, we can encourage the diffi- 
 dent young soldier of Christ noiu, by naming men of our 
 own days — Fordyce, Vicars, Shadforth, and Maximilian 
 Hammond — who were faithful unto death, and to the 
 commission which Queen Victoria had confided to them ; 
 while their constraining motive was love to the Lord, who 
 had bought them with His precious blood, and earnest 
 desire that He might, in all their conduct, be glorified. 
 
 " In looking back to the days of frequent intercourse 
 with your brother, I have a, vivid recollection of his quiet, 
 uniform, consistent maintenance of the Christian character, 
 in his whole deportment and every act. And I could not 
 help remarking, with some share of self-reproach, that I, 
 who was his senior in military service and in the knowledge 
 of the doctrine of evangelical truth, had been far, very far 
 outstripped in the life of faith by him. Every one who 
 enjoyed the privilege of intercourse with him, ' took know- 
 ledge of him that he had been with Jesus.' The spirit of 
 Christ so dwelt in him, that his countenance quite lit tip 
 with animation when he spoke out from his heart of the ex- 
 ceeding preciousness of the Saviour, and all-sufficiency, in 
 all things, of His grace. The shafts of ridicule and scorn 
 were never directed against him ; and had they been so, 
 they would have fallen blunted and harmless to the earth ; 
 for with the character of the earnest Christian, he com- 
 bined that of the gentleman, the sensible well-informed 
 
;jG8 TESTI5I0^'1AL LETTEKS. 
 
 man, the efficient regimental officer, and the kind, amiable, 
 sympathising friend. So that thoughtless young men. 
 who were not alive to the claims of vital religion, could 
 not help feeling strong regard and esteem for him as a 
 man ■ — Believe me, &c." 
 
 No. 3. 
 
 "The Rev. G. C * * * made a most touching and 
 
 heautiful allusion to the death of your now sainted son, in 
 
 his sermon at Newport, this evening. Dear Captam 
 
 Hammond was so well known in these parts. Indeed, his 
 
 sweetness of disposition and consistent Christian conduct 
 
 endeared him to all who knew him. Truly he was lovely 
 
 and pleasant in his life, and seemed almost to live in 
 
 heaven.'' 
 
 No. 4. 
 
 From an Army Scripture Reader: — 
 
 " September 7. — I met and spent some time with Cap- 
 tain Hammond. I scarcely ever met one in whom the 
 image of Christ was so reflected. It came forth in every 
 word and action. A holy calm rested on his countenance, 
 and the expression of his hope and confidence was clear 
 and unwavering. It was the first and last meeting below 
 — next day he fell. Never was one so regretted. His 
 regiment felt that they had lost their best friend, and well 
 they might, for much did he labour for their eterual good 
 
 "Many a sad blank was found; and I had, especially, 
 to weep over one friend, who had only arrived from Eng- 
 land two days before the attack. He was an officer of the 
 Rifles, and if honoured with a tomb- stone, the epitaph 
 truly may be, ' He walked with God."' 
 
TESTIMONIAL LETTERS. 369 
 
 No. 5. 
 
 **I shall never forget him, or the impression he left 
 
 on me; so earnest, so single-minded, so very lovely in 
 
 manner and expression, and such deep devoted love to 
 
 the Saviour and His cause. He always, to me, recalled 
 
 M'Cheyne ; breathing the very spirit of holiness 
 
 He was a rare man, an uncommon Christian; and one, 
 once seen, not soon or easily forgotten." 
 
 No. 6. 
 "I remember well what my impression was, at the 
 time, of his character as a man of the world. Then so 
 gentle, so amiable, so greatly to be beloved (poor dear 
 fellow, I see him in my mind's eye now, with his happy, 
 smiling, manly countenance — a kind word for all and 
 every one), my feeling was, if Hammond were converted 
 to God, what an intrepid, fearless soldier of the cross (and 
 yet, coupled with the deepest humility) would he be 
 found/' 
 
 No. 7. 
 " We were so much thrown together at one time, that 
 he was to me a beloved brother. I trust I may never for- 
 get how much I have learned from him, in his manly, 
 open-hearted, and truly Christian disposition. He was, 
 indeed, a bright example of the true soldier of the cross of 
 Christ. His letters to me always spoke of his earnest 
 desire to live to the honour and glory of God, in Christ 
 
 Jesus F * * * in a letter says, ' How few men 
 
 like Hammond do you meet anywhere! His character 
 will stand any test. He was not an ordinary man.' " 
 
 2a 
 
370 TESTBIONIAL LETTERS. 
 
 No. 8. 
 " Fondly had I hoped that he, who was such a model of 
 many virtues and of Christian graces ; who was the object 
 of so many prayers; would be graciously spared, as an 
 example to us all in following his Master. No one could 
 know him without love and admiration; and it is not for 
 his precious spirit (for that is ineffably happy, and would 
 not now have entered heaven otherwise than in that 
 chariot of fire; for so was the will of God, and in that 
 will his is entirely lost) ; it is not for him, that we must 
 mourn.'* 
 
 No. 9. 
 
 " His whole walk was close with God, and his life more 
 pure and holy than that of any other being I ever met 
 
 with One word of him whom I so much admired 
 
 — who so lived to his God, and who is now with Him in 
 quite unapproachable happiness. When I heard he was 
 gone, my first words weie, ' Thank God ! ' for I thought 
 only of what the gain must be to him. What a blessing 
 to know, that when Christ shall come again on earth, he 
 who served his God so faithfully shall come with Him, 
 and join all those on earth who love the Lord's appear- 
 ing!" 
 
 No. ]0. 
 *' Indeed, when 1 think of him, my mind rests not so 
 much upon isolated traits, as upon the tenor of his life ; 
 the beautiful unity, harmony, and evenness of his cha- 
 racter and walk ; his eminent, abiding spirituality of 
 mind ; his unfailing, ever-gro\Wng, fruitfulness, to the 
 
CONCLUSION. 871 
 
 praise of the grace of God. To me he has been a 
 heaven-sent blessing. To glorify God, and to win souls 
 to Christ, was the object of his life; and he has left a 
 record whicli may do so still. I never dare to hope that 
 another such a friend will be given me, as he who did so 
 gently, tenderly, and wisely help me, and constantly cleave 
 to me, during long years of separation." 
 
 What shall we say, then, in conclusion ? 
 
 "Though there is a just man that perisheth in his 
 righteousness," yet " In the way of righteousness there is 
 life, and in the pathway thereof there is no death." 
 
 Do not these thino's, then, tell us that it is hi^h time to 
 
 CD ' ' O 
 
 gird on our panoply ? A very little while, and there shall 
 be a marshalling of hosts, before which even the sands 
 of the sea shall be as nothing in multitude. A very little 
 while, and the trumpet shall ring forth a blast, at the 
 sound of which not the walls of that beleaguered city, 
 but the very foundations of the earth, shall tremble. A 
 very little while, and then shall appear, attended by His 
 white-robed host, not earthly prince or potentate, nor 
 mortal conqueror, but the sign of the Son of man in 
 heaven. And who may abide the day of His coming? 
 What sleeper shall endure the warning of that trumpet- 
 blast, when many of those that sleej) in the dust of the 
 earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to 
 shame and everlasting contempt? Happy, happy he, who 
 in that dread hour shall be found with the watchword on 
 his lips, " Quite ready !" 
 
372 CONCLUSION. 
 
 " He sleeps, alas ! a soldier's sleep 
 Upon the red Crimean plain ; 
 And we must cease our loss to weep. 
 And gird us to the world again. 
 
 " But hours like this will reach us yet, 
 
 When something heard, or seen, or spoken, 
 Stirs up within our hearts regret, 
 
 Mellowed by time, but never broken." 
 
 Barnaed. 
 
 THBEND. 
 

 
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