town, but on getting there I found the House of Lords already assembled, and our attendance of course requisite. The whole evening was consumed in examining our adversaries' witnesses, who were very ably cross-examined by Lord Grenville. Their evidence was very paltry, and indicated strongly a determination of making everything they said, if possible, bend to their interests.

When I first appeared before their Lordships, the Duke of Clarence was pleased to distinguish me by several significant nods. Babington stood near him for some time, and found him extremely warm against the Bill. It is shocking that so young a man, under no bias of interest, should be so earnest for the continuance of the Slave Trade, and especially now its horrors are confessed by all. The public attention seems much awakened by the present question, so that there cannot be a more favourable time for making the impression one wishes on the minds of the Lords and of the nation in general.

This day and Monday will be wholly employed by me in further instructions to our counsel. Our chief friends in the House are the Chancellor, Lords Grenville, Holland, Spencer, Carlisle, Auckland, and the Bishops of London and Rochester. Our chief enemies are the Duke of Clarence and the other royal Dukes, Lords Thurlow, Westmoreland, and Kinnoul.

I breakfasted this morning in Mrs. Thornton's room, and had the pleasure of seeing her much better than when I last visited her chamber. Little Marianne is a delightful creature, and prattles charmingly.

On Wednesday my black children got to Clapham in good health, and excited no small admiration among our friends, who account them a highly favourable specimen of African youth. Mrs. More, who is still an inmate of Battersea Rise, began to catechise one of them a little, and was much pleased with his ready answers, though I find on an examination which I instituted this morning that they have rather lost ground during our separation. They live about a mile hence in the village of Clapham. I have been to the Smallpox Hospital 2 to arrange for their all being sent thither for inoculation.

What abundant cause have we to bless that God by whose aid we still live, I trust, to praise Him; whose healing touch hath raised our heads from the bed of sickness; whose guiding hand hath made a path for us through the waters; and whose protecting care hath delivered us from the hands of our enemies, proving better to us than all our vain and faithless fears would.

1 'Dawes and Macaulay dined with me. Then House of Lords, Slave Limitation Bill.' Wilberforce's Diary, May 31, 1799.

2 At St. Pancras.

permit us to expect. We were chased in the latitude of thirty degrees for thirty-two hours, the privateer for a great part of that time having been within three miles of us. I expected to be taken, in which case there was cause to fear all my children would have been carried to South America, and sold. This would have been a trying dispensation indeed, from which God in mercy saved me. I had resolved on accompanying them, if it were to the farthest corner of the earth, provided no entreaty or remonstrance could prevent our separation. In this way I should either have a chance of recovering them by representations to French or Spanish Governors abroad; or, knowing their exact place, by applications to their courts at home. It was a time to put them in mind of Joseph's story, which I failed not to do.

I dined at Wilberforce's yesterday, but have as yet had little opportunity of seeing much of his lady's mind. Her exterior indicates great sweetness of temper, considerable humility, and a mind rather highly embellished than strongly cultivated. But I repeat that I have not at all had the means of judging.

My cough is still troublesome; but if our work in the House of Peers were over, I should have that time to nurse it, which I have not now.

I have been thanking Mrs. More for all her friendly attentions, and talking to her with frankness with respect to my own future worldly prospects, which I thought might remove any impression of my having suspected the warmth of the regards in that quarter.

Battersea Rise, June 5, 1799.

I was yesterday drawn by the pressing instances of some Clapham ladies to witness a feast given to the children of Miss Wilkinson's schools. This lady is a Baptist, and I believe of the Sabbatarian sort, but is rather in high esteem among our religious folks at Clapham, who are moved by her active benevolence to recede a little from their accustomed antipathy to Dissenters. She herself is a woman of a very catholic spirit; but the following trait will show how hard it is to clear the best-intentioned mind from the leaven of bigotry. Last year. she gave a feast not only to her own scholars, but invited, as she also has done this year, the children of a Charity School of the Establishment to partake of it. But while she gave her own children beef and pudding in overflowing abundance, she would allow to the children of the Charity School only plain) pudding. She avoided this fault, however, yesterday.

I ought to be half ashamed to tell you of my impatience to see you when we have so many strong motives, not merely to

patience, but thankfulness. But it seems to me as if even the society of Battersea Rise had lost its wonted power to please. Doubtless they are the same enlightened, amiable, pious, improving characters they ever were, nay, I think them all this in an increased degree, exclusive of the additional advantage of the female society, and yet I find no rest among them.

I have now lodged my poor dear children in the Smallpox Hospital. May God preserve them and bring them in safety through their illness! I have some fears on their account, but I am well assured of their being in good hands. I am called off, so ever yours affectionately, Z. MACAULAY.

Miss Wilkinson, who is mentioned in the preceding letter, occupied a pleasant old house, which was still standing unaltered, in its charming grounds close to the town of Clapham, up to a recent date, when it was incorporated with the block of convent schools and other monastic buildings which occupy a large area on the western side of the Common. The writer remembers being present when Lord Macaulay visited it, and hearing him recall with great enjoyment his recollections of the manner in which this lady was accustomed to shock the susceptibilities of her neighbours belonging to the Church of England. He related how, as children, on coming out of Clapham Church after the morning service on Christmas Day, he and his elder sisters used to look with horror at the sight of Miss Wilkinson seated at her window ostentatiously occupied in knitting, while she watched the congregation dispersing ; and how an awful report was current in his nursery that the Christmas fare provided for her household consisted of roast veal and apple pie instead of the orthodox beef and plumpudding.

Great interest was taken in the black children by the inhabitants of Clapham. Mr. John Campbell, himself a Missionary of some celebrity, was deputed by Mr. Haldane to inspect them soon after their arrival, and came up from Edinburgh on purpose to do so. He walked with them across the Common, then a charming piece of wild ground covered with furze bushes and clumps of trees, and diversified by several pretty ponds, to Battersea Rise, and was much struck by their intelligence and innocent gaiety. But upon arriving at Mr. Henry Thornton's gates, he was alarmed at finding that some of the number were missing. 'It arose,' he writes, 'from companies

dining in the neighbouring mansions, astonished to see a cloud of young Africans, sending out their men-servants to try and catch some of them and bring them before them. They fancied all were their friends, and most willingly went with any who asked them.'

Macaulay himself was in serious perplexity as to his future action with regard to his precious charges. He had been strongly remonstrated with already by men in whose judgment he had entire confidence, as to the impropriety of yielding the young Africans to the control of Mr. Haldane; and when he had been fully enlightened with respect to the religious and political views with which that gentleman was credited, his determination became irrevocable that under no circumstances should Mr. Haldane have any share in training the minds or influencing the fate of the children. At the same time he fully recognised Mr. Haldane's claims as having been the originator of the scheme, and seems to have proposed to satisfy them by permitting Mr. Haldane to bear the expense of the establishment at Clapham, where Macaulay was resolved that the young blacks should remain in safety from contamination with any heretical or socialistic ideas.

It was perhaps fortunate, as leading to a speedy termination of the disagreement, and it was certainly most natural, that Mr. Haldane should entertain considerable offence at such a proposal being made to him after the great liberality of his offers, and the preparations which he had made at Edinburgh for receiving the children. It was also darkly insinuated by his adherents that Macaulay had started the plan of inoculation in order to gain time, and delay the immediate removal of his charges to Scotland. The most minute search, however, in the correspondence fails to justify in the slightest degree this accusation; and what would seem wholly to disprove it, is, that before leaving Sierra Leone, Macaulay, with his habitual sense of justice and prudence, had carefully explained his intention of subjecting the children to this ordeal to their respective families, and had received full permission to carry out the treatment as he thought best.

Mr. Haldane accordingly entirely declined the privilege of payment so graciously allotted to him. 'We will not,' he wrote to Macaulay, 'so mix the work. Either you or I shall have

the whole charge.' Mr. Wilberforce and Henry Thornton came nobly forward; and when finally, by their assistance and that of other friends, the greater portion of the funds necessary for the maintenance and education of the poor blacks was provided, Macaulay exclaimed with heartfelt relief, 'At last my children are rescued from the grasp of Mr. Haldane!' On the other hand, the affair seems to have made little impression upon the mind of Mr. Haldane, whose wealth and influence enabled him to engage in benevolent schemes of so extensive a nature that the loss of the education of twenty-five young Africans was soon obliterated from his recollection, and many years afterwards he cordially accepted the support of Macaulay in his controversy with the Bible Society upon the Apocrypha.

A short adjournment of the House of Lords gave Macaulay at length the wished-for opportunity for a visit to Miss Mills; but satisfactory as it was to his feelings to pass a happy Sunday in her company, yet the state of his health was such that he suffered severely from the hurried journey, which was followed by a return to the inevitable heavy business awaiting him in London. The details of his journey show the delay and inconvenience which busy men had to reckon with at that period in travelling. The adjournment was quite unexpected, and did not take place till very late on a Wednesday night, when the House of Lords adjourned till Monday. He returned to Battersea Rise to collect his things, and then went over to Hammersmith between three and four o'clock on Thursday morning to await the Bath coaches. They all arrived full inside and out, and he was compelled to postpone his departure until the mail in the evening.

He was, however, cheered by the prospect of meeting his betrothed at the Temple later on, and of spending a peaceful holiday with her in the place which was so dear to him. The Babingtons were urgent that he should come there as soon as he should be set at liberty, and had extracted a promise from Miss Mills that she would meet him there. In truth, she always appears to have made an exception to her customary habits of reserve and seclusion in their favour, and to have felt completely at ease in their society. As far as can be traced, her friendship with Mrs. Babington was the only intimacy which she formed during her married life; but to her

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