Autobiography of Montagu Burrows (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER II. From SEPT. 10, 1837, To OCT. 17, 1837. All I need say about this holiday is that I found home was home. It was chiefly spent at my father's house at Ham Common, where he had brought his new wife, Miss Bradshaw,1 whose " amiability and estimable qualities " I find I have noted: I might have added that I was much struck with her lady-like style and manners. I found my brother Henry all he had ever been to me; busy with Oxford pupils, but somewhat confused about the political and ecclesiastical events of the day; especially undecided about Newman's opinions, then occupying all religious minds. He strongly recommended me to add to my feeble knowledge of Greek, and I took his advice as soon as I was able. 1 It may be worth remarking that this lady's paternal ancestor was Bradshaw the Regicide, and that through her mother she united that blood with the blood of the Hereditary King's Champion, of whom Catherine Dymoke was the daughter. This office carried with it the title of " Honourable." Mrs. Burrows' first cousin, Henry Dymoke, performed the office of Champion at George IV.'s Coronation for the last time. He was then a midshipman in the Navy. He exchanged the title for a baronetcy, which, however, became extinct at his death in 1865. A FRESH START 83 I joined H.M.S. Edinburgh, 72 guns, on October 17, 1837, and was delighted to find that Chads and Hawke were joining her also, so that we should begin our new life together. We all looked on the prospect with some anxiety, but together we could face anything, for we all had learnt many lessons. Almost the first entry in my Journal is: " The mass of my messmates are exceedingly depraved. They drink, swear, and gamble all day; their language is dreadful." The fact was that the number of " old mates" ha...