Life of John Coleridge Patteson : Missionary Bishop of the Melanesian Islands — John Shaqi
Life of John Coleridge Patteson : Missionary Bishop of the Melanesian IslandsYonge, Charlotte M. (Charlotte Mary)
Religion
Life of John Coleridge Patteson : Missionary Bishop of the Melanesian Islands
Yonge, Charlotte M. (Charlotte Mary)
Missions -- Melanesia; Patteson, John Coleridge, 1827-1871
'In college, stretching from Hexter's to Mother Spier's was a
magnificent representation of the Parthenon: there were three pillars,
and a great thing like this (a not over-successful sketch of a
pediment), with the Eton and Royal arms in the middle, and "Gratulatur
Etona Victoria et Alberto" It cost £150, and there were 5,000 lamps hung
on it. Throughout the whole day we all of us wore large white bridal
favours and white gloves. Towards evening the clods got on Long Walk
Wall; and as gentle means would not do, we were under the necessity of
knocking some over, when the rest soon jumped off. However, F---- and
myself declared we would go right into the quadrangle of the Castle,
so we went into the middle of the road and formed a line. Soon a rocket
(the signal that the Queen was at Slough) was let off, and then some
Life Guards came galloping along, and one of them ran almost over me,
and actually trod on F---'s toe, which put him into dreadful pain for
some time. Then came the Queen's carriage, and I thought college would
have tumbled down with the row. The cheering was really tremendous. The
whole 550 fellows all at once roared away. The Queen and Consort nodding
and bowing, smiling, &c. Then F---- and I made a rush to get up behind
the Queen's carriage, but a dragoon with his horse almost knocked us
over. So we ran by the side as well as we could, but the crowd was so
immensely thick, we could not get on as quick as the Queen. We rushed
along, knocking clean over all the clods we could, and rushing against
the rest, and finally F---- and myself were the only Eton fellows that
got into the quadrangle. As we got there, the Queen's carriage was going
away. You may fancy that we were rather hot, running the whole way up to
the Castle, besides the exertion of knocking over the clods and knocking
at doors as we passed; but I was so happy.'
Such is bliss at twelve years old!
The first half-year of 1839 had brought Patteson into the Remove, that
large division of the school intermediate between the fourth and fifth
forms. The work was harder, and his diligence somewhat relaxed. In fact,
the Coley of this period and of a good while later had more heart for
play than work. Cricket, bathing, and boating were his delight; and
though his school-work was conscientiously accomplished, it did not
interest him; and when he imagined himself to have been working hard and
well, it was a thunderbolt to him to find, at the end of the half-year,
that a great deal more had been expected of him by his tutor. It shows
how candid and sweet his nature was, that, just as when he was a little
fellow at Ottery, his penitent letter should contain the rebuke he had
received, without resentment against anyone but himself:--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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