‘A LADY’S DESCRIPTION OF HIM. 9

where he was employed from 1865 to 1871 in the construction of the Thames defences. He had refused to be honoured or féted when he returned from China, preferring to bury himself in obscurity, and to quietly and steadily carry out his duties. His engineering work afforded full scope for his military talents, whilst the moral and religious side of his nature had an ample field for congenial work. Those six years he describes as amongst the happiest of his life. Mr. Hake gives a few interesting particulars; but owing to Gordon’s extreme reticence about himself and his dislike to all publicity, the ful] extent of his benevolent work on the Thames will never be known.

Wuat Mr. Hake Says,

“To the world his life at Gravesend was a life of self-suppression and self- denial ; to himself it was one of happiness and pure peace. He lived wholly for others. His house was school, and hospital, and almshouse in turn—and was more like the abode of a missionary than a colonel of Engineers. The troubles of all interested him alike. The poor, the sick, the unfortunate were ever wel- come, and never did suppliant knock vainly at his door. He always took a great delight in children, but especially in boys employed on the river or sea. Many he rescued from the gutter; cleansed them and clothed them, and kept them for weeks in his home. For their benefit he established evening classes over which he himself presided ; reading to and teaching the lads with as much ardour as if he were leading them to victory. He called them his ‘ kings,’ and for many of them he got berths on board ship. One day a friend asked him why there were so many pins stuck into the map of the world over his mantelpiece ; he was told that they marked and followed the course of the boys on their voyages—that they were moved from point to point as his youngsters advanced, and that he prayed for them as they went day by day. The light in which he was held by these lads was shown by inscriptions in chalk on the fences. A favourite legend was ‘God bless the Kernel.’ So full did his classes at length become that the house would no longer hold them, and they had to be given up. Then it was that he attended and taught at the ragged schools, and it wasa pleasant thing to watch the attention with which his wild scholars listened to — his words.” . .

A gentleman who knew him well at this time has told the writer that Gordon used to bring his boys to London, when ready for sea, and take them himself to shipowners’ officés until he found them a suitable berth. No trouble was too great for this indefatigable bene- factor of his fellow-creatures.’

A Lapy’s Descriprion or Him.

‘* His benevolence embraced all,” writes one who saw much of him at this time. ‘‘Misery was quite sufficient claim for him, without going into the question of merit, and of course sometimes he was deceived, but very seldom, for he had an eye that saw through and through people; it seemed useless to try to hide anything from him. I have often wondered how much this wonderful