THE BISHOPS AT EBBSFLEET-

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 9818, 30 August 1897, Page 4

THE BISHOPS AT EBBSFLEET-

Those responsible for the arrangements of the , great Pan-Anglican Conference that ia going on in London now, says the Pall Mall Gazette* of July 2nd, were remarkably happy in their ohoice of Ebbafleefc for today's ceremonial. Ebbsfleeb and its near neighbourhood may almost be called holy ground in the histoi-y of England. Within a few yards of the spot where 230 of the Archbishops and Bishops of the Anglicau Church from all parts of the world assembled, Hengist and Horsa, at the head of the Amjlo-Saxon conquerors who drove the Celts into Cornwall and Wales, landed in the year 449. Here, again, 160 years later, the galley that bore St. Augustine ana his famous company first touched English soil. This little piece of land was formerly an island, being cot off from "The Garden of England" by the river StOTir; and Ebbafleet — the Ipsida-flete of tho Saxons—might well be termed the Dover or Folkestone of the days of the Roman Empire. It was here, in the earlier days o£ the country, that all the beauty and fas Lion used to congregate in the summer months; but now the present-day historian simply describee it as "a small hamlet." How are the mighty fallen ! A fteherinan or two, half a dozen small boye, and an oooasional visitor with historical and antiquarian instincts are all that are to be seen there now. Variety is supplied by the skirling and screaming of hundreds of gulls, and an occasional thunderstorm in season.

A few miles off the two steeples of Reculver Church fttiil rear their head* a* a landmark for vessels making foe the eetoery of the Thames. These towen are locally

fcftown as the "two sisters." The body of the church, wlncn was built in a ourioui and interesting mixture of Roman, Saxon and Norman architecture, was taken down ninety years ago on account of the encroach inents of the sea, the waves of which, it waa feared, would wash the whole building away during a storm. Somewhere within fifty yards of the " two sisters" Ho the 1 mains of Ethelbert I the fifth Saxon and the" net Christian kingof Kent. Ac high water tho waves of tho North Sea roll over hi. grave. From an old hietory of Kent t appears that in former days, before the old church was demolished, there stood aatoie to the dead king's memory. It bore the following interesting inscription :—

"Here, as historiographers have said biunte Bthelberfc, Kent's whilome king, was Whom St. Augustine with the Gos pel enter taiad, * And in this tomb hath ever since remain'd." Thus, it will be seen, EbbsQeet possesses curious and interesting historic associations and is worthy in every way of receiving the Anglican Bishops in their pilgrimage to the spot made sacred to St. Augustine ami hia band.