A TALK WITH A NONAGENARIAN.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XXVII, Issue 106, 6 May 1893, Page 4

A TALK WITH A NONAGENARIAN.

DEAN M.U'AUTNKYS 11EMINISCENCES. [Me Untrue . I (•</!»>) In conversing with anyone who hay attained the phenomenal age of the Very Key. Dean Macartney, and yet preserved his memorj and mental faculties undimmed, the imagination U struck chiefly by the extraordinary range of retrospect open to such a mind. Dean Macartney, who a few days ago entered | upon' his ( «»Jth year, observed, in a recent issue of the Art/u-f, a .speculation as to the period of time which could be covered supposing he when a boy had conversed with a person of his own present age. That very circumstance did, it seems, as a matter of fact occur. The dean, in a chat with a representative of this paper upon his reminiscences generally, remarked that when a child he remembers perfectly being in the company of his preat-grandmother, and although the topics of conversation he cannot recount, he wsa aware that the old lady was born in the year 1709. Her memory, therefore" would date back to the reign of Queen Anne, when Bolingbroke held power, and the Stuarts had not yet abandoned the hope of restoration to the, English Throne. As to the dean himself, who can sit in his study to-day and talk in a quiet, pleasant strain for an hour at a time if necessary, his boyhood fell in that period when Europe throbbed in the mightiest convulsion known Ito modern histoiy. When he was born, in Ireland, towards the close of last century, the horrors of the French Revolution of which he even now speaks shndderingly, were upon every tongue. He seems to think, indeed, that the impression made upon people's minds by events vivia or terrifying was deeper than is now the case. "We did not forget things as rapidly then savl tho clean, from the depths of "his armchair. When Dean Macartney opened his eyes upon the world Napoleon's career had hardly foe "tin The expedition to Egypt perhaps was just accomplished, and -the Little Corporal hac. returned to -become First Consul. But the great campaigns were yet to come and the dean remembers distinctly standin" between his father's knees ana listening open-eared to the latest news about the Archduke Charles, and the war in Austria by which that empire was being crushed into the dust. Before Waterloo was fought, and Europe at, last began to slumber into peace, Dean Macartney was a youth 1G or 17 years of age. Ten years of his boyhood, from the age of 4 to 14, were passed in the Isle of Man, at Douglas and Ramsay, and the dean remembers this portion of his life as a quiet and pleasant period si: eat amongst a stalwart, law-abiding people. "The front door of our house,' he says, " wa3 always open, and we never dreamed of thieves or molestation of any kind. As for the laws, they existed, but I don't think there could have been need for any very elaborate definitions. I remember that one clause in some official definitions. I remember that one clause in some official document used to run. ' 'lhe rest of the law is locked up within the bosom of the honourable the Deemster.' " From his return to Ireland as a lad of 14 until he sailed for the colonies in 1847 Dean Macartney never left that country save for a brief visit. Looking back at the condition of the country then and now, he holds that it has changed terribly for the worse. His very early reminiscences are of the antiunion days~when G rattan's Parliament still" flourished on College Green, and all the Macartney family were then strong opponents of the union. Two of the dean's relatives certainly voted for it, but the lad was reared in the idea that the act of union was a monstrous thing. Since he has been able to judge for himself, however, upon the point from observations as to the effect of the change upon the country, Dean Macartney has completely altered that opinion, and he now regards it as monstrous should the English Government betray the compact entered into. During his experience as an Anglican clergyman in the south of Ireland he found poverty, certainly, but nothing of the widespread discontent and lawlessness which has arisen since the Repeal and Home Rule agitations have been fostered. For 12 years the dean was in the extreme south of Ireland, within site of Cape Clear and the poverty there witnessed was something which he would not have thought possible even after spending seven years among the peasantry of ;; Longford and Kings's County. Yet throughout it all— not excepting the period of great famine— the country was tranquil as compared with the condition into which it has since drifted.

When Bishop Perry's appointment to 'Victoria became known, Dean . Macartney introduced himself to that prelate, offering- to accompany him to colony. Thus it was that ho" formed one of the small clerical party who arrived in Melbourne by the Stag, a sailing vessel of 700 or 800 tons, early in LSdS. One of this party, it -may be mentioned, was the Venerable Archdeacon Hale. There were eight other vessels in the bay only when the Staircast anchor, and everything in Melbourne was in the most primative condition. Collins and Burke streets really constituted Melbourne, the gaol was entirely out of the town, and Mr Macartney could not understand how the building then called the Treasury, which occupied the site of the Four Courts, could be considered as forming part of Melbourne. The Church of England however, had already established its foothold in Victoria. The Uov MiThomson was at Portland, the Key MrWil~onntGeeiong,and t. James's Cathedral, although it was closed at the time of his arrival, was as large as it is now, with the exception that there was no chancel. The nave of the Geelong church was built, but the structure was only about a quarter of its present size. St. Peter's. Melbourne, too, was partly built, and was placed in charge of one of the clergymen who voyaged with Mr Macartney in the btair. After a short stay in lodgings the dean proceeded to Heidelberg, which even then was well settled for an outlying district. Several comfortable residences were scattered about the locality, inhabited by well-to-do people, and the neighbourhood was already favoured for its natural beauty although the task of reaching itwas difficult in the extreme. A Presbyterian Church had been erected at Heidelberg, where the rresbyttriausj held .service every other

Sunday, aud ungrudgingly surrendered it for the use of Mr Macartney's ilock on the other Sunday, Probably, although the dean one night counted ijlj holes in the roof of his residence, life at Heidelberg was not much rougher in those days than it was at Melbourne. Collins street was in a dreadful condition in winter time, almost impassable for carriages, which were continually sticking fast. One respectable farmer who lived out beyond what is now Hawthorn, informed the dean that he went into town one day with a load of wood and a team of bullocks, aud before he returned he had £13 in his pocket, realised by the sale of the firewood aud the numerous fees earned by his team in extricating bogged vehicles from the perils of the principal Melbourne thoroughfare. Of the administration of the church by Bishcp Perry the dean speaks in terms of warm commendation. The bishop's judgment he e&t:ems highly, and says that although it may not invariably have been right, yet be always acted as from conscientious motives, and when once his mind was made up nothing could turn him. When Dr Perry landed here all power was practically in the hands of the bishop. According to the New South Wales law a clergyman could not draw anything from the seat rents or the church collections, and was solely dependent upon the government grant. The bishop had power upon the council, but a priest had no sort of remedy for any wrong, and had a bishep chosen to dismiss him off-hand after twenty years of service, go he must. Bishop Perry felt that this would never do, that the church o England could never take Jroot hez - e until the laify understood-, that they were the church as much as the clergy. He therefore formulated a plan for a church assembly, and although he had, strictly speaking, no warrant to do so, invited the clergy and representatives of the laity to meet and discuss it in conference. The clergy from every district (there were then no parishes) in the colony were to attend, and one or two lay delegates elected by the people, they met in St. James's schoolroom, and after debates in which the bishop was often outvoted, and never insisted upon carrying his own views, they drew up a plan for church government. This the bishop caused to bo introduced by bill in the New South Wales Legislature, where it was thrown out, but after the granting of a separate Constitution to Victoria, Dr Perry was instrumental in getting it carried here, although the measure was reserved for the Royal assent. Tn order to secure this, Bishop Perry went Home in person, and after overcoming many obstacles raised in England, succeeded iv his efforts, and the bill became law. iThis constitution has since, in the dean's opinion been the life of the church in Victoria. As regards the treatment of the Church in this colony by the State, Dean Macartney, although he regrets the loss of the Government grant, readily concedes that there was no harshness in the method by which the change was effected. The grant was withdrawn, he thinks, shortly before Bishop Moorhouse's arrival ; but the Government acted handsomely in allowing the church authorities five years' notice, which was of groat service to them. The grant was one, of course, which could be withdrawn at pleasure ; and the case was very different, remarks the dean with some little warmth, from the robbery effected at the disestablishment of the Irish Church. Dean Macartney does not love the political church of Mr Gladstone. " The Irish Church," he says, "was duly and permanently endowed, and its property should have been as secure as that of anyone else. The Government had no more moral right to take it than to take the coat from a man's back." It was a new experience for the Church of England to be cast thus upon its own resources I but difficulties did not hinder its progress. Jt has, in fact, triumphed over the obstacles which confronted it in this colony in a way which the Dean looks upon as most marvellous. The liberal land grants given for the erection of churches in the early days were another boon hv which he cheerfully acknowledges the debt owed to 'the State. The recognised allotment made over was two acres — viz., one acre for the church, half-an-acre for the parsonage, and half-an-acre for the school. This land, however, the church was originally not allowed to let or sell, but in cutting off the money grant the Government considerately altered this provision, and permitted any use to be made of the lands which the church thought fit. This has been of immense advantage to the church, which has derived some £2000 to £3000 per annum from the St James's lands, wbich, however, comprised five instead of the regulation 2a. As to the material progress made by the colony during the last 10 years, Dean Macartney, like every other old colonist, has been amazed at it. The gold fever, of which he saw the beginning and the end, he looks back upon with doubtful feelings, remembering the prosaic difficulties it entailed upon stay-at-home people in Mcl bourne. Only by a dispensation which he regards as providential was the Dean's household enabled to procure any domestic service at all, and for months there -was a stable in hi.s garden which he vainly sought to obtain a man J,o clean out. On one night the Dean believes that there wa.s only a single policeman left in Melbourne, ami he personally encountered .sick people, in the hotels of the town who were left absolutely without any attendance. "If. -we were amon^ the blacks," said one bitterly, iv they would care for us : but no one will here." In those days the dean recounts how rough-bearded men, in blue and red shirt?, with leather belts, and trousers the material of which was thoroughly concealed by layers of. soil, would come to him for marriage licenses. But on the day of the ceremony, to his astonishment, a figure utterly transformed would present itself. A bridegroom, trimly shaven, with oiled hair, wearing white satin waistcoat, patent leather shoes, and jewellery galore, would hand into a magnificent eijuipago a lady ci'vEsed in f.ven more resplendent fashion. Only the glimpse of wrist accidentally displayed between the sleeve Bud glove would betiay tho fact that the bride's acquaintauce with soup and water was not particularly intimate. 4 s regards the toilettes, says tho dean, they were iv good tasto aud irreproachable. There was nothiug fantastic about the finery, because the services of qualified milliners were employed. Dean Macartney cares little to trench upon colonial polities, upon which, nevertheless, he bad distiuct opinions formed upon t tbo evidence of his own eyesight. Tho dean hud been 2u years iv tho colony before Mr (now Sir Granam) Uerrv took effice, unwittingly inflamed the labouring against the employed class. " Until then, tuye tho dean emphatically, " I hud nvver seen a labouring

man a boggar. There were plenty of broken-down ccntlumen — young Fcamos sent out to reform, but who failed to achieve that cvd — but a genuine working man I never saw b-?g!riug his broad. After Mr Berry's accession to power, however, they were encountered by hundrede. 'The change was mai'vellous. Capital was thoroughly affrighted; no one won d build a house or undertake auy enterprise, and crowds of peo, Iv wore thrown out of employment." Tho one bright feature about this pnrj ticuhir reminiscence is that, Doan M*cArtney esteems the situation of Melbourne then as wordo than it is now. Bad a? things aro at present, and numerous as the signboards of empty houses which stare at the passer-by in every thoroughfare, tho dean ins-ists that the saroo dismal indications wero more pronounced still during what was known as " tho Berry blight," while tho streets of tho city were infinitely more deserted. Some small consolation may perhaps bo found by the pessimistic in this assurance.