See, from yon lofty promontory's brow,
The beacon's pale light flickers o'er the main,
And strews the hidden rocks that lie below;
Where many a noble bark, which strove in vain
The adjacent harbour's shelter safe to gain,
Has sunk, alas! upon the treacherous shore!
And many a gallant sailor's corse has lain
Within thy blue waves, mid the water's roar,
Or, by thy rough waves tost, lies blackening on the shore.
But now the blustering winds are hushed in peace;
No storms disturb the calm and tranquil deep;
The hoarsely roaring billows' murmurs cease,
And shrouded seems the ocean now in sleep,
The brine is dripping from each craggy steep;
Silence unbroken reigns; not e'en a gull
Does o'er the heaving waves her swift course keep;
Still the moon's beams the enraptured spirit lull,
Ne'er could be ought on earth more wild, more beautiful.
"King of the College."Dr. Haigh, with all his scholarship, was quite unable to speak in public. This had been a source of great humiliation to him, and he determined that the boys in his school should, if possible, be saved from this disadvantage. To this end he instituted a yearly election of a "King of the College." On a certain day the boys were invited to write on a slip of paper the name of the candidate they voted for, and each boy had to return thanks for the number of votes he had received. Knight secured the 25 votes necessary to become a successful candidate, and there were two others, one being a son of George Leeman, M.P. for York and Chairman of the North-Eastern Railway. After the nomination the candidates each selected six speakers, and both candidates and speakers had a week's holiday to prepare for the great day of election. Hustings were erected in front of the College. A distinguished "old scholar" was invited to act as sheriff. Parents and friends were present, and the neighbouring gentry were invited. The grounds were crowded, and open house kept. Each candidate had his own special colours, with banners and scarves, the former being of silk with richly painted designs. Knight's father expended £30 on his son's show. Mr. Knight informs me that his brother won the election, and became "King of the College." He had as a boy at school the charming manners he preserved all through life, and was universally esteemed. At this time Mr. Stephen Wilson, one of the masters of the College, made the pen-and-ink sketch of which I have obtained a copy from the original, lent me by Mrs. Knight for the purpose. Wilson was greatly attached to Knight, was beloved by every boy in the school.
