Page:Lord Amherst and the British Advance Eastwards to Burma.djvu/169

than that we should be guilty of injustice, or take upon ourselves the appearance of protectors of mutiny.

'Believe me yours,

'Wellington.

'Strathfieldsaye, Oct. II.'

Amid all these preoccupations Lady Amherst notes with much feeling the sad news of the untimely death of Reginald Heber, the Bishop of Calcutta. The whole of India was his diocese, and the end of his labours came when in his second visitation tour (to Madras) he had reached Trichinopoli.

'On April 3, 1826, he had been preaching and performing Divine Service very early in the morning: on his return home, he went into a cold and very large and deep bath at a little distance from the house, where he was found dead. He had been in the highest health and spirits previously.'

A bitter domestic sorrow was soon to divert the thoughts of Lord Amherst and his wife from the jars of State controversies. In the diary for July, 1826, we read:

'On the 25th Lord Amherst, Jeff, and Mr. Hale all ill from what is called epidemic fever, which in general only lasts three days. Jeff recovered for a day, but had a relapse; he was able to come to Barrackpur. How can I express all our bitter pangs! Another severe relapse seized our beloved boy on the evening of the 30th, although I had seen him an hour before apparently in high health and spirits. We had all gone on board his pinnace and sat an hour or two with him at Barrackpur. Not long after we landed I received two notes from him, pressing me to send him medicine as his fever was coming on again.