His first visit to Madras was on the journey out to Calcutta. He was the quest for a few days of Mr. W. H. Torriano, a Senior Civilian in the Company's Service, who had proved himself to be a real friend to religious and missionary causes. There was only one Chaplain in Madras at the time of his visit, namely, the Rev. E. Vaughan, of St. Mary's, Fort St. George, whose senior colleague was absent on sick leave. Corrie was invited to preach at the Fort Church, and did so on the following Sunday morning. On the same day he conducted the service and preached to the boys of the Military Male Orphan Asylum at Egmore.
Nearly thirty years later he landed at Madras as the first Bishop of the Presidency. Between the first and second visits he lived a strenuous life of evangelic activity and earnestness in the Presidency of Bengal. He had taken a man's part and more as an apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher ‘for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.'
He had begun his clerical life, as every young clergyman does, with certain foundation principles to work upon. He had been brought up as a boy in the God-fearing atmosphere of a country vicarage, hedged around by many cardinal virtues, of which conformity to the doctrine and discipline of the Church was one. His acquaintance with the Rev. Charles Simeon at Cambridge brought him into contact with a new method of expressing old truths. To some extent he was influenced by both the method and the man; but his foundation principles were never greatly disturbed. Whatever new impressions were taken in were carefully laid on the old foundations. During his ministry he lived an apostolic life both from design and choice. His friends regarded him as a good prophet; by disposition lie was a good evangelist and pastor; his Cambridge training made him a good teacher ; his study of law gave him balance of judgment. These qualifications together prepared the way for him to become after ordination an excellent priest. His principles were sound and their foundations strong; so that when he was called to the office of Archdeacon of Calcutta, and later when he was called to the office of Bishop of Madras, no one would have ventured the criticism that he was the wrong
