December 1867-December 1869
December 1866

December 1877-December 1878

Gibson-Carmichael, T. D. December 1878-December 1879

*Wynne-Willson, St J. B. March 1888-June 1890

*Yeld, C.

December 1863-June 1864.

DESIDERIUM.

The long Pacific liner's deck in June
Near midnight and no ripple on the sea,
While up and down I pace, and gradually,
Lulled by the ceaseless engines' drowsy droon,
I lapse into forgetfulness; the moon,

Of dreamy touch enchantress, brings to me
Old scenes and days which I no more shall see,
Save in imagination's last sad boon.

The shadows on the awnings as I tread

Seem like familiar trees; a bird's clear strain Rings in my heart: I catch the fragrance shed By old familiar flowers; and once again. Stand by the old sweet home where I was bred, And climb once more the old familiar lane.

C. SAPSWORTH.

VOL. XVII.

YYY

THE BRIDGE OF SIGHS.

THE pale moon brooded o'er the swollen tide,
That ever bore its sightless waters down,
And on the bridge a fresher stood, in pride
Of cap and gown.

A fresher and a poet! through him thrilled
The fire divine that only great souls know,
And yet,'twas strange, but he had thrice been pilled

I' the Little Go.

'Twas cruel fate, with still more cruel grammar,

That brought him to this dark abysm of woe,

In vain had he recited to his crammer

His ό, ή, τό.

Forsooth, as poet, he had glory won,

He'd sung of joys and hopes for ever fled,
In poems, which, save but his mother, none
Had ever read.

He'd writ an epic too, ye gods, how long,
Ten thousand lines in twenty books or so,
And yet, as I have mentioned, he went wrong
I' the Little Go.

Thus he had come in sombre sad attire

To gaze upon the tide as on it speeds,

And nourish thoughts that might the world inspire

To noble deeds;

And dream of some Arcadia's age of gold

When shepherds sang of life and love's sweet glow, Nor knew the pain, whereof but now I told,

That Little Go!

A. J. C.

Obituary.

THE REV WILLIAM NATHANIEL GRIFFIN B.D.

By the death of the Reverend Canon Griffin, at Ospringe, on the 25th November last, the College has lost one of the simplest and noblest of her sons.

Mr Griffin was the son of Mr William Griffin, a member of an old and respected family at Coventry in Warwickshire. The College Register records that he was born in London (County Middlesex), on the 28th January 1815, that he entered the College as a Sizar under Hughes, Bushby and Hymers as Tutors, May 30th, 1833, and that his School was Christ's Hospital.

Mr Griffin was however not a 'Blue' in the strict sense. By an ancient custom of the House, recognised so long ago as 1570, certain of the Masters were allowed to take private pupils to be educated in the School along with those of the Foundation. We read in Trollope's History of Christ's Hospital, pp. 184-5, where the quotations are from the Court Books of the Hospital: "In order that no inconvenience may arise to the Hospital,' it is expressly ordered that all private pupils 'do mix with the children of the House, receiving their instruction with them, and not forming a particular or separate class.' And by an Order of the Committee, 13 March 1799, the number of pupils which each Master is permitted to take is limited to six." The practice was finally discontinued about 1868. It is worth mentioning that Warren Hastings was such a private pupil in Christ's Hospital. A certificate, dated 4 November 1749, that he had "gone through a regular course of Merchant's Accounts," is still extant.

Mr Griffin was the private pupil of Mr Brooks, the Head Mathematical Master. One who was a Grecian in the school at the time writes "He was as the boy so gentle, patient, kind, self-denying. Again and again with the utmost readiness putting aside his own work to help me in difficulties, for the solution of which I know I very often thrust myself upon him.