186 THE NEGRO FRIEND. 



by inspiration itself, " Greater love hath no man than 

 this, that a man lay down his life for his friends ; " 

 and yields not in its reality, to what has so often 

 excited our youthful feelings in the story of Damon 

 and Pythias ; * it will be only an act of justice to give 

 some account of the white man thus rescued from a 

 watery grave ; and who subsequently repaid his debt 

 of gratitude to the sable race, by exertions, consigning 

 him to many years of helplessness, penury and " ever- 

 during dark. " 



Edward Rush ton was born at Liverpool, Nov. 13, 

 1756, being the son of Thomas Rushton, a hair-dresser 

 of that place, and a man of some native talent. In his 

 eleventh year he was bound apprentice to Messrs. 

 Watt and Gregson, Merchants of Liverpool ; and at 

 the age of sixteen, saved the vessel on board of which 

 he sailed, by intrepidly taking the helm, when the 

 captain and crew had abandoned her to her fate. 

 Having served his time, he became mate of a slave- 

 ship but distinguished himself by his humanity ; and, 

 on one occasion, was threatened with irons by the 

 master, owing to his manly protest against the wanton 

 oppression, to which the wretched captives were sub- 

 jected. During a voyage to Dominica, the ophthalmia 

 broke out with great fury amongst the slaves ; and 

 daily administering to their wants, when no other Euro- 

 pean would venture near them, he caught the infection, 

 and lost his own sight. 



On his return to Liverpool, he lived for some years 

 in extreme poverty, being only allowed four shillings 

 per week for his lodging and subsistence, out of which 

 pittance he weekly paid a boy three-pence, to read aloud 

 to him. During this period of melancholy gloom, he 



* The writer of the stanzas has heard Mr. George Bennett, the 

 well known missionary traveller, relate an act of equal fidelity, though 

 happily without fatal results, on the part of a Tahitian servant ; who, 

 totally forgetful of his own danger, swam to his aid in a sea swarm- 

 ing witn sharks : but cannot say whether the anecdote is preserved 

 in that highly entertaining and interesting work, " Bennett and 

 Tyerman's Voyage round the World. " 



