20 THE NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE HOUNDS. 



was amongst the many friends and visitors entertained by 

 Mr. Josiah Wedgwood at Maer. Mrs. Marsh Caldwell 

 {quoted by Miss Meteyard) gives us a graphic picture of 

 the witty Canon of St. Paul's — 



" If I recollect riglit," she saj's, " it was about the year 1812 that I first had 

 the gratification to meet Mr. Sydney Smith. It was at the house of Mr. Josiah 

 "Wedgwood. He arrived about the middle of the daj'-, with his wife and children. 

 He entered, and in an instant made everybody feel at their ease and infused a 

 portion of his animation into all around him. The next day he took a long walk 

 over the hills with us, and most agreeable he was, giving out his mind with a 

 variety and abundance of ideas which delighted us, and showed how little need 

 he had of external excitement to call forth his powers of wit and wisdom. 



" It was his custom to stroll about the room in which we were sitting, and 

 which was lined with books, taking down one book after another, sometimes reading 

 •or quoting aloud, sometimes discussing any subject that arose. . . . ' You must 

 preach, Mr. Smith,' said Mrs. Wedgwood (it was Saturday). ' We must go and 

 try the pulpit, then,' said he, ' to see if it suits me.' So to the church we 

 walked, and how he amused us by his droll way of trying the pulpit, as he called 

 it! In 1816 I had again the happiness to pass a few days with Mr. Smith in the 

 same family, and we found him, if possible, still more delightful than before. 

 He would sit for hours with us by the fire, discoursing and making us all wiser 

 -and better, and of course most proud and happy by his notice." 



"We may be certain, did similar evidence exist," says Miss Metej'ard, "that 

 the visits of Archdeacon AVrangham, Basil IMontagu, Dr. Darwin of Shrewsbury, 

 Poole, and others as well known, were as full of pleasantness as these recorded. 

 Josiah Wedgwood died at Maer Hall, July 13th, 1843, aged 73 years." 



It was a few years after his death that Mr. Davenport 

 purchased the Maer estate from the Wedgwood family, as 

 already stated, and, as we have seen, he kept up to the full 

 the hospitable and pleasant traditions of Maer Hall. He 

 made very large additions and alterations, almost rebuild- 

 ing the house, and adding extensive stabling, and it was 

 not until 1851 or 1852 that everything was ready for his 

 occupation, and he went into residence there with his family. 



It is worth w^hile, perhaps, to relate that it was mainly 

 owing to the influence and kindly intervention of Mr. 

 Wedgwood, of Maer, that Darwin w^as allowed to go round 

 the world in the Beagle, thus laying the foundation of 

 his pre-eminently distinguished career as a naturalist. 

 This is how Darwin himself tells the story : — 



" I was eager to accept the offer (of the post of naturalist on board the Beagle) , 

 "but my father strongly objected, adding the words, fortunate for me, ' If you can 

 find any man of common sense who advises you to go, I will give my consent.' 



