122 RECORDS OF OLD TIMES 



enough to shake the steeple. The townsmen hur- 

 ried out, asking what it all meant, and the streets 

 were soon filled with rejoicing people. The vicarage 

 was close to the church, and the vicar, the Rev. John 

 Morley, was a pronounced Whig and a firm believer 

 in Napoleon, came out and demanded to know what 

 the ringing was about ; and on being told, at once 

 ordered them to desist, as he utterly disbelieved the 

 story. But the ringers, who had already been well 

 plied with strong ale, refused to comply, as Mr. 

 Fowler had ordered them ; and as he was very 

 popular in the town, they said they were determined 

 to continue, as they felt sure the news was true. 

 The vicar came down to my father's house and 

 heard the story from him, and very reluctantly 

 became a convert to the news, and rejoiced heartily 

 over a glass of hot rum and water and long church- 

 warden pipe, for which he had a particular fondness, 

 and with which he had often solaced himself with 

 the celebrated Dr. Parr, who was an old college 

 friend of his, and with whom my father had often 

 passed a dehghtful hour. The vicar could not help 

 rejoicing, being an Englishman first and a Whig 

 afterwards. Later in the evening the stage coaches, 

 especially the mail, corroborated the welcome news, 

 and general rejoicings took place. I have entered 

 into these details as a record of the times in which 

 the great event took place, and as a contrast to the 

 present day, when stirring events occurring in India, 

 China, Australia, South Africa, North and South 

 America, with all parts of the civilised world. Had 



