LUXURIANT GROWTH Of TITLES. 61 
self,”—and styles himself ‘His Excellency!” The more we 
study the royal institutions of the Bahamas, the more satisfied 
we become that our boasted republic is a failure, popular gov- 
ernments a mistake, and that it is about time to give some of 
our most skillful artists a liberal order for crowns, scepters, 
thrones, and all the gilded trappings necessary to set up one of 
those lofty imperial governments which are ‘‘ ordained of God.” 
Perhaps it mav be well to start one first upon the ‘‘ Thimble 
Islands,” that our people may see with their own eyes how beauti- 
fully the thing works. 
In a newspaper which is issued there semi-weekly, entitled 
“The Nassau Guardian,” &c., we find under date of February 
24th, 1879, a letter of welcome to the newly elected Bishop of 
the diocese from the rector, wardens and vestry of a church up- 
on Harbour Island (one of the Bahamas) upon his first visit to 
that island, and the bishop’s reply. The correspondence has no 
particular interest to the outside world except as it shows how 
great, windy titles thrive when transplanted upon these wonder- 
fully productive calcareous rocks. The Harbour Island church 
officials addressed this successor of poor and humble apostles as 
follows: ; 
“The Right Reverend Dr. Francis A. Cranmer-Roberts, Lord Bishop of 
Nassau, Reverend Father in God.” 
The Bishop in his reply concluded as follows: 
** Believe me to remain, 
“Your affectionate Father in God, 
“Pranors-Nassav.” 
Now if these little rocky isles of the ocean can sport ‘‘ Fathers 
in God,” “Lord Bishops,” and other high ecclesiastical digni- 
6 
