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I ! . Alotieco. I

THE VALE OF NEATH RAILWAY:

———I I VALE OF NEATH RAILWAY.

¡"GLAMORGANSIZIRE.

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DIRECTORS: I

I.tfomgu Intrllignirr.

1 RAILWAY WITNESSES AND RAILWAY…

ELECTIONS.I

IiHt;8crUanccu0* I

NOTICES, &c.

I NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS.

B THE LATg DEAN OF LLANDAFF.

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B THE LATg DEAN OF LLANDAFF. l-jWk have the deepest regret in announcing the death ||of the Very Reverend WILLIAM BRUCE KNIGHT gjjDean of Llandaff, which took place at the Deanery pabout nine o'clock on Friday evening, the 8th instant j&For some time past the sensible decay of his health ||had excited his own anxiety and the apprehensions of Shis friends, but it was only within the last thre^ gjweeks that his illness had assumed a f^t^l ^character, and confined him to the bed from which ||he was doomed never more to rise. To the last, the ^disorder seemed rather the general break-up of an ^overtasked and debilitated constitution than the effect g|of any distinct complaint. His sufferings, whic I ^though not continual, were often tcute and agonising |gwere borne with that meek resignation, pious hu- smility, and manly fortitude, which might have been" ^expected from his exalted Christian character; and. I'^his last moments, cheered by the affectionate care ofj his dearest friends, soothed by the remembrance of; an innocent and useful life, and animated with the' confidence of a blessed immortality, were calm and^ hopeful as those of a dying Saint. He was conscious! to within a few hours of his decease, and his last' breath passed away without any visible pang. jj It is not without extreme diffidence, that in per- formance of a customary duty, and in compliance] with public expectation, we venture to subjoin a' sketch of the career and character of one whose very" claims upon the esteem, admiration, and affection of. our readers, so materially increase the difficulty ofj the task. During the first excitement of grief, while| the full heart is brooding over the many rare and! a"d amiable qualities of him whose example« shall guide, whose presence shall gladden it no more,I I all praise seems cold, alllangtlage weak in comparison 5 with its recollection of his virtues and merits. The| portraits of thohe we have loved and honoured seemS tame and inexpressive when contrasted with the! sneaking eye, the benevolent smile, and the eloquent* countenance which a vivid and grateful memory can! recal at pleasure. | The late Dean of Llandaff was born at FairlinchJ lm Devonshire, on Christmas-day, 1785. At a very! jjgearly age he was removed, with the rest of his family,! gto Llanblethian, near Cowbridge,and was thus enabled! |ito that familiar knowledge of the Welsh language! gwhich can only be acquired in childhood. His educa-f iu° j Was C0"'T'iD«nced under Dr. Williams, at Cow-| ifbnage, was continued at Sherborne School, in Dorset-| wshire, and completed at Exeter College, Oxford. He| |was ordained at the usual age, and officiated for a| jfshort time at L'.aniltern Chapel, in the parish of St.jf pFagans. The interval between his ordination ami! ^presentation, by Sir John Aubrey, to the Rectory ofs |Llantrithyd in 1815, was diligently employed in lay-| ping in a vast and well-digested stoie of theological! ^'learning, in mastering the original language of thei |Old Testament, and in a profound and accurate study^j tof the intricacie.of Welsh grammar and literature—| |with what future profit to the Diocese and honour to| |himself, we need not say. He remained but two years| |at Llantrithyd; but during that time, his earnestness^ land energy in the performance of his duties, his elo-| fquence in the pulpit, and the winning gentleness of| this manners, produced a comp ete revolution in thatjs Ineglected Parish, His flock was roused from theirl Ireligious torpor, the deserted church was once morel icrowded, the school flourished, and the good effected!; |by hitn in that short space yet survives in the grate-| 5iful memories of the inhabitants. In 1817, on thei |death of the Rev. Dr. Hunt, he was presented by the| ITrustees of C. R. M. Talbot, Esq., to the Perpetual^ |Curacy of Margam, and to the Consolidated of Landough and St. Mary Church. i4ere he pa^sedg nearly all the remainder of his life, and here he mosui eminently displayed those Pastoral virtues on whichS we shall hereafter have occasion to dwell. In thejjj same year he was appointed Examining Chaplain bvj$ Bishop Marsh, who also gave him his Prebendal static at Llandaff, and made him Chancellor of the Cathedral.il On the 12th of December, 1817, he married Mariag Elinor, the second daughter of the late lamented! Lie. Traherne, Esq., of ist. Hilary. On the of Bishop Van Mildert, he continued his duties asl Examining Chaplain, and upon the death of the Rev.l Dr. Hall, in February, 1825, the same learned and! excellent Prelate raised hirti to the important office ofl Chancellor of the Diocese, and on doing so, told himj§ that if he could have found a more fit and person he would hfive appointed him." He was againE Examining Chaplain to Bishop Sumner, in 1826, an ij in 1827, under Bishop Copleston, and continued to perform the important duties of that office up to theg moment of his decease. He received his last and honour in October, 1843, wlien, upon the death Ilf Archdeacon Probyn, he became the first Dean of gj Llandaff ,■ —but, alas, I The fair guerdon when he honed to find- |1 H Comes the blind Fury with the abhorred shears, .And slits the thin-spun life!—but not the praise." iae died on the 8th of August, 1845, aged 59.. || Such :s a meagre outline of the career of this emi- H ient personage. Of the nature and value of the iC rvices rendered by him to the cause of religion we jgeannot adduce stronger testimony than the words of knew and loved him well—our excellent jgiiistiop—Who stated that they "extended not only H through tire Diocese of Llandaff, but diffused a be- (§'" neficial influence over the Church at large." "The II v.hancellor," he added, "had long taken an I;; active part in the affairs of the Church. His f§.f f' 1 Church and for the honour of God If.. ')^.came cor>tagious, and spread throughout the jg Diocese, and so excellent an example was not with- fi.< °rU' an» lmPor!-ant influence. It might be truly said "that there was not a solitary parish throughout the |g entire Diocese m which the advantage of his author- Hcf 3 influence was not perceptible. There was not, perhaps, a single Clergyman in the Diocese who had not received some benefit from advice §1 y £ >lven, and assistance readily afforded in try- H mg moments, and from the resolution of doubts in jj|'c cases of difficulty." And rarely, indeed, have been combined in one ^individual so many talents and qualities fitted for the ^successful discharge of delicate and important duties. lg 0 an exqnisite knowledge of mankind, which, liow- pe\ er, his native kindness of heart led him to apply to sjt.ie discovery of the good rather than of the evil ^qualities of those with whom he conversed, to a saga- Kcity never at fault, to untiring industry, and a cheerful Igsneigy which took its spring as much from the con- gviction of lofty purpose as from his natural strength Hpf character, he united a suavity of manner, a winning Iaddress and a persuasive eloquence which, on the one aand, disarmed the opposition of those who were in- clined to rebel, and on the other, won for him from syery class of society, a degree of affection and ad- miration bordering upou enthusiasm. During the long pariod in which he performed the important duties of Examining Chaplain, he exerted ||tiimself, with no headlong precipitancy or violent zeal, *1^1^ ^emPer> moderation, and perseverance, gpvhich make reforms useful and lasting, to elevate the ^character of the Welsh Clergy, which had suffered ijgreatly by long neglect of Episcopal superintendence, Hand of that regular discipline so necessary to the con- gduct of large bodies of men. Slowly, but steadily, || by a gradually increasing demand for learning, by en- Igcouraxement, by exhortation, and above all, by the ^contagious influence of example, he gathered round Stumself a body of men who had imbibed something of his spirit and high sense of duty, and whose respect- Hable attainments and blameless lives stand in bright contrast to too many of their ignorant and disreput- gable predecessors. The candidate who distinguished 9himself by superior merit had gained in him a fast and Hindefatigable friend, who lost no opportunity of pro- moting the public good by advancing his interest; and many a pious, ornament of the Diocese can grate- fully trace his successful career to the esteem he had thus early and creditably won. ||; But it is in the character of Parish Priest that |r.n.s virtnes most pre-eminently shone forth, and that his l^nends will delight to remember him. Never perhaps p has existed a more perfect example of the Spiritual | rastor. As preacher, as instructor, whether relieving | the needy or comforting the afflicted, whether speak- I mg the words of hope and consolation to the dying, or reproving the sins or healing the feuds of the living— | sympathizing in every little joy, every transient trouble I *}18 daily life was a picture delightful to contemplate | and to remember. The Parish Schools grew and flou- | ] under his fostering care. To every Parishioner | ot las populous and exensive Cure he was intimately I (nown, and loved and revered accordingly. Every eye "brightened at his approach. For all he had a hearty | greeting, a good-humoured jest, a ready ear for every | complaint, and cheerful encouragement, and sound | advice for those who needed it. No day passed with- | out a visit from him to the cottages of those who |l weie suffering under any mental or physical affliction. Ij; o the poor (to use his own words in describing the | more magnificent liberality of our Bishop) "his un- ,f b°unded charity was ministered with so unsparing l<ca j anc^ streams so copious, as to create a |j «» ^rom whence such large supplies could Asa.Preacher, his first and most rare merit was As a Preacher, his first and most rare merit was Stthe admirable adaptation of his subject and language ggto the capacity and feelings of his audience. No gfpainful train of subtle reasoning, no rhapsodical ^flights of religious fervour, wearied or distracted their ||attention; but argument and exhortation were so Igblended, and so relieved each other, that the mind ||was fortified while the heart was stirred, and he had |l|ceased to speak long before his hearers were wearv of glistening. His language was simple, but never com- m°nplace, elegant without affectation, striking without ^singularity: His impressive manner, his animated ^an 1 benevolent countenance, powerfully seconded his mother gifts, He bore his great commission in his look, But sweetly tempered awe, and softened all he spoke." Vnd who that ever heard can forget the charm of his unrivalled voice? Rich and flexible, sonorous yet sweet, its lowest whisper vibrated to the very heart, hile its louder accents swelled into tones that were eloquent of themselves without the aid of language. But he did not, as too many clergymen have done, consider his duties for the week ended with the minis- trations of the Sabbath. His whole life, public and private, was indeed a living sermon of the truths lie ^tiught." f°. the efficiency with which he discharged the ^judicial office of Chancellor, the late Sir John°Nicholl gaas more than once offered the highest, because the ^most competent, testimony. Without the office, he ^performed also the visitatorial duties of Archdeacon |jand his success in this branch of his exertions may gbe traced in almost every Church and Churchyard ^throughout the Diocese. His Charges upon these ^occasions were clear,temperate,and instructive; more |especially during the recent agitation of the question go Church-rates did he display the remarkable power ghe possessed of rendering intelligible and familiar to gjhis hearers the most entangled and intricate subjects. j| rerhaps of all his services the one to which his kind band benevolent disposition led him to attach the greatest |importance was that which he rendered to the (. 'harity |of the Widows and Orphans of the Clergy. To in- Kcrease the funds for their maintenance, he spared no Ilabour, he valued no check, he regarded no mortifi. cation. Whenever he descried a probable contributor, he pursued him v.'ith so much earnestness, address^ good-humour and perseverance, that success almost invariably—we believe with only three unenviable ex- ceptions—crowned his efforts. The subscriptions iwere in consequence, during his Treasurership, more fthan quadrupled in amount, and this admirable (. ha- Irity was rendered the most efficient of the kind in Great Britain. Never was he more amiably seen |than at the annual meetings connected with it. Sur- Irounded by troops of friends who loved him as a brother or revered lum as a father, his cheerful and kindly countenance diffused a spirit of cordiality and Jlove over the whole proceeding. Hope elevated, and |Joy brightened his crest." It was the Joy of having jpoured balm into the wounds of the afflicted, it was gthe Hope of still further mitigating their sufferings, I His eloquence as a public speaker, his aptitude for Ibusiness, and his knowledge of mankind were such, Ithat there can be no doubt that he would have* Sattained the highest distinctions in any secular pro- ffession. | But we must draw this hasty and imperfect sketch |to a close. Yet, on such an occasion we shall, per- haps, be pardoned for violating the sacredness of ^private correspondence, by quoting the words of one, |tnan whom few had better opportunities of forming a Sjust estimate of the character of the deceased, and |Upne could have expres-sed it in more eloquent and sdiscn.ninating language we allude to his excellent |f/ bteloVfe(11 U'shop--« In point of abilities, attain- ments, talent .or business, prpmptitirde, clearness. U and rectitude ol juaament, he was, within my ex- t perience, never surpassed-but the peculiar char^ was, that amidst ail these materials for vanity aad L if \!?p0r^ne\ never. was there a man of more r ? > e a,"Vi moaes^ roind—of more benevolence—■ L ?• if a readier disposition to si-jk i-. comparison of others, and to exert "bis doing"good but f°r the Slmi^e Purpc>se of Jh6^n ?'as interred on Thursday last, the Hth SpWoM' JV ?f ths Altar > ur Lady's Vi Cathedral, to the restoration of ,11 1 so mainly contributed, and very near lt ™aU!ent °f his predecessor and namesake, doff in*'th ,e,t?rews'' or Bruce> Bishop of Lhrt- ,] ? century. The perfect effigies of tile is op, wi h the Crozier in his hand, was accuserttallv uncovered when the stalls of the old Chapel were removed m process of its restoration. The funeral was as strictly private as it could he under the cir- cumstances; but, notwithstanding, a large body of the leigy> and many of the Laity, came to testify their love for the deceased. None were invited hut tha rf es a°d connections of the family. Tlii Hight Reverend the Lord Bishop of Llandaff, anxious to give a last proof of esteem and affection, for his departed friend, arrived from Hardwieke, in order ten be present. The funeral ceremony was principally