d
him.

The story of this strange incident of the coffin is this: After the
battle of the Nile a portion of the _Orient's_ mainmast was drifting
about, and was picked up by order of Captain Hallowell of the
_Swiftsure_, who had it made into a coffin. It was handsomely
finished, and sent to Admiral Nelson with the following letter:--

Sir,--I have taken the liberty of presenting you a coffin made
from the mainmast of _Orient_, that when you have finished your
military career in this world, you may be buried in one of your
trophies. But that that period may be far distant is the earnest
wish of your sincere friend, Benjamin Hallowell.

Nelson received the weird gift in good spirits, and had it placed in
his cabin. It was hardly a pleasant piece of furniture for his
visitors to be confronted with, so he was prevailed upon to have it
put below until it was required. A few more raging battles, and a few
more years of momentous anxieties, and the prodigious hero was to
become its occupant. It seems to have been landed and put in charge of
a firm of upholsterers.

Before leaving his home he went to the bedside where his child Horatia
lay sleeping, and offered up a heart-stirring prayer that those who
loved him should be a guardian spirit to her, and that the God he
believed in should have her in His holy keeping. On the 13th
September, 1805, he writes in his private diary:--

At half-past ten, drove from dear, dear Merton, where I left all
which I hold dear in this world, to go to serve my King and
country. May the great God whom I adore enable me to fulfil the
expectations of my country; and if it is His good pleasure that
I should return, my thanks will never cease being offered up to
the throne of His mercy. If it is good Providence to cut short
my days upon earth, I bow with the greatest submission, relying
that He will protect those so dear to me that I may leave
behind. His will be done. Amen, Amen.

No more simple, fervent, and touching appeal and resignation to the
will of Him Who governs all things has been seen in the English
language. It is quite unorthodox in its construction, and impresses us
with the idea that he is already realizing the bitterness of death,
and that he is in the presence of a great Mystery, speaking to his own
parting soul. The desire to live is there, but he does not ignore the
almost unutterable submission of "Thy will be done."