Page:A Life of Matthew Fontaine Maury.pdf/281

Rh Although Maury had always been a devout Christian, it was not until this year that he became a regular member of the Church. He was confirmed, with his son Matthew ("Brave") and his young daughter Lucy, by Dr. Quintard, the Bishop of Tennessee, who was then in London attending the Pan-Anglican Assembly at Lambeth. The ceremony was performed in Dr. Tremlett's church at Belsize Park, and it was a beautiful and touching sight to behold that bald head bending in lowly adoration between the two glossy young brown ones he loved so dearly.

In 1868, the degree of LL.D. was conferred on Maury by the University of Cambridge, in recognition of his literary and scientific merits, and of his eminent service to mankind.

He went accompanied by his wife, his daughters Molly and Lucy, and the Rev. Mr. Tremlett. They were all guests of the Vice-Chancellor.

Alfred Tennyson received his degree on the same occasion, and so did Max Müller and Mr. Wright (translator of Egyptian manuscripts and hieroglyphics at the British Museum). There was a long oration, in high-sounding Latin, made by the Dean to the four newly-made "learned Doctors," each dressed in his University gown of bright red cloth lined with pink satin, and with their "mortar-boards" on their heads. Then the undergraduates, who filled the galleries, gave three cheers, and proceeded to make whatever remarks they chose in loud tones on the dress and deportment of the LL.D.'s, and of the audience generally, greatly to their embarrassment, of course. "You should take off your hat, old gentleman!" and "Did your mother forget to call you early?" &c.; one called for three cheers for "the girl with golden hair," and another professed loudly his admiration for "the girl with the blue bonnet," till all were more or less rapped over the knuckles.

The following is a translation of that part of the Latin