Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 21.djvu/431

 .’ It professes merely to relate the adventures of the hero during his service with the Duke of Wellington's army, and is distinguished by literary skill, vivacity, and accuracy. In 1829 Gleig published ‘The Chelsea Pensioners,’ a large portion of which consisted of actual historical narrative; and he was an early contributor to ‘Fraser's Magazine,’ started in 1830.

From 1830 Gleig's life was one of strenuous labour. He had a growing family, and a large and populous parish to superintend; but he shortly gave to the world ‘The Country Curate’ (1830), ‘Allan Breck,’ and in 1834 ‘The Chronicles of Waltham.’ He then took to history, and wrote a ‘Life of Sir Thomas Munro,’ in three volumes, 1830; a ‘History of India,’ in four volumes, 1830–5 (in ‘Family Library’); the ‘Story of the Battle of Waterloo,’ 1847; ‘The Leipsic Campaign;’ ‘Lives of Military Commanders,’ three volumes, 1831 (in Lardner's ‘Cabinet Cyclopædia’); a ‘Sketch of the Military History of Great Britain,’ 1845; and ‘Sale's Brigade in Afghanistan,’ 1847. He also wrote biographies of Lord Clive (1848) and Warren Hastings (3 vols. 1841), the last of which was the text of Macaulay's essay. Macaulay says that the work consisted of ‘three big, bad volumes, full of undigested correspondence and undiscerning panegyric.’

Gleig was a strong conservative in politics, but took little part in public affairs, except in attacking the Reform Bill of 1832. In 1834 he was appointed to the chaplaincy of Chelsea Hospital by Lord John Russell, who refused to revoke the appointment when assured of Gleig's tory sentiments. Gleig was highly esteemed at Chelsea for his philanthropy and zeal. The flag, in capturing which he was wounded at Bladensburg, was always suspended from his pulpit in the hospital chapel. In 1838 he published in three volumes ‘Chelsea Hospital and its Traditions.’ Gleig was made chaplain-general of the forces in 1844. He proposed a plan for promoting the education of soldiers and their children, and was appointed in 1846 inspector-general of military schools.

In 1857 Gleig issued ‘India and its Army,’ and in the following year he republished, chiefly from the ‘Edinburgh’ and ‘Quarterly’ reviews, his ‘Essays, Biographical, Historical, and Miscellaneous.’ Gleig edited from 1850 for Longmans a cheap and useful educational library called ‘Gleig's School Series,’ to which he contributed a history of England, &c. In 1862 he produced a ‘Life of Arthur, first Duke of Wellington,’ founded upon Brialmont's biography, with the addition of some original matter. He had known the duke personally, besides having served under him. Gleig was also the author of a number of theological works, including ‘The Soldier's Manual of Devotion,’ 1862, a ‘History of the Bible,’ 2 vols. 1830–1, ‘The Great Problem: can it be Solved?’ London, 1876, and two volumes of sermons, 1829 and 1844.

Gleig resigned the post of inspector-general of military schools in 1857, and that of chaplain-general of the forces in 1875. He continued, however, to hold till his death the appointment of prebendary of Willesden in St. Paul's Cathedral, to which he had been preferred in 1848. Gleig outlived all the original contributors to ‘Fraser's Magazine.’ His is one of the figures in Maclise's ‘Portrait Gallery.’ He was likewise for some years before his death the only surviving early contributor to ‘Blackwood,’ and the last surviving officer who served under the Duke of Wellington in the 85th.

Early in 1888 Gleig's health began to fail. He died on 9 July 1888 at Stratfield Turgis, near Winchfield, having retained his faculties almost to the last. Gleig was a staunch churchman, and a decided enemy to cant in every form.



GLEMHAM, EDWARD (fl. 1590–1594), voyager, of Benhall in Suffolk, esquire, in 1590 fitted out, as owner and sole adventurer, the ship Edward and Constance, of 240 tons, in which he sailed from Gravesend in August. He proceeded in the first instance to the Azores, where he landed on St. George's Island with a party of eighty-six men; but finding himself unable to hold the island, as he appears to have intended, he concluded a truce with the governor, and withdrew. He then met with six Spanish ships, two of which he succeeded in destroying; afterwards he had a fierce engagement with four galleys bound for Marseilles, which he beat off; and having refitted at Algiers, entered the Mediterranean, where he captured a large vessel laden with sugar and other valuable merchandise, which was afterwards claimed as Venetian property. The case, as tried in the admiralty court, seemed doubtful, and the judgment was that Glemham was to have the goods ‘on a bond in double of their value, to pay their just value within two months after proof has been made, or for so much as is proved to belong to Venetians or others not subjects of the King of Spain’ (Calendar of State Papers,