My Sayings and Doings ; with Reminiscences of my Life.
An Autobiography of the Rev. William Quekett. (Kogan Paul and Co.)—A sketch of the late William Quekett's family history commences, most naturally, this autobiography. His great-grand- father, devoted to the Stewart cause,was driven with his grand- son across the Border, and resided at Bolton-by-Boland. William Quekett's -father, educated at Cockermouth, where he was con- temporary with the Wordsworths, in due time was presented :to the mastership of Langport Grammar-School, Somerset. Here young Quekett spent his boyhood, and imbibed that love of
natural history which so distinguished his brother, the great microscopist. Consequently, his reminiscences of his birthplace consist largely of fishing anecdotes and methods employed in eel- fishing, " proging," carp-fishing, and other ancient pastimes and occupations of Langport fishermen. In 1821, he went up to Cambridge, where he resided for four years, and immediately on receiving his B.A., and when on the eve of a foreign tour, was appointed to the curacy of South Cadbury. Mr. Quekett only spent five years of his busy life in his first cure. He has not much to say about South Cadbury, but what he does say is full of interest, and includes, as usual, some good stories. Next we come to what is by a long way the most interesting and valuable period of his life, we mean his twenty-four years' parish work in East London. We have rarely read anything more fascinating than the story of his first arrival at St. George's-in-the-East, and his dismay at the neighbourhood, having mistaken the parish for St. George's, Hanover Square. Here he worked for a quarter of a century, and made famous the names St. George's-in-the-East and Quekett. Dickens's paper, "What a London Curate Can Do if he Tries," is introduced here with judgment, and relates with graphic force some of the difficulties an East-London curate had to deal with. William Quekett truly worked wonders, as his schools under the railway arches, his building of a church, and the successful com- pletion of a female Emigrant Society, remain to show. In 1854, he was presented to the rectory of Warrington, Lancashire. Here he spent the last thirty years of a noble career. This part of his life occupies the largest portion of the volume, and contains the account of many ceremonies, instructive lectures, sermons, a visit to Italy, and other doings and sayings of the Rector of Warring- ton, and concludes with a dignified and touching farewell. We have given a brief outline of William Quekett's life, enough at least to show how a long and useful career was spent. But those who wish to appreciate the sterling force of character and abilities, the geniality and earnest endeavour of a self-reliant though modest nature, should read this vigorous narrative. It is well written, and is full of interesting facts, archological notes, and anecdotes of men, birds, and beasts, and is a worthy monu- ment to a noble and useful life.
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