COMMODORE GOODENOUGH’S DYING WORDS.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume III, Issue 318, 23 October 1875, Page 2

COMMODORE GOODENOUGH’S DYING WORDS.

On the 19th August, 1875, after saying good-bye to all his officers in his cabin, the Commodore wished to be taken on the quarter-deck to speak to the men. He was carried out and laid on a mattress on the deck. Ho asked the men to smile on him, and not look unhappy, and spoke to some by name. He then said : —“ My men —My reason for wishing to come ou the quarter-deck is to say good-bye to you, and to speak to you of the love of God. Dr. Messer —good, dear, kind Dr. Messer—has told me that I must die, and Dr. Corrie thinks so, too, so 1 come to say good-bye to you. Let me see all your faces. I wish you to love God; God has been so good to me, and I love Him. He has been very very good to me in giving me the blessing of a great love. You all know my sweet wife—at least most i of you do—and my sweet boys—they ■ are such dear fellows. God has been fl good to me in giving me the love of my sweet wife, and my heart is full of love to Him. I wai.t to tell you to love God. From the moment I was wounded I felt that there was a great probability of the wound turning fatal, and from that moment I set my thoughts on death and God’s love to me ; and now that I know that I am dying I am glad and thankful to bo able to say a few words to you. I want to tell you that I love you all; I always did love my ship’s companies —even those I have punished I have loved, for there was always goodness even in the greatest offender. We all make mistakes in this life, and I have made many, like everyone else ; but if I have, I know you do not think of it now ; but if any of you have perhaps felt it, I ask you to forgive, wipe it all out of your memory, as if it had never happened. I now wish to say a word to you young fellows, and you good-looking young fellows, not to yield to temptations which make you break your leave and desert. AVhen you feel tempted, think of the love of God; and you older young men, think of the good you may do by a word of advice to your younger shipmates when you see them inclined to fall. The love which God will Himself give you, if you trust in Him, is very great; it will guide all your goings and doings, and all the words of preachers are nothing to it. As to those poor natives, it is not worth while thinking about them, and what they have done'; don’t think about it —they could not know the right or wrong about the matter; probably it Was through some mistake, or some offence given by some ship befojre; perhaps they did not like strangers visiting them. In some twenty years hence, when good men have taught them we wish them no harm, they may speak of this attack, and then something may be learnt about it. Before I go back to die, I should like you all to bless me—say ‘ God bless you.’ ” They did, and then the Commodore said, “ May God Almighty bless you with His exceeding great love, and give you happiness such as he has given me. 1 should like; to shake hands with all the petty officers, to say good-bye to them for the rest of the ship’s company. Good-bye to you ; good-bye all of you ; good-byje.” —Sydney Evening News,