The Life of Reginald Heber, with Selections from His Correspondence, Unpublished Poems, and Private Papers; In 2 Volumes. Amelia Heber. Published by New-York, Protestant Episcopal Press, 1830. A highly valuable and most delightful work. With finely engraved plates. Reginald Heber (1783 1826) was an English clergyman, traveller, man of letters and hymn-writer who, after working as a country parson for 16 years, served as the Anglican Bishop of Calcutta until his sudden death at the age of 42. On 15 June 1824 Heber set out on a tour of northern India, accompanied by his wife Amelia, personal chaplain, Martin Stowe, and Daniel Corrie, the Archdeacon of Calcutta. The general plan was to travel by boat to the upper waters of the River Ganges, then overland into the foothills of the Himalayas before turning south and west, crossing Rajputana to reach Bombay. He arrived at Galle on 25 August and spent five weeks touring the main cities before departing for Calcutta where he arrived on 19 October 1825 after an absence of 16 months. Heber wished to pass on to the Governor General, Lord Amherst, much of what he had learned and observed on his long voyage, and on his return to Calcutta busied himself with a series of detailed reports. Many local matters also demanded Heber's attention: the next phase in the development of Bishop's College, the preparation of a Hindustani Dictionary. However all of these were incomplete as the Bishop died in Tanjore on 3 April, after attending an early-morning service. Heber returned to his bungalow for a cold bath. Immediately after plunging into the water he died, possibly from the shock of the cold water in the intense heat. This 2 Volumes published by his wife are a valuable document of his life. Having being brought up in two Roman Catholic institution: in school and college, I found the book fascinating.
The Life of Reginald Heber
