a claim which was made on him, he so softened his refusal with courtesy and kindness, that the disappointed seldom left him without experiencing a sense of obligation.

“Possessing these characteristics, which are hastily sketched by the pen of a political opponent, Mr. Brock, it must be admitted, was a distinguished man.  His sphere of action was limited, but within that sphere he acted an honorable, a useful, and a noble part.  Had he been cast upon a wider stage, there can be little doubt that his talents and his resolution would have acquired for him a more extensive reputation; but, even as it is, his fate is enviable.  He sought the welfare of his country, and desired its respect and gratitude as his reward.  Both objects have been attained; and he now sleeps, at the close of a long and honorable life, regarded by all his country men as the most able, the most useful, the most disinterested, and the most patriotic of the rulers to which its destinies have ever been committed.  No man has been more beloved and respected in his life, and none more regretted at his death. Peace to his manes!”

FOOTNOTES: 

[Footnote 161:  There are some of the public papers written by Mr. Brock which may be profitably studied as models of this kind of composition.—­Guernsey Star, September 26, 1842.]

[Footnote 162:  Mr. Brock was no doubt ambitious, but his ambition was gratified in beholding the advancement of his country.  Personal advantage—­individual distinction—­were things that never occurred to his imagination, or occurred only to be contemned.  He might have had an augmentation of salary—­he might have received the honor of knighthood—­he might have had the sources of fortune opened to him—­but these would have brought no advantages to Guernsey, and he rejected them.—­Guernsey Star, September 26, 1842.]

[Footnote 163:  The extracts in inverted commas are from the Guernsey Star of Thursday, 29th September, 1842.]

APPENDIX C.

The common ancestor of the Guernsey family of this name was John Tupper, who settled in the island about the year 1592.  He was an English gentleman, of German, extraction, his forefather, it appears, having, about the year 1525, fled from Cassel during the religious persecution in the reign of Charles the Fifth.  The elder son of this John Tupper married Elizabeth, daughter of Hilary Gosselin,[164] procureur du roi, or attorney-general—­the younger removed to England.

In the memorable year of 1692, John Tupper, Esq., (the grandson of the said John Tupper and Elizabeth Gosselin,) at some expense and risk of capture, conveyed to Admiral Russell, who commanded the combined English and Dutch fleets lying at St. Helen’s, the intelligence that the French fleet, under Admiral Tourville, was in the channel.  This intelligence led to the battle of La Hogue; and as a reward for this patriotic service, Mr. Tupper was presented by his sovereigns, William and Mary, with a massive gold chain and medal, which are now in possession of his heir male; his descendants being permitted to bear them as an honorable augmentation to their arms and crest.