Fenelon.—­The venerable Archbishop of Cambray, whose humanity was unbounded, was in the constant habit of visiting the cottages of the peasants, and administering consolation and relief in their distress.  When they were driven from their habitations by the alarms of war, he received them into his house, and served them at his table.  During the war, his house was always open to the sick and wounded, whom he lodged and provided with every thing necessary for their relief.  Besides his constant hospitalities to the military, he performed a most munificent act of patriotism and humanity after the disastrous winter of 1709, by opening his granaries and distributing gratuitously corn to the value of 100,000 livres.  And when his palace at Cambray, and all his books and furniture, were destroyed by fire, he bore it with the utmost firmness, saying, “It is better all these should be burned, than the cottage of one poor family.”

Lord Cochrane.—­When this gallant officer was entrusted with the perilous duty of conducting the fire-ships in the attack upon the French fleet in Basque Roads, he had lighted the fusee which was to explode one of these terrific engines of destruction, and had rowed off to some distance, when it was discovered that a dog had been left on board.  Lord C. instantly ordered the men to row back, assuring them that there was yet time enough, if they pulled hard, to save the poor animal.  They got back to the fire-ship just a few minutes before it would have been too late to save the animal; and when the dreadful explosion took place, were still so near the floating volcano, that the fragments fell in heaps around them.

Sir Samuel Hood.—­This gallant officer, when commanding the “Juno” on the Jamaica station, in 1791, exhibited a noble instance of intrepid humanity.  The ship was lying in St. Anne’s harbour, when a raft, with three persons upon it, was discovered at a great distance.  The weather was exceedingly stormy; and the waves broke with such violence, as to leave little hope that the unfortunate men upon it could long survive.  Captain Hood instantly ordered out one of his ship’s boats to endeavour to rescue them; but the sea ran so high, that the crew declared the attempt impracticable, and refused to expose themselves to what they considered certain destruction.  The captain immediately leaped into the boat, declaring that he would never order them on any service on which he would not himself venture.  The effect was such as might be expected:  there is no danger that a British sailor will not share with his captain; all now were eager to offer themselves.  The boat pushed off, and reached the raft with much difficulty, and saved the exhausted men, who still clung to it.  The House of Assembly of Jamaica, to testify their sense of this undaunted exertion in the cause of humanity, presented Captain Hood with a sword of the value of two hundred guineas.

An Uncarpeted House.—­M.  Eveillan, formerly Archdeacon of Angers, was noted for his humane and charitable disposition towards the poor.  On one occasion, when a friend expressed surprise that none of his rooms were carpeted, he replied, “When I enter my house in the winter, I do not hear any complaints of cold from the furniture of my rooms; but the poor who stand shivering at my doors tell me but too plainly that they have need of clothing.”