1 98 DISTINGUISHED CHURCHMEN
accepted it as fraught with the most sorrowful meaning.
It happened that during the summer to be precise, it was on July 22nd a disastrous fire at Metlakathla destroyed many institutions which were among the prized fruits of the Bishop s many years persistent effort in the Diocese of Caledonia, and since fire once fanned into fury is no respecter of persons, it included in its ravages Dr Ridley s own dwelling, razing it to the ground. Oddly enough, this misfortune occurred on the Bishop s birthday, and on the eve, so to speak, of the twenty-third anniversary of his consecration to the episcopal office. Metlakathla stands for the headquarters of the Diocese, and thus it is important, but in extent it is a mere fragment of the huge area placed under the spiritual supervision of the Bishop. Hence, there was nothing unusual or extraordinary in the absence of the Prelate from Metlakathla at the time of the outbreak. He was, in fact, engaged in one of his hazardous missions to the Alaska goldfields when the telegram informing him of the fire came to hand, and, to adopt his own phrase, he " turned quickly back to find only ashes " to remind him of his home and his mission buildings.
Under ordinary circumstances a loss the like of this to a Bishop or, for that matter, to any man- would be nothing short of appalling ; but in the case of the Bishop of Caledonia it was, in some senses, irreparable. A linguist of repute, his lordship has
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