THE LATE MR. C. J. CORNISH.
[To THE EDITOR OT THE " SPECTATOR."] SIR,-Will you allow me to express the grateful thanks of the members of his family for the kind appreciations of my dear brother, C. J. Cornish, which have appeared in your columns, and also in many other papers. Our gratitude is especially due to your correspondent "G. A. M." for what he has written both in the Spectator (February 170) and else-
where.
It has been a source of great comfort to us to know that my brother had gained so many friends through his writings. Allu-
sion has been made to his kindness of heart, especially as it was shown by his love for children. One illustration of that kindness is to be seen in his reviews of books. He never would write a harsh review. If a book were a bad one, he might say pretty plainly what his opinion of it was, but he would not give pain by publishing that opinion.
Probably he might have lived for several years longer if he had been willing to think less of other people and more of himself,
for many and many a time would he sit down to write a promised article when he ought to have been resting in bed or out of doors. But to an occasional remonstrance the usual answer was: "They expect it this week, and I do not like to inconvenience them." So " they " never knew what it cost him to write to time.
His own opinion of how he acquired his power of expression is interesting. It was, he said, due to his intense study of Virgil when he was reading for Moderations at Oxford. Perhaps the touch of poetry which often showed itself in his writings was in some measure due to the author of the "Georgics."
I feel tempted to say something of his early life, his illustrated letters (for he drew admirably), the pages in our old notebooks filled with excellent accounts of successful days shooting,
"Partridge Prospects," and observations of birds and beasts, and his power of seeing everything more quickly than any other
member of the party, whether we were bird's-nesting or shooting, or merely out for an idle walk. All these things he had done for nearly twenty-five years before ever he wrote his first article for
the St. James's Gazette on "The Lost Falcon." It was a surprise to him to find how many people were glad to read what he used to tell us ; for he could tell what he had done when out on the marshes, or in the cliffs or woods, even better than he could write it.
His sympathetic and kindly nature enabled him to establish most cordial friendships with all kinds of people who possessed special knowledge of outdoor life. "Shepherd Elliot" would tell him the hours when the wood-pigeons came to drink, when the "rook hawks" were to be expected, and exactly how many " birds " had been batched on the farm. The shore shooter laid aside all professional reserve as to rare birds, and gamekeepers entrusted him with their most cherished secrets. All of them regarded him, and rightly too, as a real friend. So he was always learning new things, gaining fresh interests, and making new friends while doing so. It has been no small consolation to those who mourn his loss to know how numerous and how genuine those friendships have been.
The Vicarage, Sunningdale.
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