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CHAPTER IV

1861-2

SANDHURST, WOOLWICH, ALDERSHOT

Sandhurst On February 1st, 1861, Captain Acton entered the Staff College at Sandhurst, where for nearly two years he led a comparatively happy life. Doubtless his thankfulness at getting in prompted him to make the best use of his opportunities, and work, though never positively congenial, became less irksome. After all, lectures and study did not make abnormally serious demands upon the student's time, and in many ways he managed to find any amount of wholesome recreation. Little journeys to London were not unknown; old friends at Chichester were visited; the summer months were devoted to holiday-making in Ireland and elsewhere; while in the winter of 1861-62 some weeks were spent very pleasantly in Paris. Interspersed with such comforting experiences, a college life would have to be hard indeed to be unbearable, and, in truth, Charles Acton found it to be a very pleasant change from the dry routine of the preceding years.

The Sandhurst diary is marked by a pleasing diminution in the number of entries of a self-accusing nature; but they are not altogether wanting, for the diarist was as keenly alive as ever to his weakness, and ruthlessly recorded any evidence that it was not yet conquered. The entries registering unpunctuality were now indicated by the word LATE, written in capitals, so that the fault might stand out in accusing relief. Such entries, although fewer, are not yet by any means infrequent, but notes on lapses into forgetfulness almost disappear.

Not good with girls
On the other hand, Charles Acton's peace of mind was still continually disturbed by his shy and diffident manner in society. Many an evening which ought to have afforded none but the most pleasant experiences was marred by some want of readiness in speech or action, and the diary abounds in such entries as the following :

'Ball good, but I don't seem to get on well; want of early and prompt securing of dances with those I like. . . . Awfully devoid of conversation.'

This was written of a flying visit to Chichester (April 2nd, 1861), from which he had expected much enjoyment, and after he returns to Sandhurst he goes on:

'Rather low spirited after my visit to Chichester; cannot but feel I have looked for too much pleasure in these things and have not found it. Occupied in the train with these reflections, feel that my visit has been productive of good to me.'


On the Sunday following, his painful self-consciousness was the cause of further distress. He writes :

'April 7th, 1861. — South Camp Church. Seeing a lady some way in front standing, think I ought to give up my seat, but fear causing a disturbance by moving so far: hesitate and don't. My attention distracted from the sermon: too undecided, wavering! Also too easily mentally disturbed by such little things.'

Had he only known how common kindred experiences are, he would hardly have taken it so much to heart.

Work and play
But neither amusement, 'mooning about' (to use his own phrase), nor enervating self-depreciation played havoc with the soldier's work as formerly. The purpose of his life was kept steadily in view, and when his newly-acquired knowledge was put to the test of an examination (December, 1861) he 'got through' very creditably. After this ordeal, a brief visit to Westaston, followed by a month's relaxation in Paris, braced him up for further effort, and early in February, 1862, the student was back

The succeeding months were uneventful, though some of the privileges he enjoyed in the way of recreation were of an enviable nature, e.g. :


To hear Charles Dickens read, Madame Sainton and Jenny Lind sing, and Palmerston speak, all within a fortnight — to say nothing of sundry operas and oratorios — was not a bad beginning of the summer vacation! [Sir James Outram (1803-1863) was an English general, and one of the heroes of the Indian Mutiny.] Still, however stoutly it may be maintained that 'change of work is recreation,' had this whirl of entertainment been kept up, its victim would probably have been in a state of collapse by the time his leave expired.

Croquet at home in Ireland
But of such a calamity there was no danger. Immediately following Speech Day, croquet seems to have been the keenest form of excitement indulged in; and after leaving Iffley the holiday-maker found a useful antidote of rest in the quiet atmosphere of Westaston. Here he spent three happy weeks before returning to finish his term at the Staff College, August 1st, 1862.

From this time to the end of the year tranquillity is the prevailing characteristic of the diary, and only very rarely do evidences of the former troubles appear. More than that, on one occasion the diarist definitely charges himself with allowing his peace of mind to be too easily disturbed. Reflecting upon portions of the 12th chapter of St. Luke's Gospel, read as one of the lessons in church, he writes :

'Surely my mind is too easily agitated and a prey to too great anxiety whensoever anything unpleasant hangs over me.'

Then follows a portion of the lesson in French, ending with verse 32:

'"Ne crains point, petit troupeau ; car il a plu a votre Pere de vous donner le royaume."

'I esteem it sufficiently remarkable that this was the morning lesson [It was not the proper lesson for the day, October 26. —ed.] , and am not without a feeling that it will do me good'

Passing his final exams
On November 27th began the examination with which his college career was to close. It lasted for eight days, some of which were productive of satisfaction and some of misgiving. On the whole, the balance was slightly in favour of the former feeling, and it was probably with more thankfulness than surprise that the candidate heard, on December 13th, that he had passed.

India calls
Cavalry at Aldershot The following year was chiefly occupied with practical work at Woolwich Arsenal and a cavalry course at Aldershot. The latter was not finished when Major Acton heard that three companies of his regiment had been ordered to take part in an expedition against the Sitanees. He promptly applied for permission to join, which was as promptly accorded, and the second week in November found him immersed in the business of preparing for the voyage and sojourn in India. When the time for packing came, his purchases proved to have been more extensive than judicious, as the following characteristic entry in his diary tells us:

' Dec. 10.— Finally unpack, throw by lots of books (nearly all) and one gun-case, and then find I have 321 lbs., though many things left out. Wish I had got nothing!'

A large proportion of the last month in England was spent with his mother and sister Janet at Dawlish and Torquay, and he only left the latter place three days before his long journey commenced. On the evening of December 17th — his thirty-third birthday, by the way — he started for Marseilles via Dover and Paris, and on the 20th embarked on the P. and O. steamer Valetta, which sailed early the next morning for Bombay. [Thackeray writes of 'one of the magnificent P. and O. ships, the "Valetta,"']

The Flora Fountain in Bombay The voyage was in no way remarkable, although it occupied twenty days and nine hours. As we are not told that anything untoward happened, it must be assumed that the rate of speed was normal, and we can only congratulate ourselves that steamships in our day do not amble along quite so peacefully. Calls at Malta, Alexandria (with a trip to Cairo and on to Suez by train) and Aden accounted pleasantly for nearly four days, but the time spent on board was evidently somewhat tedious, and the traveller was glad to land at Bombay (January 11, 1864).



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