The Henson Journals

[196]

Thursday, September 6th, 1923.

The Bishop of Jarrow and Mrs Quirk took me on to the Lake for an hour before I took my departure. Nothing could be more restful than the placid lake fringed with autumnal woods. William and I Ieft Lake End about 10.45 a.m., and motored to Bishop Auckland where we arrived a few minutes after 4 p.m. The whole journey lay through very beautiful scenery: the weather was perfect: we were on the friendliest terms with one another. I cannot recall a more enjoyable day. We lunched comfortably at the George Inn, at Penrith. The distance was 103 miles. In four days we have travelled no less than 541 miles .

Last Saturday the most destructive earthquake known to human history took place in Japan. Tokio [sic] and Yokohama, cities with populations respectively of 2,000,000 and 500,000 were destroyed, and vast numbers of the people perished. The estimates of the number killed vary from 600,000 to 250,000. It is impossible not to speculate on the political effects of this unprecedented catastrophe. Japan has for the time being fallen out of the number of "Great Powers". Will it be still thought necessary for us to construct the naval base at Singapore? The fears of Australia will for awhile be laid to sleep: and the United States will be free from the nightmare of a Japanese invasion.

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