་

panion; "I only wish I had as many guineas as would reach from bowsprit to stern."

This remark appeared, as it were, to touch some spring in my mind; and I instantaneously conceived a powerful desire to know what such a number of guineas would be. I hardly, indeed, knew the size of a guinea; but pulling an old halfpenny out of my pocket, I measured it's diameter on my uncle's rule, which I chanced to be holding in my hand, and, from thence, began to calculate how many would be required to extend over a distance of three hundred feet. While thus engaged, my mind became so entirely abstracted, that my uncle reprehended my inattention to his business with repeated hard knocks on my head; which so interrupted and disturbed my reckoning, that I was compelled to commence my sum more than once. At length, however, I accomplished my difficulty; and, when I had concluded, could not forbear calling out, how many thousand guineas Tom would be master of, if his wish were to be gratified.

Why how the devil did you tell that, boy?" asked Tom.

66

Hold your hand, you wicked brute!" interposed Tom; "I don't believe the boy is so very stupid."

From this moment, I was constantly amusing myself with the exercise of my newly-discovered talent for mensuration. Still my powers seemed to be fettered; I often started some arithmetical question which I was unable to solve; and my genius became bewildered in a mathematical labyrinth, the intricacies of which I was utterly at a loss to unravel. To clear these doubts, therefore, by the aid of books, and instruction, was my next object. Now did I truly feel the value of your uncle's gift; which, after some deliberation, I resolved to appropriate to the purchase of numerical knowledge.

Every day, as I went home to my

The

dinner, I had used to meet a number of children coming out of a school: I took courage, and addressing one of the boys, enquired the name of his master, the hours of attendance, and various other particulars. answers he gave rendered me doubly anxious to commence my course of education; and, before we parted, he had agreed to introduce me to Mr. Lowe, on the ensuing day.

We went accordingly, I carrying my money with me; but, on being shewn into the presence of the learned man, I was almost overwhelmed by feelings of awe and veneration; and he had demanded my business with him more than once, before I could reply to his question. I, however, at length, in great trepidation informed him of my desire to become one of his scholars; told him my name, and who I was; related the incident by which I became possessed of a sum that seemed so large in relation to my half-starved and ragged appearance; besought him not to tell my uncle of the existence of my treasure, lest he should deprive me of it; and concluded by putting the money into his hands, saying, "It was intended for to buy as much learning as his reverence could afford to give me."

Mr. Lowe smiled at my ignorance; and patting me on the head in an encouraging manner, said, "You must keep your money yourself, my poor little fellow, and only pay me when I ask for it. There is an appearance of sincerity and candour about you, child, that makes me inclined to believe your story to be true,"

"True?" iterated I, with a stare, surprised that he should have ever doubted my statement.

It was then finally agreed on, that I should become his pupil; but a difficulty arose respecting the hours of attendance; which were such as I could not, at present, without my uncle's permission, spare from my mechanical employment. This obstacle was removed, however, by Mr. Lowe declaring it to be his intention to open his academy in the evening, at the commencement of the next quarter. A circumstance, too, which proved propitious to my design was, that, about this time, my uncle was confined at home, by a violent attack of rheumatic gont; which leaving me

without any spy on my actions, I was enabled to leave the dock-yard an hour earlier than was usual.

At the appointed time, I entered on my course of education, and prosecuted all the tasks assigned to me with so much avidity, that at the end of three months, I could read and write very creditably; but my progress in accounts, my master protested, absolutely astonished him. I was often adduced as an example to boys who had been in the school as many years as I had been months. Cyphering was my delight. I often worked the sum of every boy in the same class with me, and in so short a space of time, that the master, concluding I had been employed only on my own, has praised my expert

ness.

At the end of half a year, by dint of excessive assiduity and constant practice, for I was wont to carry my slate secretly to bed with me, and consume half the night in my favourite occupation, I had made myself master of book-keeping; had acquired some knowledge of algebra, and was even advanced into trigonometry.

My master now presented the bill of charges; when I was more sorry than surprised to find, that, together with books, &c. the whole amounted to £4 15s. I was compelled, therefore, since I had not been able to make any addition to my private purse, reluctantly, even to anguish, to surrender, at once, all further procedure in my pursuit of knowledge. I had already, however, learned sufficient to elevate my views and notions above the hard drudgery to which I was condemned. My spirit revolted, too, against the cruel treatment of my uncle; and one day, after having received from him a severe flogging for a fault of which I had not been the perpetrator, I started away indignant from under his lash, and contrived to secrcte myself on board of a ship that was lying in the harbour, bound for North America, and which only awaited a favouring gale to weigh anchor. The wind veered round to the desired point: the vessel set sail, and I remained undiscovered, in my place of concealment, until we were many leagues out at sea: I was then found by one of the sailors; and, notwithstanding that I begged for pity, dragged, unheard, before the captain,

to receive sentence for my temerity and presumption.

Captain Bowman was a reasonable and humane man, and a father. He listened to the story of my sufferings with interest, I fancied with feeling; but when he ordered out a boat to send me on shore, I positively refused to return; and solemnly protested, that, if not allowed to remain where I was, I would seek an asylum, from the tyranny of man, in a watery grave; and was almost in the act of plunging into the waves, when a young man, whom I afterward discovered to be the purser of the ship, and the captain's own son, interceded for me, with much warmth; and having questioned me respecting my capabilities to render myself, in any way, useful, prevailed with the superior officers to permit me to abide on board, and adopt my serving as an assistant paymaster; he having quickly discovered, from my answers, the thorough and extensive information that I possessed on a subject in which himself was well versed.

Here, then, I spent two months, perhaps the happiest, at least the most free from care, that I have experienced during a life of fifty-two years. It was not long before I became acquainted with the science of navigation; and alternately lent a hand at the rudder, or the top-gallant; waited on our surgeon, or pored over my young master's account-books. To him, the author of my enjoyments, nay the preserver of my very existence, I felt myself bound by the most fervent, the most heartfelt, the most devoted gratitude. His amiable mind and manners endeared him to the whole crew; but to me, he was as a being of a superior order, I would willingly have undergone the most painful torture, could it, at any time, have been the means to spare him an hour's uneasiness. I should have been proud to have sacrificed my existence in his cause, could it ever have been desired: and the height of my ambition was, and I could hardly conceive greater happiness, to pass my days in the service of so kind a master. Alas! my untoward fate had destined me to be the unfortunate instrument that should embitter the life which was far more precious to me than my own.

One day, when it was concluded

that we could not be very distant from the termination of our voyage, I, as being possessed of an uncommonly keen eye and steady head, had been despatched to the mast's summit, to make my observations.

"I spy land!" shouted I, as soon as I had gained the height; then shortly after prepared to return below, to afford a detailed account of what I had been able to descry. But I had not noticed, in climbing, that the passage was rendered insecure from some of the ropes being decayed, and in descending the shrouds, perhaps too rapidly, the line gave way, and I was precipitated headlong to the deck, and in my fall crushed to the ground he whom I had so fondly doated on, my adored master, Horatio Bowman! who had been watching my progress downward, but had withdrawn his attention from me just a moment before the accident occurred. We were both taken up for dead; would to Heaven that with me it had been more than semblance!, when, however, I recovered from my insensibility, it was found that I had sustained no farther injury than being violently bruised. It was poor Horatio who demanded all the surgeon's aid; almost every hand and eye in the vessel was busied, in ministring to, or sympathizing in, his misfortune; his back was dreadfully broken. Oh! I could have wept tears of blood when I was told of it; his father was inconsolable, and, from that hour, never could suffer me to be in his presence. In less than a week he was pronounced to be out of all danger, and, before we disembarked, he was pretty well recovered; but, from being a fine, tall, graceful figure, was become an object of almost frightful deformity. When we came on shore, Captain Bowman gave me, through the medium of his son, a recommendation to a first rate commercial house at New York; but, even through the intercession of Horatio, he could not be persuaded to see me.

Bearing with me a letter of introduction to Messrs. Dalton and Co. I set out on my expedition, on foot; and, after a toilsome journey of three days, arrived, greatly fatigued, at the place of my destination. Having delivered my credentials, I was ushered into the awful presence of the man of business; when, after having under

gone a catalogue of interrogatories, as various as they were numerous, I was, to my great relief, dismissed to the counting-house, under the care of one of the clerks, with an injunc tion to try and render me of service, in some way or other.

My alacrity and diligence in the performance of the tasks assigned to me, speedily procured for me the good will and commendation of those who were set over me; which served to render my situation tolerably comfortable. But the occurrence of the following incident contributed more substantially to my advantage.

It happened, not long after I had been in the office, that our head-clerk was seized with a disorder, which, though neither acute, nor alarming, was suflicient, by confining him to his house, to interrupt the discharge of bis official duties; and as his attention to the concern was considered to be of some moment, it was agreed on, that he should inspect the accounts at his own leisure; and the books were ordered to be sent daily to his house, on which occasions I was appointed the messenger. This man had shewn me several trifling acts of kindness; and I was now furnished with the means of requiting, or, at least, of evincing the value that I annexed to an obligation, even though it should extend no farther than an encouraging speech, or an affable deportment.

While pursuing my way to Mr. Henley's home, with the papers in my possession, I could not but reflect, that a mind harassed and distracted by corporal pain must necessarily be totally incapacitated for the performance of business. Under this impression, therefore, I retired to a little distance from the road-side, and, sitting down, began to con over the books committed to my care; and having, not without considerable difficulty, made myself master of that part of the concern which was entrusted to his superintendence, I cleared up the account, which had lain neglected for nearly a fortnight, several pages forward; but, not choosing to make an entry, lest the difference of the handwriting should have been objected to, I only drew up a rough draft, with my pencil, leaving it at the place where he had last concluded. In a day or two afterward, having to deliver a message to im, I was ad

mitted to his bedside; when he immediately began to question me respecting the assistance that had been given to him; and judging, from my silence and embarrassment, that it was I who had rendered it, he expressed the liveliest sense of the service conferred on him, and declared that he should be truly gratified to recompense me for the trouble, if I would consent to bestow my time every day, after office hours, in affording him similar aid to that which I had voluntarily tendered, until such time as his health should improve.

I acceded to this arrangement with delight; and having succeeded in ob⚫taining Mr. Dalton's consent to the measure, commenced a regular attendance. In about a month, however, Mr. Henley became so far convalescent, as to stand in no further need of my assistance; but by this time I had so much endeared myself to him, that he proposed, being well aware that my situation in Mr. Dalton's establishment was very dependent and uncomfortable, that I should become, for the future, an inmate at his own house, to act under him as his own clerk, and should receive from him a stipulated salary. He undertook himself to persuade Mr. Dalton to part with my services; a point which he carried without much opposition. I now commenced my labours with redoubled assiduity and diligence, under the auspices of this generous minded man; and spent two years beneath his roof, with advantage to my employer; and, I can say it without vanity, with credit to myself.

During this lapse of time, I carefully hoarded almost the entire amount of my earnings; and when, at the expiration of the period I have named, it had accumulated to a respectable sum, I was induced to embark the whole of it in a gambling speculation; a species of tontine.

It is unnecessary to describe the precise nature of the scheme; suffice it to say, that Fortune proved propitious to my hopes, and I bore away the contested prize from eleven other competitors, most of them clerks belonging to our house, who had instituted this kind of lottery among themselves, as it proved, to their own disadvantage.

With the sum of money thus ob

tained, I purchased a share in the mercantile concern of Messrs. Dalton and Co.; my name was entered as second partner in the firm; and at the age of eighteen, I had secured a handsome provision for the remainder of my life,

Often, indeed, during my abode in the western world, had my thoughts reverted homeward; but I had formed a resolution never to revisit England till I could do so with at least some degree of triumph; nor to behold again the place of my nativity till fortune should have put it in my possession to purchase my welcome home with a liberal hand.

This period I considered was now arrived; and after having executed a few necessary arrangements respecting my newly acquired property, I hastened to set out on my pleasing voyage.

After a favourable passage, I landed at Liverpool; from whence I proceeded, across the country, to Norfolk; but halted at a small town about five miles from Cringleford, in order to refresh myself, and to reconnoitre; when, in passing down the high street, my attention was attracted to a little huckster's shop, by observing the name of "Susannah Howard" inscribed over the door; this was my mother's Christian name; the coincidence struck me; and a feeling of something like curiosity prompted me to enter. A beautiful blue-eyed flaxen-haired girl, about ten years of age, was behind the counter; I seated myself, purchased some trifle; and having banished, by the kindness of my manner, her childish bashfulness, I gathered from the innocent prattle of the sweet cherub, that her name was Phoebe Howard, and that she was indeed my sister!

During the three years of my absence from home, death had made cruel havock among my kindred. My father was no more; and of the six brothers and sisters whom I had left behind me, three only survived. William, a fine grown, ruddy, handsome youth, who worked for the different farmers in the neighbourhood; Daniel, who contributed his scanty earnings to the general store, by emiployment in his father's business; my little sister Phoebe, and my infirm parent, who, at the moment of my arrival, was out in the fields, gleaning a meal, for herself and chil

dren, from the few scattered ears of corn which her weakness would enable her to collect, were all who remained of our once large family circle.

While I was yet in the shop, Daniel came home to his dinner. I glanced into the room into which he entered; and, as he pushed open the door, beheld preparation for three persons, made on a little round table, on which were spread a small piece of discoloured fat bacon, and a large yellow cabbage; the whole of which might have been readily devoured by one hungry, hard-working man. The thought was too much for me to bear; tears started to my eyes; I rushed out of the cottage, and returned immediately to the inn; where, calling for a pen and ink, I sat down to acquaint my mother with my arrival, and prepare her for an interview; as it was evident that I must be greatly changed, since neither my brother nor my sister appeared, in the smallest degree, to have recognized me.

I had written down one page of my letter, but, on reading it over, was so much dissatisfied with it, that I tore it in pieces. I commenced a second, which shared a similar fate. I then started up, determined to discover myself at once; but from an apprehension that the shock might overpower my feeble parent, revoked my hasty resolution, and, after another attempt, succeeded in composing a letter that pleased me. It was not written in my own name, but as if by a person who was acquainted with my existence and welfare; and requesting that, if Mrs. Howard was desirous of obtaining any farther information, she would send to Mr. Smith, at the King's Head, who would answer every enquiry. Accordingly, that same evening, I was somewhat surprised by the appearance of both my brothers; to whom, after maintaining my assumed character for a short time, I fully declared myself; but enjoined them to be very cautions in revealing the truth to my mother. We did not separate till late that evening; but on descending to breakfast, on the next morning, I was delighted to find my mother and sister, drest in their best apparel, awaiting my appearance in the parlour, where they had been staying for upwards of an hour, but would not suffer the waiter to call me.

I will not attempt to describe our meeting; a thousand feelings of pleasure and of pain mingled in our embrace; my mother-but I am becoming prolix; it is enough, therefore, to say, that it was finally agreed upon that my mother, my youngest brother, and dear Phoebe, should go to reside at Liverpool, where I could procure a situation for Daniel, in the house of a merchant there, with whom I was well acquainted; and that my eldest brother, William, should accompany me back to America; where he might exercise his experience in agriculture, with great advantage. To confess the truth, there was a fair attraction on the other side of the Atlantic, that rendered me impatient to return.

Mr. Henley had one lovely daughter, a bewitching creature, scarcely yet sixteen, named Adelaide; my heart confessed her charms; her father sanctioned my addresses; and it was understood, that at the expiration of another year we were to be united.

I tenderly bade adieu to my family at Liverpool, and, accompanied by William, set sail for New York where we arrived safe, after, as it appeared to me at least, a tedious voyage; and as I clasped my angelic Adelaide to my bosom, I thought myself the happiest being in the uni

verse.