1768. SIR WILBRAHAM WENTWORTH. ed himself to labour under no inconfi. derable degree of aftonishment...-Mr. Harrington with a deep figh at laft recovered himself, and promised to fuftain his fate with as much fortitude as poffible, wishing that a continual round of felicity might be the lady's portion, though he could expect nothing but endless wretchednefs for his own.---Colonel Mortimer...faw his diftrefs, and pitied him---but the colonel's pity was a very trifling confolation, efpecially when he said that his coufin was a very extraordinary young woman--that the must have her own way, or fhe would probably quit his family, being not only independent, but extremely affluent in her circumftances. In a little time after this, Colonel Mortimer and his family returned to England, leaving poor Harrington to brood in fecret over the anguish of his own reflections---Harrington's parting with thefe deferving people was a confiderable aggravation of his distressthough refused as a lover by Mifs Dashwood he still vifited at the Colonel's with his ufual affiduity, and was even received with an encreafed regard on account of the implicit fubmiffion, which he paid to that lady's injunctions--this in fome measure foothed the bitterness of his disappointment, he found a melancholy kind of pleasure in looking at, or converfing with, the object of his affections, and flattered himself that time would reftore his former tranquility;---but the moment he loft this confolation, he became a victim to the most poisy nant despair, and would probably have fallen a facrifice to his paffion, if the death of his father which hap. pened about this time, had not driven the tide of forrow into a new channel, and opened a scene of bufinefs that helped, in fome measure, to rescue him from the gloom of his own imagination. It was now fo long fince the unfortunate affair in which Mr. Harrington wounded his antagonist, that he was under no apprehenfion of fetting out to England on the fit intelligence, efpecially as the gentleman had perfectly recovered--he therefore depart ed with the utmost expedition--and when his father's funeral was folemn zed, every debt difcharged, and his rother of whom he was extremely 287 fond fettled to his wish, the firft object "She was taken by fome of her father's relations, Sir, returned the fteward, and left as we are told in very good circumftances by the will of a grand aunt, who, during the captain's life would not give a fhilling to relieve his neceffities"-" Well Mr. Willis, rejoined Sir Charles---I fhall write a letter to the young ladyyou can easily find her out I fuppofe," "Yes Sir I believe I can" faid Mr. Willis, on which Sir Wilbraham immediately fat down, and difmiffed him with the following epistle : MADAM, is with infinite concern I recollect that your good mother, by fome unaccountable means, was greatly injured by my family, and I blush to think that reparation---has been delayed fo long--give me leave therefore for the fum which was Mifs Milmour's right, to beg your acceptance of the twenty thousand pounds enclosed in this letter, and to confider the extraordinary ten as a legal debt due for the intereft of the original demand, and the expences which he was at in her unfortunate endeavour to recover it---do not hesitate a moment, madam, to receive your own, and be affured that the knowledge of your happiness will always give the greatest fatisfaction to your Moft obedient humble fervant Tue 288 VIRTUE REWARDED. The fteward carried this letter in conformity to orders, and returned in a little time, producing a receipt for the money, and informing his mafter that the lady would do herself the pleasure of waiting on him immediately. In about an hour the arrived accordingly attended by a gentleman and was fhewn in to Sir Wilbraham, who, exclaimed Mifs Dafh wood! Colonel Mortimer! pray how long have you been in town? Mifs Dashwoood and the Colonel replied, by afking how long he had been in England, and expreffing their great fatisfaction at seeing him fo well.---After congratulations had mutually paffed--Colonel Mortimer began by afking where Sir Wilbraham was, faying that his coufin was come to thank him for a moft extraordinary act of generofity, and expreffing a little furprize that they did not find him in that room---Sir Wilbraham to this replied " my dear Colonel you must now know Sir Wilbraham Wentworth in your old friend Harrington, and I fhall be extremly happy The baronet would have proceeded but he was interrupted by a violent fhriek from Mifs Dashwood---who juft pronounced the words, "You Sir Wilbraham!"--and fell lifeless on the Hoor---If the furprize of the Colonel and Sir Wilbraham was great at this unexpected circumstance, their aftonishment was ftill greater when on recovering Miss Dashwood fhe went on to this purport. If you are Sir Wilbraham Wentworth the hand of heaven is certainly working miracles,---when I thought you really Mr. Harrington, I told you my affections were unalterably fixed upon a man I had never feen...but at that moment they were fixed upon the fon of Sir Charles Wentworth after my poor father was obliged to part with his commiffion and after he, with his little family, difcarded by all their relations, were plunged in the deepest diftrels (we did not then know Colonel Mortimer was our re*lation) I have a thousand times heard my unhappy parents lavish in the June have abfolutely perished for want of bread---I loved my parents tenderly, Sir Wilbraham, and my heart greedily imbibed early fentiments of gratitude for their preferver.---As I grew up I found this gratitude imperceptibly foftening into tenderness, and the character which we continually received of you was fo amiable, that I determined never to alter my fituation, unless I could obtain Mr. Wentworth for my husband---Silly, idle and chimerical as my refolution may feem, my refolution was unalterable, and I do not blush to acknowledge myself the ftrenuous admirer of virtue---On the death of my father and mother, which happened while you were abroad, Mrs. Dashwood, who was aunt to the former, took me under her protection, though he never would take any notice of me before, and I had the good fortune to be fuch a favourite with her that at her decease the left me a large fortune on condition that I adopted her name---the name I accordingly affumed, the fortune, I ftill poffels, and if Sir Wilbraham Wentworth is actuated by the fentiments which were once acknowledged by Mr. Harrington, my perfon and my eftate are at his fervice, whenever he thinks proper to demand them---I have not been two days in town and I figned the receipt for the twenty thousand pounds, with my original name, because I purposed immediately to wait upon Sir Wilbraham, to thank him for his unparalleled generofity, and to acquaint him with the happy revolution in my circumftances." Mifs Dashwood having ended, Sir Wilbraham immediately accounted for his affuming the name of Harrington, which clearly explained this comedy of errors---the two principal actors were in a little time after united, and live at this moment in the most perfect happiness that humanity can know, proving, beyond a doubt, that however virtue may fuffer for a time, even in this world, it is generally fure of being rewarded in the end. E praise of your humanity; I have a We have also this month obliged that had it not been for the affiftance which you procured them, they mult tion of the road from London to Berwick. The 1768. 289 The Hiftory of the laft Seffion of Parliament, &c. The Hiftory of the Seffion of Parliament which began Nov. 11, 1766, being the fixth Seffion of the Twelfth Parliament of Great-Britain, with an Account of all the material Queftions therein determined, and of the Political Difputes thereby occafioned without Doors. Continued from p. 180. O the hiftory of the above profeem to have been treated with no little feverity, we fhall here add a circumftance which happened a little earlier in the feffion. On the 16th of February, the Lord Clare (from the commiffioners of trade and plantations) acquainted the houfe, that his majesty had commanded them to inform the house, that they had received, inclosed in a letter from Sir Henry Moore, bart. (his majesty's governor of New York) a petition of the merchants in the city of New York, addressed to the Houle of Commons, which the governor fays, he tranfmitted to the commiffioners of trade and plantations, at the request of a committee of merchants of New York. This petition, which certainly deferved a particular attention, from that regard to the trade and profperity of this kingdom and our plantations, which ought always to actuate every branch of the legislature, would not certainly have been treated with fo little regard as it was, had it not been for the ill temper of the majority of the members then prefent. This petition being brought up and read; fet forth, that the commerce of the North American colonies is fo feverely clogged and restricted by the ftatutes of the 4th and 6th of his prefent majesty's reign, as to afford a melancholy prefage of its deftruction, the fatal effects of which, though first felt there, muft be finally transferred to Great Britain, and center with her merchants and manufacturers: that an evil fo extenfive, could not fail of alarming the petitioners, whofe fituation expofes them to the first impreffron of this calamity; whence they think it their duty to implore the, houfe to refume the confideration of the plantation trade, for effectual redrefs. It is the fingular difadvantage of the Northern British colonies, that, while they ftand in need of vaft quantities of the manufactures of Great Britain, the country produces very June, 1768. little that affords a direct remittance from neceffity they have been driven to feek a market for their produce, and, by a course of traffic, to acquire either money or fuch merchandize, as would anfwer the purpofe of a remittance, and enable them to fuftain their credit with their mother country: As the nature of the petitioners commerce, when free from the late restraints, ought to be understood, they beg leave to obferve, that their produce then fent to our own and the foreign islands, was chiefly bartered for fugar, rum, melaffes, cotton, and indigo; that the fugar, cotton, and indigo, ferved as remittance to Great Britain, which the rum and melaffes conftitutted effential branches of their commerce, and enabled them to barter with our own colonies for fish and rice, and by that means to purfue a valuable trade with Spain, Portugal and Italy where they chiefly obtained money, or bills of exchange in return, and likewife qualified them for adventures to Africa, where they had the advantage of putting off great quantities of British manufactures, and of receiving in exchange gold, ivory, and flaves, which laft being difpofed of in the West India islands, commanded money or bills: Rum was indifpenfable in their Indian trade, and with British manufactures, procured furs and fkins, which both ferved for confiderable returns to Great Britain, and encreafed its revenue. The trade to the bay of Honduras was also of great importance, it being managed with fmall cargoes of provifions, rum, and British manufactures, which, while they were at liberty to fend foreign logwood to the different ports in Europe, furnished them with another valuable branch of remittance. From this view, it is evident that fugar, rum, melaffes and log wood, with cotton and indigo, are the ellentials of their return-cargoes, and the chief fources, from which, in a course of trade they have maintained their cre dit |