or besides a thousand and one others, all separate | peculiar construction would be sufficient to accomfrom the original question. As to the possibility plish it. Now, we well know, that, cæteris pariof such a range, stripped of all accessory and bus, the longest range will be accomplished by the contingent difficulties, our opinion is in the affirma- largest gun, and that a two-pounder cannon is tive, although we are aware that the investigation smaller than any in our service; without intending of others, more practically conversant with these any disrespect to any one, then, we may safely matters than ourselves, does not lead them to a assert that to project a ball six miles from a two similar conclusion. If a cannon-ball, when its pounder by the mere primary force of gunpowder flight was nearly expended, could meet with some is a physical impossibility; and that if such range aerial gun to urge it forward again-if, in other be accomplished, and a two-pounder cannon be words, its flight could be made to depend on two instrumental in accomplishing it, this can only be more consecutive impulses, instead of one effected by some such plan as we have described. primary shock, its range would be evidently in- We have another reason for presuming Mr. Warcreased. Now, in reality, these desiderata are toner to have intended this to be the plan-he disa great extent accomplished by the rocket, which carries its own propelling agent with it. The question, whether a cannon-ball, of the largest present size, can be shot six miles, involves a primary law of nature-a law which must be suspended before the question can be answered in the affirmative, and which consequently is an impossibility. The question, whether a rocket can accomplish this distance, involves no such suspension of a natural law, and no such impossibility. The rocket presents us with certain theoretical conditions necessary for the end in view; it remains gunpowder was a great discovery; the application to ascertain whether they can be sufficiently elaborated. claims most pointedly ever having asserted that he could project by means of a two-pounder a cannonball six miles; but he avoids stating that the twopounder is not to be instrumental in projecting a missile of name unknown to that distance, and he requires a two-pounder peculiarly constructed. We here leave this part of the subject, and proceed to the consideration of some other improvements which have either been introduced or are proposed to be introduced to the war-like art. The mere projection of missiles by the force of of the same substance to the bursting of shells was an ingenious and useful extension of it, adding to But in thus ideally suggesting a probable range the mere projectile force of the ball the devastaof six miles, we need not assume the necessity of tion and the consequent terror of fire, together with any increase of range either of gun or rocket. the primary explosive power and disintegrating We will suppose a missile to be formed of a com-influence of gunpowder. When first shells were bination of one ball and two or more rockets; this thrown from mortars, pyrotechnical science was missile first to be projected from a gun, during not sufficiently advanced to render the period of which a fuse is to be ignited, and to burn during their bursting at all certain; neither were the its trajectory course, in such a manner as to ignite principles or practice of their firing well known. the first rocket. This rocket is now to free itself They were ill-constructed, ill-managed, and morefrom the ball, which falls; the rocket proceeding over a prejudice existed that the fuse must be in its course, and eventually igniting the other lighted before the charge was fired, which added rocket; this last accomplishes the termination of considerably to the danger as well as the trouble the distance. of mortar practice. All this may be assumed as possible, although involving thousands of difficulties to which we do not require to have our attention drawn. We know the irregular flight of rockets-we know the difficulty which their sticks would occasion when thus shot from ordnance-in short, we are not visionary nor sanguine on the subject, and could fill half a dozen pages with difficulties and objections to the scheme-yet we see no reason why it must be regarded as impossible. Our ideas as to the precision of flight of such a missile would be very moderate. For our own part, if we rejoiced in a size a thousand times greater than our present dimensions-if we out-rivalled in stature the Cyclopes of old-we would willingly, for the tenth part of three hundred thousand pounds, expose our vast bulk in any aspect the operator might most desire, for the long space of three months, and at four miles distance, as a target for such a weapon. We would stipulate, however, that we should be distinctly and accurately aimed at; conceiving, like a certain spaniel who always posted himself exactly opposite the muzzle of his master's gun, that the charge was more likely to take any other direction than the one desired. These defects are now, to a great extent, overcome; shells are cast of equal weight, and their fuses correspond so well amongst themselves as regards time of burning, that the distance of projection being known, the time of bursting can be calculated with wonderful accuracy. When, however, it is considered that a small fraction of a second is on some occasions a matter of considerable importance, and that such an amount of accuracy is hardly possible to be expected from the use of the fuse, it will be evident that any simple and at the same time safe and effective plan of procuring the explosion altogether independently of the fuse, would be a desideratum. The various substances known to chemists as capable of exploding by percussion, favors the idea of a substitute. Could not a shell be filled with gunpowder, as is usually done, and furnished in some manner with an appendage, such as the copper percussion cap for instance, which might explode when the shell struck the object, and thus ignite the contained charge? Instead of a shell furnished with a percussive appendage, could not the percussivematerial form part of the shell? These are amongst the most obvious questions which present. The attention of the public was a short time ago themselves, and at a first blush they seem easily on the qui vive about long ranges, being directed answerable in the affirmative; but a little considerto this subject in consequence of the circumstances ation will develop many difficulties. There is no disclosed by Mr. Warner, who probably had in difficulty experienced in making a shell explode view the very plan of accomplishing a six-mile on percussion, but it is exceedingly difficult to range that we have already mentioned, inasmuch make it explode when wanted. The primary imas he asserted that a two-pounder gun made on a pulse of the charge of the gun is in itself a strong percussive agent, and hence percussive shells as frequently explode immediately on leaving the gun as on striking their object. This is a very great disadvantage, although certainly not insuperable; a far greater one is the difficulty and danger of keeping such shells and conveying them from place to place, not under peculiar scientific charge, but subject to all the shakings, blows, and other contingencies of military and naval transport. This remark certainly does not apply to those shells which are furnished with a percussive appendage, but they are open to other grave objections. In a shell of this kind some provision must be made to insure the striking of that part of the shell which is furnished with the percussive appendage-a matter in itself of no small difficulty as regards cannon, and which as yet has only been accomplished by departing from the spherical and assuming the pyriform shape in the construction of the shell, under which circumstances the large end will point forward, and consequently strike the object first. Now, the united testimony of practical men is against the employment of nonspherical missiles, so far as relates to every variety of gun, and at long ranges, as being so exceedingly irregular in their flight that their use becomes most uncertain, and defies all calculation. At short distances, however, and especially for seaservice, bar shots are, under particular circumstances, recommended. A small gun may thus be made to project great weight of metal, and thus to acquire a great increase of destructive power. wich and condemned chiefly on account of their departure from the spherical form; although it would not be difficult to point out other disadvantages. For instance, the quantity of gunpowder such a shell could hold, would be very insignificant, and the bar would be very liable to get fixed from rust, &c. We have hitherto supposed that the shell is to be filled with gunpowder, and that a percussive explosive substance, is to be merely an agent for igniting this gunpowder. Gunpowder, in fact, provided we have the time of its explosion under control, will do all that is desired; and if it did not, no assistance nor increase of power would be derivable from any of the chemical explosive agents; whilst the danger to all parties having anything to do with such shells would be immense. Were it our object to speculate on the possible number, and arrangement of chemical substances with which a theoretical percussion shell might be filled, our task would be longer, than interesting or profitable-suffice it to say, that no class of persons expect so little actual advantage from such combinations, in a practical point of view, as chemists, and it would seem that their opinion might claim for itself some amount of respect. From the remarks we have already made, it will be obvious that we consider the two greatest difficulties, which stand in the way of the percussion shells as fired from guns, mortars, &c., to be, 1. The danger of explosion from the primary shock of the ignited charge; 2. The difficulty of causing any given side of the shell to impinge on an object, except the spherical form be abandoned. A slight consideration will be sufficient to show that neither objection applies to shells which are projected by the force of a rocket-consequently, if those missiles can ever be made to take a more direct course, so as to be more effectually amenable to calculations, the limit to their application will be greatly extended—nay, even in their present state we imagine the percussion shell would, in the event of another war, be for some services, appended to them. The remark only applies to cannon, and plain small arms so far as relates to rifles, the difficulty has been entirely overcome-or more correctly speaking, never existed. An elongated or cylindrical body, properly fitted to the rifle and shot from it, maintains during flight that end forward which first emerged from the barrel, the reason of which is attributable to the rotatory motion it acquires. If then a hollow cylinder of lead, fitted to a rifled barrel, be filled with gunpowder and furnished with a copper percussion cap, or some equivalent contrivance, it will act very efficiently as a percussion shell. Captain Norton has availed himself of the principle, and in allusion to the contrivance, Mr. Wilkinson of Pall Mall, in his work on engines of war, p. 115, states -"I never found one (i. e. of these shells) fail to strike on the foremost end, and explode at all distances from 50 to 300 yards. In one experiment" I fired at two thicknesses of inch and half elm lined with sheet iron, and containing between them a stratum of four inches of water, the shell passed through the whole at sixty yards' distance, and exploded a box of gunpowder on the other side." It will be seen then, that so far as relates to rifled small arms, there is no difficulty-but rifled cannon do not exist, every attempt to use such ordnance effectively having proved a failure. Mr. Pasley, many years since, proposed a very safe and ingenious plan for making a percussion shell, the explosion of which was dependent on the fact, that air suddenly compressed liberates heat sufficient to inflame gunpowder. His shells were pyriform, for reasons already mentioned, and a cylindrical cavity terminating at the large extremity of the shell, was partly filled with gunpowder, and closed with a tightly-fitting iron bar, which projected considerably beyond the surface of the shell, but which a sudden blow could force down after the manner of a piston, and thus ignite the powder. These shells were tried at Wool We ought not to dismiss the subject of shells without mentioning a contrivance of most terrible efficacy, which has been suggested. We cannot do better than quote the original statement, Mechanics' Magazine, August 18, 1844, which in allusion to Professor Bunsen, thus proceeds :He has shown that this liquid of Cadet, consists chiefly of the oxide of an organic radical, or compound base, which has a constitution precisely similar to common alcohol, but in which the oxygen is replaced by the metal arsenic. Thus the chemical formula of alcohol is C 4. H 5. 0. and that of the new radical which has been called cacodyl in reference to its abominable smell, is C 4. H 5. Ar. "Now this body possesses the most extremne, and rapid spontaneous inflammability, the moment it is exposed to the air which oxidises it, and forms the oxide of cacodyl of which principally Cadet's liquor consists. If, therefore, a fragile vessel of this fluid, say a glass globe, be thrown into the port hole of a ship the moment it breaks against the deck, or any hard object, the spilled fluid is in a blaze, and capable of setting on fire anything combustible in contact with it. But this is not all. The result of this combustion is the evolution of clouds of white arsenic, so that the atmosphere around becomes instantly a deadly poison! Thus American, Fulton, who actually devised a boat if inflamed between decks the atmosphere would capable of diving and progressing under water. at once be rendered fatal; for it is well known to In the Annual Register for 1802, is an account of toxicologists that a most minute dose of arsenic this diving-boat taken from the relation of Citizen taken in this form into the lungs, is almost certain St. Aubin, a man of letters at Paris, and a mem to produce death more or less speedily. Further, ber of the tribunate, which confirms the inventor's the substance is insoluble in water, and heavier statement of the success of his experiment-"I than it; so that water will not extinguish it when have," says M. St. Aubin, "just been to inspect on fire. The oxide produced by its combustion, the plan and section of a nautilus or diving-boat, moreover, is a violent poison. It would be difficult invented by Mr. Fulton, similar to that with which to conceive a collection of more formidable proper-he lately made his curious and interesting experities in one body, or of any more fitting it for an agent of destruction in warfare!" The writer suggests that it might have been the Greek fire, in which supposition we differ from him; although we see no other objections to its employment in warfare except the difficulty and danger of preparing and stowing the inaterial, added to a certain chivalric feeling which cavils at particular modes of death, although permitting others. For our part, we would hail with satisfaction any discovery that could make warfare more terrible, conscientiously believing that the application of such wholesale methods of slaughter would be the surest means of establishing universal peace. We have not the affectation of admiring war-we wish it could cease-but if it must be cultivated as a science, we presume, it, like other sciences, has its theoretical point of absolute perfection-which would seem to consist in the total slaughter of two belligerent hosts. Once render warfare perfect to this extent and men would not fight;- However visionary may seem the idea of applyslaughter we take it is the main object of all ing such a subaqueous boat to the uses of actual battles-this granted, it can matter very little warfare, Earl Stanhope, (no incompetent authorwhether men are cut in two by chain-shots-per-ity,) entertained an opinion of the feasibility of the forated by musket-balls-blown to atoms by bomb-plan; and in the year 1803 he stated in the house shells or poisoned by arsenical fumes! ON METHODS OF SUBMARINE ATTACK. From the very infancy of naval warfare, it has always been an object much sought after, to inflict an injury on an adverse ship under the line of immersion in water. To secure this end the ancient galleys of Greece and Rome were armed with sharp subaqueous beaks, which being driven by the aid of the rowers against an advanced vessel, inflicted the most dangerous fractures and perforations. The genius of naval modern warfare did not admit of the employment of such methods of attack, and it has consequently been long relinquished lately, however, Mr. Nasmyth, the inventor of the steam-hammer, has submitted to the consideration of the Admiralty the plan of an iron steamer, bomb-proof, which, (he says,) "will effectually destroy any ship or squadron. She is propelled by the Archimedean screw, and when going at the rate of six knots an hour she will run stern on to a ship, and leave a hole in her many feet wide beneath the surface. It is in fact the power of two ships coming into collision with each other at the rate of ten knots an hour, placed by mechanical means in the hands of not more than ment at Havre and Brest. The diving-boat in the construction of which he is now employed, will be capacious enough to contain eight men and provision enough for twenty days; and will be of sufficient strength and power to enable him to plunge 100 feet under water if necessary. He has constructed a reservoir for air, which will enable eight men to remain under water for eight hours. When the boat is above water it has two sails, and looks just like a common boat. When she is to dive the mast and sails are struck. In making this experiment at Havre, Mr. Fulton not only remained a whole hour under water with three of his companions, but kept his boat parallel to the horizon at any given depth. He proved that the compass points as correctly under water as on the surface; and that while under water, the boat made way at the rate of half a league an hour, by means constructed for that purpose." Vol. XLIV. of lords, that he had given a plan to the admiralty, a contrivance for protecting ships against such an assailant. It is said that our government purchased the neutrality of Mr. Fulton, fearing lest he should impart his secret to the French, and that in consequence of this bribe he returned to America, and the invention was not further divulged. The question of the possibility of subaqueous attack by means of a projectile weapon, acquired extraordinary interest during the summer and autumn of last year, (1844,) in consequence of the secret of an invisible shell, claimed by Mr. Warner, and the effects of which were illustrated by him on the John of Gaunt, off Brighton. Far be it from us to disparage the merits of any inventor, or even by implication to underrate the value of discoveries to which he lays claim; much less would we join that section of a noisy and thoughtless populace, who, without proper means of forming a correct judgment, disbelieve everything they cannot understand. We are amongst those who believe in the possibility of destroying a ship at a far greater range than 300 yards, by the agency of a subaqueous projectile: this is our opinion, which like any other mere opinion, is not infallible, although deduced from many experiments. Such being our views, we regret that Mr. Warner pursued a course of operations which could not but excite suspicion, and The fate of the sword-fish, which after perforating which would have enabled him to employ one of ship's side, finds it impossible to withdraw its weapon, several trickeries had he so desired. We do not and only escapes by its sacrifice, might have furnished a useful hint to Mr. Nasmyth. Granting that he could mean for an instant to imply that the experiment thus approach a ship and perforate it, he would find him- was not a bona fide one, and that no projectile was self literally, and absolutely in a fir. But we take it his used; we have already recorded our opinion that machine would be sadly hammered about by cannon the use of a projectile under the circumstances was balls, and sadly interfered with by the ship's boats, long before the somewhat amusing catastrophe could possible-nay, that such was not difficult; all we mean to say is this: that the use of such projectile three men. Still more ingenious was the contrivance of the occur. a was not demonstrated, and can merely be received at this epoch, to say whether the first or last has as a matter of faith. Mr. Warner should neither | been most instrumental in altering the constitution have had the John of Gaunt in tow, nor should he of society. Amongst other consequences resulting have approached her previously to the explosion. from the use of gunpowder, we may especially The mere presence of a tow-line would have enumerate two. The claim of might is more afforded several means of explosion: it might be likely for the future to reside with those who have made to spring a lock, and thus explode a maga- the better claim of right-with the best educated, zine of powder; still easier might it have been the and consequently most enlightened states. Brute medium of concealing two voltaic wires, which force now avails but little in modern warfare, would have furnished the means of instantaneously science being all in all. The discovery of gunigniting a magazine, no matter how far distant. powder, again, has greatly tended to the decline The explosion again might have been occasioned of feudal sway. So far as relates to the chances as described by Sir G. Cockburn in the house of of danger, there can be no longer a privileged class commons on Wednesday, July 31.-" He would of warriors, whom swords may smite and arrows state exactly how the experiment had taken place. strike in vain. No doughty knights smothered in He had an officer in a boat close to the two vessels, buff coats and iron plates, figuring during peace in and the officer distinctly saw the one blow up. A harmless fray; begetting a spurious sentimentality rope with two buoys attached was thrown across in the bosoms of our daughters and our wives, yet her cutwater, the vessel then going at the rate of incapable in actual fight of being injured, and about three knots an hour; these two buoys, by often, from their unwieldly arms, of injuring the impetus of the vessel, were forced under water, others. The time for such vagaries, thanks to the and the tension of the rope attached to them either villanous saltpetre and its black offspring, gunstruck a hammer or excited by other means the powder, are gone. None who now go into battle igniting power, and then the vessel blew up." can claim immunity from danger and death; some The officer who had reported to him said, "he con- whizzing ball, some blazing shell, or erring rocket sidered that the explosion was the effect of two-all very indifferent respecters of personal digbarrels of gunpowder." M. Jobert of Brussels, nity-may come and lay a general in the dust, no suggests that a congreve rocket headed with ful- less than the humblest drummer!* minating mercury was the missile employed-fired We really beg pardon of the ladies for thus on a level with the water's surface. M. Jobert slightingly alluding to their friends, the knights could not have tried the experiment-a rocket of old, with whom they have associated such ideas under these circumstances sinks almost immedi- of romance. But on the first introduction of fireately on touching the water-besides its flight arms they certainly did quake and complain much must have been visible. It is our opinion, how-more than men so brave by reputation, and so ever, as the result of some experiments, that a petted by fair ladies, should have done. They purely subaqueous missile can be constructed guarded themselves too by such unwieldly mail safe in its use and easy of application: more than this it would be premature at present to state. CONCLUSION. The task originally proposed to ourselves, draws near to its conclusion. During many periods of its progress, our regret has been that several interesting documents bearing on the subject, must be so summarily dismissed. The mere change of form and power which arms of all kinds have undergone, is in itself a matter of great interest;when taken in connexion with the states of society which called them into being, the interest is greatly enhanced. Clubs and wooden spears are emblems of savage life of men scarce a step removed from the prowling denizens of the forest. Bows and slings are symbols of a higher gradeof men whose minds have begun to expand and grasp the first principles of mechanical science. Great was the advance made in the art of war, when the arbalest was discovered; greater that which prompted the construction of the vast artillery of old-the aries, the balista, and gigantic catapult! Now wealthy cities rise before our view-with walls and lofty towers-war is no longer carried on with the petty rancor of individuals, but as the agent of facilitating some great, perhaps laudable policy. Greatest of all was that advance consequent on the application of gunpowder-no longer do we trace the mere progress of the art of war-no longer are we the mere narrators of the flights of missiles and the terror of their effects-we become insensibly carried away in the torrent of a great political revolution! The discovery of printing, the mariner's compass, and of gunpowder, are referable to nearly the same date-agents of equally revolutionary power it would be impossible to suggest; and it is difficult, from the annoying bullets, and must have looked Before we finally lay down our pen, we may observe, that of late it has seemed necessary by many individuals to treat all arguments concerning mysterious projectiles with much acrimony of spirit. It would even seem as though the whole subject were inflammatory-only to be approached in a passion. We have endeavored to be civil and just; if, however, we have on any occasion reader to attribute the defect to an error in our seemed too energetic, or too personal, we beg the temperament, not to a studied design. *The equipment of knights and their men-at-arms was totally unadapted to the genius of warfare, after the employment of sinall fire-arins had become general. Each man-at-arms ought to have five horses, one on which he rode to the charge, and hence called a charger; the others to carry his trappings, and to bear him on the march. Some attempt was made in Germany to diminonly one horse, but a wagon to every twenty men. ish this unwieldly retinue by allowing each mau-at-arms See the Arte of Warre of Machiavelli, translated by Peter Whitehorne. From the Edinburgh Tales. GOVERNOR FOX. "His remains!-could nothing have been done for the animated body? Is he the same poor young man I saw lately at your chambers?" deputy. "I have some touch of a flying gout today, and am, besides, to tell the truth, so plaguily busy at this opening of the term. The undertaker will, of course, do everything in the best manner; BY RICHARD TAYLOR, ESQ. but the Walpoles are not persons to be neglected THERE is one corner of a newspaper which—and I shall like to be able to write to Northnever escapes me-no, not in the broadest, closest amptonshire, that, though indisposition prevented double-sheet, put forth after a long debate about me from attending the funeral, my brother had pensions and sinecures. During a money panic, seen every proper attention paid to the remains of I may chance to look first at the price of stocks-Lieutenant Walpole, which became his birth and and, pending a Westminster election, glance at family." the latest state of the poll; but sooner or later I am sure to return and pore over the obituary. Some of my friends say this is a symptom of age creeping on, something like an old lady buying a "The same, poor fellow! He was severely newPractice of Piety," in a print a size larger wounded in the affair of Alkmaer, and brought than is required by her present spectacles. I only into Chatham. There is a poor widow, too, who know that the obituary is to me a column which posted down to meet him, and one or two children. at all times teems with grave, yet not unpleasant It is a melancholy story-but Anne will tell you all histories. There I see my old acquaintances, about it. I have no time-only my instructions slight or intimate, and long lost sight of, for the from Sir Hugh Walpole's steward, are, that the last time. We meet once again to part in peace, funeral be conducted in the most respectable manand forever. No man indulges harsh or unkindly ner; and that the death be properly, but simply feelings in perusing the obituary. This column, announced in the St. James' Chronicle. Will you with which the newspaper moralizes its motley attend to that too?" pages, is to myself as productive of musing contemplation, as a saunter, backwards and forwards, beneath the elms of some antique and rural "O! I have no orders about them, I am sorry church-yard, in a June evening-when the rooks to say. Walpole's was some foolish love-match, above have settled for the night, when the curfew I believe." has ceased to toll, and the fantastic, flickering There was no time to lose. I put myself into shadows cast by the sunken tombstones, are fast vanishing from the grass. "And the young widow, and the two or three children?" my half-worn suit of solemn black, and, declining the proffered chaise, which I then conceived a robI could not exactly recollect whether it was to bery of the widow, reached Rochester by a coinmy young friend Walpole, with whom I sat, that mon stage-coach. The whole scene, though past I owed my original acquaintance with Captain for twenty-three years, instantly revived to my Stephen Fox, or if I first saw him as the client memory, with its principal actors, Governor Fox of my brother James: but I well remember the and the little weeping boy whom he led in his circumstances which taught me to revise my hand, with the bit of rusty crape tied over the hasty and unfavorable opinion of the tough old sleeve of his blue jacket. That boy was now transgovernor. Had I known him only in his capacity formed into the gentleman opposite to whom I sat. of client, his death, in the obituary of a provincial On this particular day, as Walpole vowed he paper, would scarcely have drawn from me the did not know what to do with himself, I had conhalf-suppressed eheu! with which I met the like-sented to dine with him tête-à-tête, to survey his liest piece of intelligence in the world-that a new house which he had just entered. He was strong-willed, hale man, of nearly fourscore, full at the high-top-gallant of his joy, in the way of of vitality, and resolute upon living on for another ten years, had nevertheless been compelled suddenly to submit to the common lot, all his plans unexecuted. One thing remarkable was the list of legacies appended to the notice. These were out of all keeping with the character of the bequeather; but this might be the effect of a fit of death-bed remorse. making a rapid fortune; and within a few days of marrying my third, and it is said favorite niece, Charlotte, for whom he had, in the ladies' phrase, proposed three years before; and who, if not absolutely denied to his hopes, had been prudently withheld. I had been a kind of half-confidant of their attachment-my latent romance a qualifier in their behalf of excessive parental prudence. My young friend, who, from various circum"I shall begin to believe what you old folks say stances, felt even more interest in the event than of the brevity of life," said Walpole. "Looking myself, had thrust the newspaper into my hand, backward, down the vista of time elapsed,' to pointing to the notice-saying, in a slightly trem-that funeral service in Rochester cathedral, the ulous voice" See here! Poor old fellow! He distance appears so mere a span-yet it is full with all his queernesses, a sound-hearted two-and-twenty years since-older than Charman, and the friend of me and mine, when a lotte." friend was of more value to us than now.” was, One way or other we were disposed to become I now perfectly recollected where I had first very social and communicative on this particular seen the old Governor. It was at a funeral, where afternoon. The verge of the new life upon which the gentleman with whom I now sat, then a boy he stood, was to Walpole a point of 'vantage, of six years, attended as chief mourner. I recol- from which he could look back with complacency lected the grayish tint of the sky, and the color on the rough, up-hill track he had traversed in and smell of the Thames, on that day, when nature storm and calm, in sunshine and shadow; with appeared in her pensive, half-mourning weeds, as many changes of fortune, but ever, I believe, with I hurried on from London to Rochester in the a hopeful and unfaltering spirit. Prominent stage-coach. before him, in every early stage, stood the image of the old governor, whose oddities and humors were but so many incrustations to which the pre This is quite a duty to your mind, Richard," my brother had said. He wished to make me his |
