stay where he was, and seeming to turn into the next room, disappeared.

The next day Mr. Shaw made his will, and not very long after, being seized with an apoplectic fit while he was reading service in church, he fell out of the desk, and died almost immediately.

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He was ever looked upon as a pious man and a good scholar," says Mr. Hughes, who had the story of the apparition from Mr. Grove, a particular friend of Mr. Shaw, and who, being on a visit to Souldern soon after the event, had the whole particulars from the minister's own lips. Mr. Grove returned to Cam-. bridge soon afterwards, and meeting with one of his college, was told that Mr. Arthur Orchard was dead.

On the 21st of January 1707, the Rev. M. Turner, writing to the Rev. Mr. Bonwicke, with reference to this story, says, "There's a circumstance relating to the apparation which adds a great confirmation to it, which, I suppose, Mr. Hughes did not tell you. There is one, Mr. Cartwright, a Member of Parliament,* a man of good credit and integrity, an intimate friend of Mr. Shaw, who told the same story with Dr. Grove (which he had from Mr. Shaw), at the Archbishop of Canterbury's table; but he says further, that Mr. Shaw told him of some great revolutions in states, which he won't discover, being either obliged to silence by Mr. Shaw, or concealing them upon some prudent and polite reason."

Mr. Shaw, it may be added, had been a noted enemy *I.e. for Northamptonshire.-Editor.

to

a belief in

was

apparitions, and in company accustomed to inveigh against any credence being placed in them, but after his presumed interview with the apparition of his old friend, spoke of that in such a way, with his more intimate acquaintances, as quite convinced them of his belief in its spirituality; one of whom, the Rev. Richard Chambre, vicar of Soppington, Shropshire, wrote out an account, still extant, of the affair as related to him by Mr. Shaw.

SPEDLIN'S TOWER.

THIS ancient fortress bore the reputation, for a long number of years, of being haunted by the spirit of a certain man, known in the flesh as Porteous. The story of this haunting has been frequently told by Grose, the antiquary, and other well-known writers, and the truth of the events about to be recorded has been most emphatically asserted by persons of respectability and credit; indeed, many a ghost story passes current that has not had such corroborative evidence as this tale of antique lore.

Spedlin's Tower, which stands on the south-west bank of the Annan, in the time of Charles the Second was in the possession of Sir Alexander Jardine, of Applegarth. At one time this baronet had confined in the dungeon of his tower a miller, named Porteous, who was suspected,

truthfully or not cannot be known, of having set fire wilfully to his own premises; the alleged object tradition does not condescend to inform us. Sir Alexander Jardine, soon after this man's incarceration, was suddenly called away to Edinburgh, and carrying the keys of the dungeons with him, forgot or disregarded his prisoner, until he was passing through the West Port, when, it has been suggested, perhaps the sight of the warder's keys brought to his mind his own. He sent back immediately a courier to liberate the unfortunate man, but Porteous had, in the meantime, perished of hunger.

No sooner was he dead than his ghost began to torment the household, and no rest was to be had within Spedlin's Tower by day or by night. In this dilemma. Sir Alexander, according to old use and wont, summoned a whole legion of ministers to his aid; and by their strenuous efforts, Porteous was at length confined to the scene of his mortal agonies where, however, he continued to scream occasionally at night, "Let me out, let me out, for I'm deein' o' hunger!" He also used to flutter against the door of the vault, and was always sure to remove the bark from any twig that was sportively thrust through the key-hole.

The spell which thus compelled the spirit to remain in bondage was attached to a large black-lettered Bible, used by the exorcists, and afterwards deposited in a stone-niche, which still remains in the wall of the staircase; and it is certain that after the lapse of many years, when the family repaired to a newer mansion (Jardine Hall), built on the other side of the river, the

Bible was left behind, to keep the restless spirit in order. On one occasion, indeed, the volume requiring to be re-bound was sent to Edinburgh; but the ghost, getting out of the dungeon, and crossing the river, made such a disturbance in the new house, hauling the baronet and his lady out of bed, and committing other annoyances, that the Bible was recalled before it reached Edinburgh, and replaced in its former situation.

The good woman who told Grose this story in 1788, declared that should the Bible again be taken off the premises, no consideration whatever should induce her to remain there a single night. But the charm seems to be now broken, or the ghost must have become either quiet or disregarded; for the old Bible has been removed, and is now kept at Jardine Hall.

STRACHUR MANSE.

ALTHOUGH the name of the person chiefly concerned in the following narrative is concealed under the initial "S," the reference to the house where he had his remarkable vision, and the fact that it was then occupied by a relative of the gallant Captain, will afford sufficient means of indentification to the curious. Premising this, it will now suffice to say that some few years ago Captain S was spending a single night in the Manse of Strachur, in Argyleshire. This

residence was then in the occupation of some relations of the Captain, and, so far as is known, had not at that time the reputation of being haunted.

Soon after the weary guest had retired to rest, the curtains of the bed were opened and somebody looked in upon him. Supposing it to be some inmate of the house who was not aware that the bed was occupied, the Captain took no notice of the circumstance till, it being two or three times repeated, he at length said, "What do you want? Why do you disturb me in this manner?"

"I come," replied a voice, " to tell you that this day twelvemonth you will be with your father."

After this Captain S- was no more disturbed. In the morning he related the circumstance to his host, but, being an entire disbeliever in all spiritual phenomena, without attaching any importance to the warning..

In the natural course of events, and quite irrespective of this visitation, on that day twelvemonth he was again at the Manse of Strachur, on his way to the north, for which purpose it was necessary that he should cross the ferry of Craigie. The day was, however, so exceedingly stormy, that his friend begged him not to go; but he pleaded his business, adding that he was determined not to be withheld from his intention by the ghost, and although the minister delayed his departure by engaging him in a game of backgammon, he at length started up, declaring he could stay no longer. They therefore proceeded to the water, but found the boat was moored to the side of the lake, and the boat