LEAVES FROM A LO(i. 571 



a Christian priest held. His interest obtained for him a place in the 

 office of the Excise, which he filled with much credit. His youngest 

 son, my friend Albert, he found a youth of excellent disposition and 

 quick apprehension; he therefore superintended his early education, 

 and at the proper age sent him to college. While there, a friend of old 

 Fitz-Allen dying, left his daughter named Julia, with a considerable 

 fortune, to his guardianship. On Albert's arrival to spend a vacation 

 at the parsonage, he became acquainted with his father's ward, and 

 they became soon enamoured of each other. 



He returned to college, and they corresponded regularly for some 

 months, until Albert perceived a coldness in his mistress's letters; 

 this was succeeded by a cessation of her correspondence. The cause 

 of this he learnt the next vacation that he spent at home. A captain 

 of a man-of-war, who had been an old acquaintance of his father, 

 getting the command of a ship on board of which his brother Alfred 

 had entered some years since, discovered the long-lost son of his old 

 friend ; and, the moment he could get an opportunity, procured the 

 young man's discharge, brought him to his parent, and reconciled 

 them to each other. In a private interview he persuaded the clergy- 

 man to endeavour to keep his son at home ; but if he found his love 

 for the sea invincible, he recommended him to send Alfred on board 

 his ship, and he would get him appointed a midshipman. Although 

 the young man had an aversion to live on shore, he for a time ap- 

 peared reconciled to his paternal mansion. The fact is, he saw and 

 loved Julia, who, regardless of her former admirer, returned his 

 passion; hence her coldness to Albert. 



About this time Alfred associated with a set of smugglers, who 

 carried on their unlawful trade between the coast of Sussex and the 

 French shore, occasionally joining them in their trips across the 

 Channel, or in their more dangerous enterprise of " running" the 

 contraband articles on shore. Of course, these expeditions were made 

 without the father's knowledge. One unfortunate night the boat 

 which contained Alfred was attacked by a party of custom-house 

 officers ; although the smugglers were armed, yet so inferior were 

 their numbers to the latter, that the contraband traders abandoned 

 their boat without resistance, and sought safety in flight, all save Al- 

 fred, who, accusing his comrades of cowardice, fired at the opposing 

 party. The fire was returned without effect, as Alfred and the rest 

 ran off. But the only pistol discharged by the smugglers shot 

 through the heart Henry Fitz-Allen. He fell by the hands of his 

 own brother ! The news of this unhappy tragedy too soon reached 

 the old man, who died within a month of this occurrence of a broken 

 heart. Alfred escaped, and was no more heard of. Julia disappeared 

 in a mysterious manner ; but some weeks after a letter was found in 

 her chamber containing an equivalent to a confession that she had 

 been seduced by Alfred : she was never heard of from that hour. 



Thus, by the events of one night, Albert lost a brother by the hands 

 of a brother; a parent whom he revered; and a first love on whom 

 he doated. He never entirely recovered from the effects of this affair. 

 His grief was deep and settled, but not violent. At first, his medical 

 advisers thought his woe would bring on morbid melancholy ; to 



