546 MISADVENTURES OF A LOVER. 



established than is thatof the non-expediency of capital punishments. 

 The facts on this head are so numerous and decisive that the public 

 mind is now completely made up on the subject ; and the almost 

 universal feeling' may be said to be that, on the ground of expedi- 

 ency, as well as on the much higher grounds of religion and humanity, 

 extreme punishments ought to be dispensed with. 



And will the Legislature, under these circumstances, still seek to 

 retain them ? We hope and believe that the disposition to resort to 

 sanguinary measures in the administration of the criminal jurispru- 

 dence of the country, is rapidly dying away. Rut even were it other- 

 wise — even were our senators, in defiance of all the figures and facts 

 which have been brought to bear against such a view of the case, 

 privately inclined to uphold a Draconian system of criminal laws — 

 the united voice of religion, justice, humanity, and public opinion, 

 cannot long be withstood. The signs of the times justify us in look- 

 ing daily for its complete triumph. 



There are other points of view in which the subject may be con- 

 sidered ; but we must defer all further observations till a future 

 opportunity. 



J. G. 



MISADVENTURES OF A LOVER.* 



Chapter I. 



Reader! have you been in love? Have you been over head 

 and ears in love? Have you been always crossed, always dis- 

 appointed in your loves ? If you can answer these queries in the af- 

 firmative, I feel a melancholy pleasure in writing ybr or rather to 

 you. If you cannot answer these questions in the affirmative, I beg 

 you will proceed no further in the perusal of this : you cannot appre- 

 ciate aright what follows. 



I suppose it is not necessary that I say any thing about my early 

 life. The title of this holds out no promise, either directly or by 

 implication, of my being communicative on that score. If I chose 

 to say any thing on the point, I would be sufficiently candid to confess 

 that I was born and cradled in poverty. It is usual, I believe, in 

 such cases, to add that, though one's parents were poor, they were 

 honest, I have always deemed any statement of that kind a gratui- 

 tous insult to the understanding of the reader; for what can any 

 one know about the honesty of his parents before he was born, or 

 even during the long stage of his childhood ? He could not, at 

 either of these eras, be privy to their actions. To be sure, he may 

 have their word for it that they were honest. I have heard my pa- 

 rents make a simdar protestation, but then we all know that nobody 

 is called on, either in reason or law, to condemn oneself, to publish 

 or admit one's guilt. Besides, is it not one of our most popular 



• It is right to mention that this series of papers is founded oa facts. 



