thing was omitted, which could contribute to his case or comfort. The warmest seat and the choicest morsel were always selected for him. Two chairmen were constantly in readiness to convey him to and from the academy, which stood at the distance of twelve yards. A servant carried his books, and a private tutor thought and studied for him. When there was the least cold or damp in the air, he was carefully kept at home; and even in summer, it was nothing uncommon to see him stuffed up in three pair of stockings, and half a dozen comforters.

Four years had now rolled on, whilst our hero, instead of making progress, had actually retrograded, in his studies. The least symptom of uneasiness on his part, was enough to throw the whole female sextumvirate into convulsions, and to this artifice our hero had recourse almost every hour of the day. It is recollected by some old people, that during the four years aforesaid, he ate ten thousand oranges, five thousand pounds of confectionaries, and was the terror of all the cats, kittens, lap dogs, and young children in the town.

At this period, a great and important crisis took place, in our hero's affairs. His father re-entered the holy state of matrimony, and his uncle in a month after also took unto himself a wife. Thus were our hero's prospects annihi lated at one blow. It now became probable that, instead of being one of our hereditary Fox-hunters, and Legislators, he would be obliged to elbow his way in the world, among the industrious ranks of mankind, and it therefore became necessary to give him a substantial, rather than a polite education. The female sextumvirate now no longer looked on him as the prop and representative of the family, and could

hear him cough, without betraying any symptom of uneasiness. The chairman, servant, and private tutor were dismissed; his pocket money was reduced from three guineas, to three shillings per week, and he was constrained to attend the academy regularly.

To any boy, but particularly to our hero, who was hardened in indulgence, dissipation and idleness, such a sudden change would have been insupportable; and he did not fail to resent it by every means in his power. He stole their prayer books, broke their tooth picks, burnt their wigs, demolished their spectacles, and fixed pins, and heckle-teeth in the cushions of the chairs, by which the posteriors of the whole sextumvirate were seriously injured. But his most notable manoeuvre was played off on Miss Jemima, into whose tobacco pipe he put a quantity of gun-powder, which exploded, and deprived her of the sight of the right eye, besides setting her head dress on fire, to the imminent danger of her life. Our hero was turned out of doors, where he collected a rabble of his worthless associates, broke every window in the house, and went directly home to complain to his father of the barbarous treatment he had received. But the fame of the transaction had gone before him, and his father very properly received him with a horsewhip, locked him up all night in the cellar, and set out next morning with him to an academy at the distance of 300 miles.

Young Billy had now attained his 14th year, and continued in this new situation till he had completed his 17th with as little effect as ever: when he returned home, he could do neither one thing nor other, and his father was totally at a loss how to act, when by accident he fell in with Mr MacSyco

phant,

and Kargu to the bist Edventige. Yu wil sea by mi Lug Buk, witch 1 haf sint by Tomas Gons mi Mat, that I prefurmed wunders. I sal riturn ovr land furst hopertunty, and akunt to yu for the nat porseeds of the Vasal and Kargu. Ekspektin to sea yu shun.

"I am, Dir Feather, Yur

"Efekshoned Sun,
"WILLM HOPFIL."

This polite epistle will be perfectly intelligible to such of your readers as have received a genteel education, though it may be totally above the comprehension of those who have been educated in the substantial and vulgar way. This lug bak, (as he calls it) was kept in the same polite style. I shall here, for the instruction of the polite part of your readers, make a few extracts from it.

Gurnal of a Vog from Lith to

Kebek.

"Gune 5d 170055. Salled from Lith with a fir wund. Gune 6t, at Nun, by absarfeshon fund wi wer in letude 67 dicrees, 95 minits north. Wund du Waist, Gune 7st paced the Pantalan Furth, wund Est and by Suth. Gune 8st, no absarfeshon. Sky cludi and havi shurs. Gune 9rd at Nun, ajustit the Kadrant, and Assimuth Kompace, fund the letude 70 dicrees, and 63 min its North Lonjetud 9 dicrees, 122 minits Est. &c. &c. &c."

No words can do justice to the emotions of the father on receipt of this letter. Three fifths of the ship and cargo belonged to the family of the Hopefuls, and as more than two years had elapsed since the ship was heard of, complete payment of both ship and cargo had been recovered from the underwriters, who now instituted a process for repayment, and obliged Billy's father to produce said letter

and log book, and obtained a decree against the whole owners of the ship and cargo, with full expences of process.

Our hero's father was never less in humour with polite and genteel education than at present. Had Mr MacSycophant fallen into his hands, he would certainly have torn him to atoms. Fortunately he was 70 miles distant; but the diploma he had given young Billy, along with a letter he had written his father, on his appointment to the ship, and in which he declared our hero as well qualified to be a Naval commander as any man in Europe, were produced before the Court.

Such a scene was never

presented to any Judicature. Mr MacSycophant's character of our hero was in the most unqualified and hyperbolic strain of panegyric, whilst his letter and log book, spoke a very different language. Indeed our young naval commander kept such a journal as never had, and probably never will have, any parallel in Europe, for he often reckoned the easterly variation of the compass as high as 395.

As this truly laughable and ridiculous scene was re-echoed, in the different newspapers from one end of the kingdom to the other, Mr MacSycophant thought it high time to decamp. Under pretence of bad health, he returned to his native country, France, having in the course of 10 years realized a fortune of L.15,000. It was discovered when too late, that his system of education was so rapid and genteel, that it could serve no earthly purpose whatever.

Our hero being assured that Britain was an island, and that it was impossible to return to it by land, was very much at a loss how to act. He was at present in possession of about L.3,000 from the sale of the ship and cargo. He therefore de

termined

termined to push forward to the East Indies, and make his fortune at once. He sailed on board a Dutch ship bound to Batavia, and thence to Bombay. The only acquaintance he had in this part of the globe was Lieutenant son of one of our hero's father's tenants, an officer in the Company's service, who received him in the most friendly manner, and questioned him as to his intentions and future views in India.

But how surprised was he to find our hero determined to accept of no situation or office except that of Commander in Chief. He argued with him at full, length, on the madness of such an attempt, and advised him to enter the Company's service as a cadet and rise by degrees, at the same time assuring him that there was no other mode, which would ultimately ensure success. Our hero, who always grasped at the end, without studying the intermediate steps necessary to attain it, told him, that he was a mean sneaking fellow, fit only to crawl through the inferior walks of life-That as for himself, he was born and educated a gentleman, and was determined to act as such. This said, he walked off, with an air of as much importance as if he had been the Emperor of China. Lieutenant

who was a well informed young man, from this instant, set our hero down as an arrant blockhead, and determined to have no further concern with him.

It is needless, as well as impossible, to enumerate one hundredth part of our hero's plans to raise himself to the rank of commander in chief, every one of which necessarily proved abortive. He had now sauntered away two years at Bombay, and reduced his finances from L3,000 to L100; longer delay would have been fatal; therefore he formed the virtuous resolution of ruin

ing the British government in India at one blow, and with this view arrived at Seringapatam, and offered his services to Tippoo Saib,_who was at this time introducing European military tactics into his army. Glad of such an acquisition, (for Billy blustered, and promised a hundred times more than the most skilful Generals could have performed,) Tippoo entered into terms with him.

The next day a regiment of infantry were drawn up, and Billy ordered to put them through the European exercise, in which they had already made considerable progress. Attention, bawled our hero. Very well, very well, by G-d. Unfix bayonets, the regiment remained motionless. Unfix bayonets. The regiment still remained motionless. Blst your souls, unfix bayonets. Here one of the officers reminded Billy that bayonets could not be unfixed before they were fixed. Very right, very right! Well, gentlemen, come to attention again. Shoulder arms. Vastly well done. Ramm down cartridge. Not a man stirred. Ramm down cartridge. Bl-st your eyes what do you mean. Here Billy was again reminded that they had no cartridge to ramm down. Very true! Well, gentlemen, come to the shoulder again. Present arms. Admirably done. Fire. Not a man stirred. Fire. Fire. All was motionless. Fire. D- -n your souls, why don't you Fire. Because they have not loaded, exclaimed Tippoo in a rage, informing our tactician that he had no farther occasion for his services.

Poor Billy had no alternative but to retrace his steps to Bombay, with hardly L.10 in his pocket. On his arrival here he entered on board an Indiaman bound to London, and worked his passage home as a common sailor. He at last reached his father's house after an absence

of