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nesday immediately after we had finished our dinner, to, or beyond, the hour of midnight;* it may be also taken into consideration, that in making my preliminary calls (as they may be styled) to the trade, I had not confined myself to the bounds of the city and suburbs, but had, accompanied by my friends, gone down the Clyde, on the afternoon of the Tuesday preceding the sale, in a steam boat, and made the circuit of waiting upon the gentlemen of the trade in GREENOCK; from thence we proceeded on the same business to those of PORT GLASGOW; and afterwards on that evening, went across the country by the way of Bishop Town, and paid our respects to the brethren at PAISLEY. So that, if there had not been a decent turn out, it must be evident that I had left no stone in these respects, unturned, in order to accomplish it; besides mentioning on the top of my list, that it comprehended "a number of scarce and valuable works, lately purchased from the stock of the deceased Mr Creech of Edinburgh,” which was the case, and would, most likely, contribute to augment the number of my purchasers in that city also.

It was, upon the whole, a laborious week, from the Monday morning on which I left Dunbar, until my return on the Saturday evening, and the recollection of which is not unattended by many pleasing reminiscences, that must have contributed a good deal to raise my spirits, as the journey itself, may have contributed to the restoration of my health, as it strikes me, that I came home in both respects better than I went away.

It is not, however, to be inferred, that I allowed myself a week's rest or respite after all this exertion ;-for the next Thursday saw me broiling with heat on the top of the coach on my way to Newcastle, under the warmest sun we had experienced for the season; in consequence of which, and the cold frosty night that succeeded, before I had arrived at my journey's end, or had yet passed the many tempting fires that blazed around, as if in mockery of my shudder

It may be mentioned for the information of those not connected with the book trade, that these WHOLESALE SALES are generally conducted over a glass of wine or toddy, as the taste of the individuals may run, after dinner; hence may be accounted for, the circumstance of such sales being usually held in taverns,

ing condition, I got such a cold, that it required weeks after my return on the Saturday, to get the better of.*

My journey to Newcastle was for a very different purpose than a Sale to the Trade. I had, before going westward to Glasgow, published what I may denominate my first canvassing catalogue; as, I think, I embraced the opportunity of being west on that journey, to get acquainted, and form a connexion, with my long trusty agent, P― C————, whom I may afterwards have occasion to notice; and it was, in pursuit of an agent in the opposite direction, of Newcastle, that I then took the journey, accompanied by a parcel of my general catalogues, in order that I might be the more ready to treat and proceed to business, with a person who resided in that district, and who was particularly recommended to me for the purpose. It was on this journey that a young gentleman, now one of our respectable merchants, and one of my many present respectable subscribers, may possibly recollect having seen me, as I was taking an early saunter, in order to witness some of the scenes of my juvenile days; (as I once resided, in acquiring my business, some time in Newcastle,) previous to proceeding to business, on the morning after I arrived.

By the first of October, I see by my retrospections, I had been enabled to make considerable progress in my new line, for I had, by that time, been sending out supplies to my agents, not only in our own more immediate neighbourhood, in both directions, east and west, but to Stirling, Dunfermline, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Newcastle-nay, I observe, one parcel had gone all the way to Thurso; from which, it appears, I had, by that date, proceeded to put the wheels in motion, in that particular line, upon a pretty extensive scale; and it must have been, under a somewhat promising prospect of success, from the circumstance of my having made some new contracts for a further supply of the needful articles.

* These tempting, but delusive fires, being at a too great distance to afford the cold passing traveller from the north to Newcastle any warmth, are neither more nor less, than the many heaps of burning coals that on a dark night are observed blazing all around the environs of Newcastle.

So far, then, things seem to have gone on in a prosperous, or rather a flourishing state, both in respect to my TRADE SALES, and GENERAL PUBLICATION BUSINESS ;-and the experience of my two DUNBAR WINTER SALES, which took place in November and December, gave me no reason to complain, but the contrary, in respect to the produce of that method of disposing of part of my now extensive stock ;-while the being able to complete my last periodical, the Monthly Monitor, at the time proposed, the middle of December, and to take my farewell of my subscribers in the manner I did, in the preface published in the number for that month, (in which, it will be observed, there is some allusion to, although no positive promise of, a Quarterly,) goes to shew, that, up to that time, things continued to move pretty smoothly on ;-if, indeed, the very circumstance of my having issued two additional pages, supplementary to my former publication listwhich I see I did of date December, 1815-does not bespeak, in that particular line, at least, rather a healthy and thriving state up to that date; or, as no day is mentioned, say, up to the time when the sun of 1815 was near its setting.

CHAPTER XIII.-1815 & 1816.

No pleasure without its alloy.-A little speck above the horizon formerly, now begins to assume a more formidable and terrific appearance. The year 1815 goes down in a manner very different from what I had anticipated. —An unhappy aggravation to my other calamities -Two causes that may well be defined as the BEGINNING of these, MY AFTER SORROWS. One of them, like the one formerly mentioned, must be passed over in silence.-The other described. An unexpected, and most unseasonable, demand from an old friend. -A suitable reply and remonstrance.-The mystery developed.-My friend in distress.-Too good reasons for my depression of spirits as the 45th year of my pilgrimage drew towards a close.—And for the unhappy right of transition that occurred betwixt the 13th and 14th January, 1816.-Cheerless and melancholy prospects, with which, my birth-day morning on this eventful year, was ushered in.-Allusion to an old custom, and extract from one of my retrospects.—Suitable reflections on the occasion of entering on the AFTER. NOON OF MY DAYS.-If human exertions could have commanded success, I must have looked forward with confidence to a different result.-Still my situation must have been much worse had I, at the time, been deprived of the consolations of religion.-The satisfaction arising from a consciousness of having done our duty.-In what manner and in what respects, I may be said to have endeavoured to do mine.-Night thoughts.-Little sleep.-Dr Young's "one solid pleasure" defined.-Matters do not seem to improve as I get time to compose and recover myself. My resolution, in consequence, to face the danger boldly, and instead of shrinking from, to endeavour to overcome it. How I commenced my operations for this purpose.

It has been often remarked, that there is no pleasure without its alloy; and on that account, I need not have been surprised at either the calamitous intelligence I received to vex me in the month of August, or another matter that gave me some uneasiness, at a later period, viz. the 8th of November following, although both happened at a time, or within the compass of a year, in which, things seem to have moved with me, upon the whole, in a rather joyful and prosperous

manner.

But as I got over the former, from a consideration of the hopelessness of the case, and the sad necessity there was, for submitting to what, on my part, could neither have been prevented or avoided. So the latter gave me no great con-, cern, and what I must have considered only a temporary

uneasiness, from the conviction that it would only put me a little about at the time. So that, by the middle of December, or the time to which I had brought up my narrative at the close of my last chapter; it is not likely I would experience any great anxiety on either of these accounts. On the 21st of the month, (December) I however received a letter, which made that of the 8th of November preceding, although it then appeared as only a small insignificant speck above the horizon, assume a more formidable aspect, and another of the 23d, which gave it a still more terrific shape, and which combined, would no doubt take away all appetite from me, for the approaching Christmas festivities, and make the year go down in a way very different from what I had so recently anticipated. While, before the remaining thirteen days of my forty-fifth year were allowed to pass over my head, I was doomed to experience such a dreadful shock to my feelings, in the afflictive scene I was obliged to witness, and to become in part an actor in, on that fearful Saturday night, the events of which will never be obliterated from memory; and which contributed, at the time, to make me hail the ensuing morning, though that of the anniversary of my birth, with fear and trembling, or, at least, with far other sentiments than those of joy.

Joy, indeed, with me ON THIS BIRTH DAY, was out of the question, and it was the more lamentable to think, that it was not only on the entry of a new year, but a new era, or period of my life ;-for my third period or NOON-TIDE of existence had now passed away, and on that dreadful night of transition, in which I was "scared with visions and terrified by dreams" of fearful import, I passed the boundary line, which limited, on that side, the AFTERNOON of my life!

As the two concurring causes which preyed so heavily upon me, as to produce such painful feelings, and such a restless and cheerless night at that time, may be said to have been THE BEGINNING OF THOSE SORROWS, that have conspired or contributed to bow me down to the dust, and to make me walk so mournfully along ever since, it may naturally be expected that I should, in this stage of my progress, give some account or explanation of them.

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