babes. Saving this thought, I have no consolation this side eternity. With this legacy we began business anew, and thought fortune had once more smiled upon us, I bought a house and in addition to being a grazier, I became a flour contractor. For this purpose, it was necessary to make alterations, and some considerable additions to my premises; as I intended to have a considerable quantity of flour and corn, on hand, ready for disposal. "I had every hope at this time, of succeeding in my undertaking, for all things promised well; but I soon found an enemy, and he has caused my overthrow. It was necessary, to command the use of more capital than I possessed, to mortgage my freehold property, which I did to a considerable amount; and thereby put myself into possession of the ready money I wanted. I wanted. But this was not the cause of my being here now; I cannot deny that it might be the instrument, but, it was not the cause. “About this time, I had entered into a bargain, for the building of a new wing to my house; and had agreed upon the sum of two hundred pounds as the price of it; and for this sum, the whole was to be finished in six months. However, the builder did not keep his word, nor do I believe he ever intended to do so; and I had to wait twelve months for the store room I had wanted for my use, before it was com pleted. This proved of serious consequence to me, for having undertaken contracts for which I was then quite unprepared, and the price of corn rising at the time, in direct opposition to me, I became a great loser in the three months that followed; so much so, that I think a thousand pounds, would have barely set me to rights again. "In this strait, I beheld my difficulties to be very great, but still hoped I should surmount them. In the mean time, my builder had demanded some money on account of his contract, several times; but I had declined giving him any, alleging as a reason, he had by the length of time, the undertaking had been in hand, almost ruined me. In opposition to this, he boasted that no written contract had been entered into between us; nor had I a witness to prove it, which was but too true. He moreover, had the baseness, when the work was completed, to send me an account for the building, amounting to more than four hundred pounds, and for this, he required prompt payment. "In this state of things, I knew not what to do, to have impreached him for his dishonesty, would have been fruitless; and to have entertained one thought of avoiding my creditors, would have been nonsense. I therefore called them together, and represented my state of affairs: when they generously agreed, my engagements, with them, should be protracted for four months beyond the time they each became due. True, among them the builder did not appear, but at the moment, myself, and the remainder of my creditors, fully expected he would raise no greater scruples than they had done. "But matters did not long rest thus. In a few weeks, the builder came with his solicitor; and by urgent requests, got me to assign the building, he had just finished, into his hands, as a security for the debt. "The whole of my freehold property was then in other hands, although it was not known to any of my creditors, that I had mortgaged the first part of it. I then looked forward for brighter days, but all my efforts were useless, and all my credit was at an end. My designing foe, had no sooner secured to himself my best property-which should in justice to their forbearance, have been equally divided among all my creditors-than he informed them, that my actions assumed an appearance of swindling; and they accordingly came upon me, with one accord. I had now no defence for my conduct, save the bare truth; but this was very unsatisfactory to them, and in a few days, I found myself stripped of home, wife, children, and every comfort I possessed in the world, and in the cold dungeon of a prison ! "Oh! my poor wife my dear children! never shall I see you again; but God will protect you, and I hope he will me! I am not dishonest in my heart, gentlemen, but I have been hardly dealt by; I am here you see to he transported for fourteen years— an old man too-Oh! I shall never see my dear family again!"—and a flood of tears, rolled down his pale thin cheeks; but presently he was calm. "Then you were tried, for attempting to defraud your creditors, were you?" I asked of him. He bowed his head. "But what evidence, my friend, did they produce against you?" "The builder," he replied, "his solicitor, and the mortgage deed of my house!" "Could you not prove, that you had no such dishonest intentions towards them ?" I asked of him. "Yes-my poor wife-" he sobbed. "Ah!" I replied, to those standing around, "She could not be admitted as evidence for him." And seeing his feelings were quite overcome, we withdrew a little distance from him, and paced the deck of the vessel; many of his auditors deeply wondering at his singular condition. But I have reason to believe, that, in the present constituted law of this country; his is not a solitary case. On the contrary, whilst the daring speculator robs with impunity, from all with whom he has connexions; and lives unharmed in open day, upon his hoards of ill-gotten wealth; the poor, but honest hearted tradesman, is often made the dupe of chicanery and false practices; but "Vengeance is mine, and I will repay; saith the Lord." MELANCHOLY. A SOLEMN thought sits brooding o'er my mind- No sound is near, save rustling in the wind, And yon sky's glory hath no rival beam, Yet, O! I love this thought, and all that dwells |