duced his utter ruin in his present situation.' Had Nelson, on landing from his boat, on that occasion, accomplished his ardent wishes, married the lady, and settled down in Quebec, his conduct would have amounted to desertion from the service, which, should his passion for nautical life have subsequently revived, would have placed an almost insurmountable obstacle between him and future employment in the British navy.

That Nelson had made a deep impression upon her heart may be inferred from several particulars. At that time Sir Frederick Haldimand was Governor at Quebec. His secretary and aid-de-camp, Major Matthews, was also a suitor for this lady's hand. After Nelson's departure, this officer renewed his attentions and pressed her to marry him. But she refused. Having been sought by a Post-Captain of the Royal Navy, she could not, she said, 'think of accepting any one belonging to the army whose rank was lower than that of Colonel.'

Shortly afterwards Governor Haldimand went home, accompanied by Major Matthews. In process of time the latter became a colonel, and was appointed Governor of Chelsea Hospital. Some years had elapsed, and Miss Simpson had attained the age of 26 or 27 years, remaining still unmarried. This fact being ascertained by Colonel Matthews, he again renewed his suit, and was finally accepted; and they became engaged.

Mr. James Thompson, Jun., furnishes the following particulars Colonel Matthews' appointment in the Horse Guards not admitting of his return to Canada, to fulfil his engagements to Miss Simpson, she went to join him, and they were married in London, from whence she, as well as the colonel, maintained a close correspondence the former, indeed, looked upon my father (Mr. James Thompson, Sen.) in the light of a parent.'

This then-Miss Mary Simpson

so far as we have yet proceeded with our evidence-was the young lady whose description tallies with the words of Nelson's biographers in connection with the incident that occurred on the beach at Quebec, ‘an amiable American lady, who was afterwards married and resided in London.'

We have before us a number of letters,* written by Col. and Mrs. Matthews. Her letters manifest the utmost kindness of heart, good sense, and mental cultivation. When Mr. Thompson's youngest son George was of age to profit by an admission into the Royal Academy of Woolwich, and knowing that it had always been the old man's earnest hope to procure it for one of his family, the Colonel made personal application to the great minister Pitt in his behalf. We have by us his original letter of application, in which he says under date Horse Guards, Nov. 26th, 1803, My Lord --Having no claim on your Lordship's attention, I feel much diffidence in taking this liberty, and have long hesitated to do it, yet my motives, I confidently hope, will excuse me. Consideration for and attachment to a very old and worthy servant of the Crown in your Lordship's department at Quebec, and who, at avery advanced period of life, is encumbered with a numerous family, one of whom, in his fifteenth year, has discovered a strong disposition for military science, in which he has received as much instruction as that country can afford, and his father's greatest ambition is that he should be admitted as a cadet at Woolwich. I should not think myself at liberty to obtrude this solicitation, were I not to add that Mr. Thompson is a relation of my wife, and as a mark of attachment to her,

*We cite from the correspondence of the Thompson family, kindly placed in the writer's hands by Mr. Jas. T. Harrower, grandson of Mr. Thompso sen. It affords information concerning the Colonel and his estimable lady and his family covering the period of from 1796 or 1797 to 1831, when Mrs. Matthews was still alive, although the Colonel had died some years before.

were I so fortunate as to obtain this favour, I would lose no time in getting his son over to this country and fitting him for the Academy

The application was transmitted to its destination through Mr. Thompson's old friend, Captain (now Colonel) Twiss, of the Quebec Royal Engineering department, and was successful, the willing compliance of the minister being couched in very handsome terms.' In his letter enclosing copies of his application, and of the Earl of Chatham's reply, the Colonel writes: All therefore that remains to be done, is to embrace the first favourable opportunity of sending your dear boy to the arms of your affectionately attached friend, Mrs. Matthews, who will open them wide to receive him, and be his adopted mother on this side of the Atlantic so long as he may have occasion for one; and for her sake, my dear sir, you must not deprive me of the willing share I am anxious to take in this interesting charge. I am desirous of leaving room for my dearest Mary to say something of herself, and I know that from your early and parental attachment to her, it will give you sincere pleasure to hear what she will not say. I have the happiness to tell you that she is as amiable as ever, and every day renders herself more dear to me. Much more I could say on this subject.

Accompanying the Colonel's letter, in fact, written on the same sheet, was one from Mrs. Matthews, which began:

'My dear friend, I would not deprive my Matthews of the pleasure of making the above communication to you himself, and as he has so fully expressed the sentiments of my heart towards our dear George, all I would repeat in this postscript is, that your dear boy shall be my adopted son on this side of the Atlantic, and that you and dear Mrs. Thompson may depend upon every affectionate attention paid him by my warm-hearted Matthews and myself, who are anxious to give

him an hearty welcome to Chelsea.

We cannot forbear from remarking here that the foregoing letters-indeed every one of the whole set of letters-present a picture of genuine domestic felicity, which could not have left in the mind of Mrs. Matthews any trace of regret that it had been her lot to wed Colonel Matthews instead of Captain Nelson, notwithstanding the vast renown acquired by the latter in after years. At the date when those two letters were penned, all London-we may say all Englandwas cognizant of the fact that Nelson's marriage with Mrs. Nesbit, of the West Indies, had proved an unhappy one, in spite of the favourable circumstances under which it had been contracted a few years after his meeting with Miss Simpson at Quebec. the world knows of the chief causes of that unhappiness, and that Lady Nelson, who was also warmly attached to her renowned husband, was not the occasion of their domestic misery. In fact, Nelson's naval fame, and his having become the idol of his countrymen, afforded her but small compensation for the lack of what every true woman cherishes most in her heart-happiness in her home and family.

All

As before remarked, a most affectionate correspondence was maintained during many years between the Thompson family at Quebec and the Matthewses at London, and the set includes not a few letters from young George Thompson while under the protection of the Colonel and his wife. In one, dated Nov. 5th, 1804, soon after his arrival in London, young Thompson, writing to his father, observes: Mrs. Matthews is truly a very amiable lady .' adding

further on, 'I have not the least recollection of Mrs. Matthews' The apparent forgetfulness arose, no doubt, from the circumstance that nine or ten years had elapsed between the time of Miss Simpson's departure from Que

bec, to join Colonel Matthews in England, and that of young George when he was about 15 years old.

The length to which this article has already extended precludes our adverting to many incidents noticed in the course of the correspondence, and tending to remove from the sphere of mere hypothesis the identification of Mrs. Matthews as being the very person who, in early life, had made so strong an impression on the heart of Nelson. We therefore pass on to what is, perhaps, the most important link in the chain of evidence-we ought, perhaps, rather to say the crowning testimony.

The decisive battle of Trafalgar, fought by the Spanish and French fleets on one side, and that commanded by Admiral Nelson on the other, occurred on the 20th of October, 1805. It was a bloody conflict, which cost England dear in the loss of thousands of brave officers and men, killed and wounded; and, above all, it gave occasion for all England to mourn the death, at the age of 47, of her greatest and most loved naval hero. To Nelson himself the time and manner of his end were just what he had frequently in his conversation and letters professed to court. He had often before expressed the desire to be in a position in which he could have full direction of the might and purse of England at sea, and to then show the world what he could do when not, as heretofore, acting under another admiral placed in supreme command over him. That the result justified his own anticipations and those of the friends who knew him best, is now matter of history. His body, carefully preserved, was brought home, and after the remains had received every honour and proof of affection and gratitude which it was possible for his countrymen to bestow, the funeral took place at St. Paul's Cathedral, London, on January 9th, 1806. The City was crowded with people, occupying the streets, windows and housetops, anxious to

view the passing by of the funeral cortege.

But there was one in whom the solemn occasion revived tender recollections of early life concerning the departed; one whose mind, reverting to her early acquaintance with him at Quebec, in 1782, was unable to look forth upon the pageant. This was Mrs. Matthews, formerly Miss Mary Simpson.

Instead of narrating the particulars we must allow herself, as it were, to speak. Her letter on the subject is dated January 9th, 1806, and we give the following extract from it verbatim: '. He (George Thompson)

has gone to witness the mournful spectacle of our deeply lamented hero, Lord Nelson's funeral. My M. (Matthews) procured a place for him in the window of a house at Charing Cross. The press of danger will be great, and the crowd and bustle of today will exceed everything that has occurred in this Isle before. Such a scene would be too much for my feelings, who mourns his immortal character not only as an irreparable national loss but as a friend of my early life, which renders it the more affecting to Matthews (who was also well acquainted with him) and me, and neither of us had fortitude enough to witness the melancholy sight-the most awful and dismal that ever caused the British heart to ache or tears to flow, and torrents, I am sure, are shedding at this instant. Human invention has been on the rack ever since our country's pride and favourite fell to suggest suitable honours and homage for this solemn occasion. The pomp and magnificence of the preparations can hardly be described, and will be a grand sight to those who can look at it

though the price so sadly grieves our hearts and makes us reflect upon the state of apprehension this country would be in at this dreadful period had it not been for the wonderful and glorious naval action in which our ever-to-be-regretted hero

MR.

CHAPTER II.

R. HETHCOTE looked at the address on the letter with an expression of surprise, which did not escape the notice of Amelius. 'Do you know Mr. Farnaby?' he asked.

'I have some acquaintance with him,' was the answer, given with a certain appearance of constraint.

Amelius went on eagerly with his questions. 'What sort of man is he? Do you think he will be prejudiced against me, because I have been brought up at Tadmor?'

'I must be a little better acquainted, Amelius, with you and Tadmor, before I can answer your question. Suppose you tell me how you became one of the Socialists, to begin with?'

I was only a little boy, Mr. Hethcote, at that time.'

Very good. Even little boys have memories. Is there any objection to your telling me what you can remember?'

'I

Amelius answered rather sadly, with his eyes bent on the deck. remember something happening which threw a gloom over us, at home in England. I heard that my mother was concerned in it. When I grew older, I never presumed to ask my father what it was; and he never offered to tell me. I only know this: that he forgave her some wrong she had done him, and let her go on living at home-and that relations and friends all blamed him, and fell away from him, from that time. Not long afterwards, while I was at school, my

mother died. I was sent for, to follow her funeral with my father. When we got back, and were alone together, he took me on his knee and kissed me. "Which will you do, Amelius," he said; "stay in England with your uncle and aunt, or come with me all the way to America, and never go back to England again? Take time to think of it." I wanted no time to think of it; I said "Go with you, papa." He frightened me by bursting out crying; it was the first time I had ever seen him in tears. I can understand it now. He had been cut to the heart, and had borne it like a martyr; and his boy was his one friend left. Well, by the end of the week we were on board the ship; and there we met a benevolent gentle man, with a long grey beard, who bade my father welcome, and presented me with a cake. In my ignorance, I thought he was the captain. Nothing of the sort. He was the first Socialist I had ever seen; and it was he who had persuaded my father to leave England.'

Mr. Hethcote's opinions of Socialists began to show themselves (a little sourly) in Mr. Hethcote's smile. 'And how did you get on with the benevolent gentleman?' he asked. After converting your father, did he convert you with the cake?'

Amelius smiled. Do him justice, sir; he didn't trust to the cake. He waited till we were in sight of the American land and then he preached me a little sermon, on our arrival, entirely for my own use.'

'A sermon?' Mr. Hethcote repeat