not only denied him, but he was without food to set before his children. The father wept, and his spirit heaved with anguish. Grizel beheld his tears, and she knew the cause. She spoke not; but, hastening to her little cabinet, she took from it a pair of jeweled bracelets, and, wrapping herself up in a cloak, she took a basket under her arm, and hurried to the street. The gentle being glided along the streets of Utrecht, with her eyes fixed upon the ground, and shunning the glance of the passengers, as if each knew her errand. She stood before a shop in which all manner of merchandize was exposed, and three golden balls were suspended over the door. She cast a timid glance into the shop-thrice she passed and repassed it, and repeated the timid glance. She entered-she placed the bracelets upon the counter. "How much?" was the laconic question of the shopman. Grizel burst into tears. He handed her a sum of money across the counter, and deposited the bracelets in his desk. She bounded from the shop with a heart and a step light as a young bird in its first pride of plumage. She hastened home with her basket well filled. She placed it upon the table. Lady Polwarth wept, and fell upon her daughter's neck. "Where have you been, Grizel?" faltered her father. "Purchasing provisions for a bauble," said she; and the smile and the tear were seen on her cheek together. But many were the visits which the gentle Grizel had to pay to the Golden Balls, while one piece of plate was pledged after another, that her father, and her mother, and her brethren, might eat and not die; and even then, the table of Sir Patrick, humble as it was, and uncertainly provided for, was open to the needy of his countrymen. Thus three years passed-the memorable 1668 arrived. Sir Patrick was the friend, the counsellor, and supporter of King William-he arrived with him in England-he shared in his triumph. He was created Lord Polwarth, and appointed sheriff of Berwickshire; and, in 1696, though not a lawyer, but an upright man, he was made Lord Chancellor of Scotland, and created earl of Marchmont, and lord of Polwarth, Redbraes, and Greenlaw. He was one of the most ardent promoters of the Union, and with it ceased his political career. In 1710, when the Tories came into power, the earl being the staunchest whig in Scotland, he was deprived of the office of sheriff of Berwickshire, but was re-instated in 1715. His lady being dead, he came to take up his residence in Berwick-upon-Tweed; and there, when the heroic Grizel, who was now a wife and a mother, (being married to the son of his unfortunate friend, Mr. Bailie of Jerviswoode,) came with her children and friends to visit him for the last time, as they danced in the hall, though unable to walk, he desired to be carried into the midst of them, and beating time with his foot, "See, Grizel!" exclaimed the old patriot, "though your father is unable to dance, he can still beat time with his foot." master of ceremonies called at my house, and went with me to the secretary of state's office, in Cleaveland row, where the Marquis of Carmarthen received me, and introduced me to Mr. Frazier, his under secretary, who had been, as his lordship said, uninterruptedly in that office, through all the changes in administration for thirty years, having first been appointed by the Earl of Holderness. After a short conversation upon the subject of importing my effects from Holland, which Mr. Frazier himself introduced, Lord Carmarthen invited me to go with him in his coach to court. When we arrived in the ante-chamber, the master of the ceremonies introduced him and attended me while the secretary of state went to take the commands of the king. While I stood in this place, where it seems all ministers stand upon such occasions, always attended by the master of ceremonies, the room was very full of ministers of state, bishops and all other sorts of courtiers, as well as the next room, which is the king's bed-chamber. You may well suppose I was the focus of all eyes. I was relieved, however, from the embarrassment of it, by the Swedish and Dutch ministers, who came to me and entertained me with a very agreeable conversation during the whole time. Some other gentlemen whom I had seen before, came to make their compliments too, until the Marquis of Carmarthen returned, and desired me to go with him to his majesty. I went with his lordship through the levee room into the king's closet. The door was shut, and I was left with his majesty and the secretary of state alone. I made the three reverences; one at the door; another about half way, and another before the presence-according to the usage established at this, and all the northern courts of Europe-and then I addressed myself to his majesty in the following words: "Sire: The United States have appointed me Minister Plenipotentiary to your majesty, and have directed me to deliver to your majesty this letter, which contains the evidence of it. It is in obedience to their express commands, that I have the honor to assure your majesty of their unanimous disposition and desire to cultivate the most friendly and liberal intercourse between your majesty's subjects and their citizens, and of their best wishes for your majesty's health and happiness, and for that of your family. "The appointment of a Minister from the United States to your majesty's court, will form an epoch in the history of England and America. I think myself more fortunate than all my fellow citizens, in having the distinguished honor to be the first to stand in your majesty's royal presence in a diplomatic character; and I shall esteem myself the happiest of men if I can be instrumental in recommending my country more and more to your majesty's royal benevolence, and of restoring an entire esteem, confidence, and affection; or, in better words, "the old good nature and the good old humor, between people, who, though separated by an ocean, and under different governments, have the same language, a similar religion, a kindred blood. Shortly after this, he died in Berwick, on the 1st of August, 1724, in the eighty-third year of his age, leaving behind him an example of piety, courage, and pat-I beg your majesty's permission to add, that although riotism, worthy the imitation of posterity. FIRST MINISTER FROM THE UNITED STATES TO GREAT BRITAIN. THE following narrative will be interesting to those of our readers who have not met with it. The intro duction of the first minister from the rebel colonies to the court of the mother country was a scene worth a voyage across the Atlantic to witness. In June, 1785, John Adams, the first Minister Plenipotentiary from the United States to the court of London, had his introductory audience with King George the Third. An event so extraordinary with circumstances so novel to us in America, led Mr. Adams to narrate the particulars, in a letter to an intimate friend, which was kept private till after his death. It was thus: "At one o'clock on Wednesday, 1st of June, the I have sometimes before been instructed by my country, it was never in my whole life in a manner so agreeable to myself.' "The king listened to every word I said, with dignity it is true, but with apparent emotion. Whether it was my visible agitation, for I felt more than I could express, that touched him, I cannot say; but he was much affected, and answered me with more tremor than I had spoken with, and said: 666 Sir: The circumstances of this audience are so extraordinary, the language you have now held is so extremely proper, and the feelings you have discovered so justly adapted to the occasion, that I must say, that I not only receive with pleasure the assurance of the friendly disposition of the United States, but that I am glad the choice has fallen upon you to be their minister. I wish you, sir, to believe, and that it may be understood in America, that I have done nothing in the late contest but what I thought myself indispensably bound to do, by the duty which I owed to my people. I will be frank with you. I was the last to conform to the separation; but the separation having been made, and having become inevitable, I have always said as I now 336 ROMANCE OF REAL LIFE.-JEWISH SUPERSTITION. say, that I would be the first to meet the friendship of the wreck, and he was concluded to be lost; but he the United States as an independent power. The mo- soon re-appeared, bearing in his arms a sailor who had ment I see such sentiments and language as yours been thrown from the ship: he brought him on shore prevail, and a disposition to give this country the pre-motionless and almost lifeless. At length, after a great ference, that moment I shall say-let the circumstances number of vain attempts, he succeeded in conveying of language, religion, and blood have their natural and the rope to the vessel, and those of the crew who had full effect. strength enough remaining, tying it round them, they were dragged on shore. Boussard thought he had saved every soul on board. Exhausted with fatigue, bruised and battered with the blows and shocks he had received, he reached his home with difficulty, and there fell down in a swoon. He was just brought to himself, having discharged a vast quantity of sea-water, and was recovering his spirits, when he was told that a groaning was still heard on board the wreck. The moment he learned this, he seemed inspired with new strength, and breaking away from those who were about him, ran to the shore, got on board, and was fortunate enough to save one of the passengers, who, from weakness, had not been able to avail himself of the assistance given to his companions. Of ten men who had been in the ship, only two perished, and their bodies were found next day. On this occasion, the following letter was writen by M. Necker to Boussard, agreeably to the order of Louis XVI: "I dare not say that these were the king's precise words; and it is even possible that I may have, in some particulars, mistaken his meaning, for although his pronunciation is as distinct as I ever heard, he hesitated sometimes between members of the same period. He was, indeed, much affected, and I was not less so, and therefore I cannot be certain that I was so attentive, heard so clearly, and understood so perfectly, as to be confident of all his words, or sense; and think that all which he said to me should, at present, be kept secret in America, except his majesty or his secretary of state should judge proper to report it. This I do say, that the foregoing is his majesty's meaning, as I then understood it, and his own words, as nearly as I can recollect them. "BRAVE MAN-I did not know, till yesterday, by means of "The king then asked me whether I came last from France, and upon my answering in the affirmative, he put on an air of familiarity, and smiling, or rather laughing, said, "There is an opinion among some people that you are not the most attached of all your the Intendent, the courageous action you performed upon the countrymen to the manners of France." I was sur-thirty-first of August. I gave an account of it to the king, who prised at this, because I thought it an indiscretion, and has ordered me to express his high satisfaction, and to announce a descent from his dignity. I was a little embarrassed, to you on his part, that he makes you a present of a thousand but determined not to deny the truth on the one hand, livres. I write with orders to this effect to the Intendent. nor lead him to infer from it any attachment to Eng; for your king, who loves brave men, and delights to reward Continue to succor others when you can, and put up prayers land on the other. I threw off as much gravity as I (Signed.) could, and assumed an air of gaiety, and a tone of decision, as far as was decent, and said, "That opinion, sir, is not mistaken, I must avow to your majesty, have no attachment but to my own country." The king replied as quick as lightning, 'An honest man will never have any other.' "The king than said a word or two to the secretary of state, which being between them I did not hear, and then turned round and bowed to me, as is customary with all kings and princes when they give the signal to retire. I retreated, stepping backward, as is the etiquette; and making my last reverence at the door of the chamber, I went away. The master of the ceremonies joined me at the moment of my coming out of the king's closet and accompanied me through all the apartments down to my carriage." ROMANCE OF REAL LIFE. On the 31st of August, 1778, says Baron Grim, at nine in the evening, a ship for Rochelle, carrying a crew of eight men, with two passengers, approached the head of the pier at Dieppe. The wind was so impetuous, that a coasting pilot endeavored in vain four times, to go out, and direct its entrance into the port. Boussard, another pilot, perceiving that a pilot of the ship made a manovre, which placed it in great danger, endeavored to guide it, by means of the speaking trumpet, and by signals, but the darkness of the night, the roaring of the winds, the noise of the waves, and the great agitating of the sea, prevented the captain's hearing or seeing anything, and the vessel, running upon a rock, was wrecked about thirty fathoms above the pier. Boussard, hearing the cries of the unfortunate crew, who were in the utmost danger of perishing, in spite of all the representations made to him of the impossibility of giving them assistance, resolved to make an effort to save them, and ordered his wife and children, who tried to prevent him, to be carried away. He tied one end of a rope fast to the pier, and girding the other around his waist, thew himself into the midst of the furious waves, to carry the rope to the vessel, by means of which, the people might be towed on shore. He approached the ship, but was thrown back again to the shore, by the mighty force of the waters. Many times was he thus repulsed, and rolled with violence along the shore, while he was surrounded by broken relics of the ship, which was going to pieces very fast. His ardor was not diminished; a wave carried him under them! "NECKER, Director General of the Finances. The courageous pilot received the letter, and the reward which accompanied it, with the utmost gratitude, first of August should have made so much noise, since only expressing surprise, that his action of the thirtywithout ever thinking of any reward, or receiving any. he had shown the same zeal on many other occasions, After paying his debts, and buying new clothes for his wife and children, (a thing which he had rarely been able to do before.) he asked permission of the intendent to go to Paris, and thank M. Necker, and see, if possible, the young king who "loved brave men, and delighted to reward them." He went to Paris in the sailor's dress which he had formerly bought for his wedding. Some one having asked him what could have inspired him with an intrepidity so rare, he answered in these remarkable words: "Humanity, and the death of my father. He was drowned: I was not in the way to save him, and I swore from that moment to devote myself to the rescue of all whom I might besublime homage, offered to filial piety? hold in danger at sea." Was ever a more pure, a more JEWISH SUPERSTITION. WHEN a man dies, they believe that the devil stands in ambush before the house in order to get possession of the corpse on its way to its last abode. As the rabbis, however, surround it all the way to interment, his infernal majesty is cowed by their presence; but still he follows the procession, in hopes of finding some favorable opportunity, or of slipping into the grave along with the defunct. When the body, therefore, is near the opened grave, the bearers suddenly retreat with it to a certain distance, and a rabbi attending them throws some gold pleces as far as he can in different directions. The devil, who is by this time either in the grave or near it, is tempted by his avarice to go and pick up the money; and while he is thus employed, the corpse is hurried back to the tomb and earth thrown over it One day that I had talked about this custom to a Moor, who has a bigoted hatred to the poor Isralites, I asked him if it was not unlike a Jew to throw away his money? "Ah, yes," said he: "but it is very like a Jew to cheat the devil." In the burials of femals this scattering of money is never practiced: Satan, it is alleged, has troubles enough upon his hands to wish quitting hold of a woman. |
