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ed to be despatched again, at no great distance of time, to the nearer neighbourhood of his former labours.*

Meantime, while my son was proceeding with his operations, assisted by the young man who had recently returned from the north, when he could be conveniently spared from the other concerns of winding up in the home districts, in which we found it necessary occasionally to employ him, the remittances from the north dwindled away into such mere nothings, as to induce me, once more, to despatch my former northern agent back to that quarter; or at least to the ground where the new managers were now employed, and so as to meet one of them at Inverness on the 2d December, in order to put things into a train of more speedy winding up, under his own particular superintendence.

And it was certainly full time that some prompt measure of the kind should be adopted, when the returns had arrived at such a pitch of depression as scarcely to pay expenses.

One mischief, however, often generates another, and the very circumstance that obliged us to dispense with T. C.'s services here at the time, viz., the nothingness of these northern returns, at the instant when I was still, or had lately been counting something upon them against the 4th of January, induced me to forward to a firm in Aberdeen, a pretty large supply of books, to be auctioned by them, in their own wareroom, on commission. But, although, to use the words of a friend, writing to me near the end of the year, the sending of these books helped to make "a hole in my stock this season." I had no great reason, in the end, as will be seen in my next chapter, to boast of this new Aberdeen adventure!

-auc

As the year drew towards a period, my son, I observe, who had arrived in course of his round, by the beginning of November, at Greenlaw, broke up from that place, after finishing his sale on the 4th,tioned at Litholm and Eccles on the 6th and 11th,-at Dunse, from the 13th to the 18th,-after which, and continuing most likely at home, dur. ing the Dunbar Fair week,-he appears to have made a trial at Innerwick and East Barns, and then had a few weeks' sale again at Dunbar, from the 9th to the 16th of December,-after this, we find him once more, with a sale at Dunse, commencing on the 19th, and likely continuing till he returned, at the end of the year, more especially, as the remittances then sent over, appear to have been pretty respectable, and advertised for a day's sale, for a limited time, at reduced prices, as well as for continuation by auction, in the evenings.

CHAPTER XXX.-1821.

A temporary glimpse of sunshine.-Old customs alluded to, and when, one of them was discontinued.-First Sunday of the year, family dinner -Circumstances that conspired, to render serene the morning of 1821.-The dependent man's best comfort.-Pleasing motto to my new retrospect.-Reflections of the author, when arrived at the MILE STONE of half a century.-Delusive prospects. A wide yawning chasm again opening to devour my happiness. Numerous evils, again mustering around me.-A most unhappy discovery at this particular period.-Intelligence at last arrives from Aberdeen.-But not such as I expected.-A comfortable breakfast, very uncomfortably put an end to. -New Spring auction campaigns.-More flowers, spring up in my path.-—-— Order for my Monthly Monitor, from Mr -, and kind letter from Mr Wilberforce. Pleasing materials for forming a nosegay of exquisite fragrance.-All necessary, to refresh, and fit me, against the approaching conflicts -Extensive auction routes in the north.-My northern agent receives his final instructions to come home-Sales at Berwick, &c. Bring out my improved edition of Tom Bragwell.-The wheels again put in motion, after the return of my northern agent.-Sales at Dunbar, and sales continued in different places of East Lothian, and Berwickshire.

ALTHOUGH I had certainly made a considerable ❝ hole in my stock," as my friend called it, and had succeeded in bringing my publication concern into a very narrow compass by what it once was, by the end of the year 1820, yet, I had not brought my labours, in regard to either the one or the other, to a completion. Still a good deal remained to be done in the one way, and a little rather troublesome and procrastinated business in the other;-but, upon the whole, I must have entered the year 1821, with my mind relieved from a considerable part of the pressure that had long borne upon it, as it would appear, I had also, at this time, got at least a transitory respite from those bodily ailments, which had, on such occasions of late, contributed their share to incapacitate me for social enjoyment.

It had long been my practice, not only to indulge myself with my solitary walk on NEW-YEAR'S DAY, and my family with a convivial meeting of friends on the NEW HANSEL MONDAY EVENING, (preferred, no doubt, to this honour among its neighbouring holidays, in consequence of its being the day

kept by my much venerated father, while he was spared to sojourn with us,)—but to make it a point, to have as many of my own family, as could conveniently attend, to sit down along with me, at our family dinner, on the FIRST SUNDAY OF THE

YEAR.

Although the merry meetings on Hansel Monday evening, may be said to have ceased with my more fortunate and better days; as I may now take the liberty to designate those happy years which had passed down the stream of time, previous to my having laid aside my silver headed cane, at the commencement of these dreadful struggles, which have followed so closely in the wake, of the great misfortune that befel me, in 1816*—yet, the more sober assemblings at my newyear's Sunday family dinners, were kept up, so long as I had influence enough to command them, and from certain reminiscences connected with it, I think, that I appeared at the board in pretty good health and spirits on the present occasion.

There are two things, indeed, that must have contributed much to make me enter this year with comparative serenity. One of my sons, had been honoured by his worthy master, on the expiry of his apprenticeship towards the end of the year, by having a party at dinner along with him on the occasion, in his own house, at which, I recollect, 'myself, my son W. and our much esteemed friend Mr G. were present ;-while the other, the youngest, although his indenture had not yet expired, had been removed to a little distance, and put into a more confidential situation, under his old master.

And let not grandeur smile, at what it may be pleased to designate "these homely joys,"-and, to it, uninteresting statements,—in the "simple annals of the poor;"-for, the well-being, and well-doing, of children, are the dependent

* My silver headed cane, was but a small luxury, but it seems to have been the height of my ambition, to display it on Sundays, on my journeyings, to, and from the church, previous to my great misfortune, in 1816. Since that period, it has been laid aside, nor do I recollect either where it is, or when I last laid my hands on it. The small establishment of a silver headed cane, was indeed, easily laid aside, and so far as it only was concerned, I had truly but small cause to regret, that my case should have afforded an opportunity of proving the truth of the proverb, "HE THAT IS LOW NEED FEAR NO FALL."

man's best comfort, and greatest treasure;-and, oh! that this truth were more cherished and attended to by those who have parents' eyes to witness-parents' ears to hear of,-and parents' hearts to bleed, in witnessing, and hearing of, their transgressions!

Be this as it may, I must have been in a happy mood, and contented and cheerful frame of mind, when, on my birthday this year, the 14th January, I committed my Annual Retrospect to paper, under the cheering motto of " the prospect of hope," as will appear from the following extract :

"As the weary and almost worn-out traveller, after he has escaped many a danger-after he has endured many a hard and painful toil-after he has surmounted many an almost insurmountable obstacle-when he, at last, finds himself on the top of some fair eminence, from which he beholds his future progress, if not entirely divested of intervening obstacles, yet plain and easy, in comparison with that which he has already passed, and presenting nothing very formidable to damp his hopes of being ultimately able, with a little more exertion, to reach the destined goal of his journey, imbibes new spirits from the prospect, and catches, as it were, new energy from the view; -so I, a weary, and almost worn-out pilgrim, in the journey of life, am at last, when arrived at THE MILE-STONE OF HALF A CENTURY,* indulged, by the blessing of a kind Providence, with such a view of future prospects, as, after the troubles I have undergone of late years, cannot fail to calm the soul, and impart new energy to the mind."

Alas! little did I think, that, at the very time I was indulging myself in these fond, but delusive, "prospects of hope," a wide yawning chasm was already opening its insatiable jaws, to swallow up my future peace of mind, with all my visionary delineations of fancied happiness !—That, a new source of poignant and protracted suffering was now in the act of developing, or was about to develope itself, in such a form as was not much longer to be mistaken;-while numerous evils of a lesser nature, but sufficiently calamitous in

* Born January 14, 1771,-January 14, 1821,-Aged, 50.

their way, were, I too soon found, mustering around, to ha rass me in my progress, and convince me, in language that could not be misunderstood, that "the prospect of hope" I had been so happily indulging in, and so fondly cherishing, was, at best, deceitful and fallacious-and that, I had indeed yet much to endure,-much to suffer, in the journey of life.

In regard to the greater evil,-nature,—and inclination,and pity,―all conspire to require me to draw a veil over it; although, in respect to the others, it may be considered in the light of Aaron's rod, and as, swallowing them all up in magnitude and importance.

Of the latter description, I may, however, reckon the tantalizing business, occasioned by the yet slow progress made in the winding up of my publication concerns in the north, now that the last of my instalments had become due; and the circumstance, that no remittance had been received from Aberdeen, in time for being available for that purpose, at the time they were so.

Towards the end of January, I, however, got the remittance of two bills, at different, but short dates, from that quarter, which although behind hand for one purpose, would still be in good time for others;-and it was a great consolation for me to think, that that remittance, was promised to be followed by another, so soon as more, or the whole sales, had been effected.

By this time, however, a new source of annoyance, or of vexatious import, made its appearance-by the publication in London, under a fictitious name of the very work, with a very slight alteration, that I had been so long, fondly contemplating, the publication of myself in an improved form, in the hopes that, with the recommendation, I thought I might now count upon procuring, it might one day be of use in the way of, bettering my now so greatly fallen fortunes; although, the necessity laid upon me for other exertions, such as I have been detailing to my readers, had not previously left me, (as may be easily imagined) sufficient leisure, for the purpose.

And it was the more provoking, that this discovery should have been made, at the particular time, when, having cleared

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