estate, in a word, most tyrannically used; and, as having in consequence resolved to abandon his country, and to make the King of France the first offer of his services and acquisitions, if his enterprise, from which he confidently expected great results, should succeed. The ambassador, we are told, did not anticipate much from it; but he made a courteous reply, assuring Raleigh of a favourable reception from his master, and encouraging him to place himself at his disposal. For the present, however, this is all referred generally to such parts of America, as were unappropriated by other states; and conferred on him the power to search for all such articles and commodities therein, as might be serviceable to commerce. The silence as regards Guiana was probably considered necessary to clear the Government, in the event of Raleigh's invasion of any part of it, where the Spaniards might have settled. It is true, he bound himself to abstain from hostile inroads on the Spanish settlements; and in letters to the king, he indicated the particular quarter in which he in-between Raleigh and the ambassador. tended to open a gold mine, and ex- The time for sailing comes, and the plained the entire route he meant to fleet rides prosperously out of port. take; but still there were doubts about There were various delays and disasters his ultimate designs, and even a latent on the voyage, but about the middle of apprehension that he might be contem- November, the coast of Guiana was in plating some piratical adventure. Whe- sight. Raleigh, unhappily, was now too ther to spite Raleigh, or to conciliate unwell to ascend the Orinoco, and was the Spanish Government, James re- obliged to appoint some one in his place vealed the whole scheme and enter- to conduct the exploring party. Who, prise to the King of Spain; and thus, seemingly, could be better than Captain as Raleigh afterwards complained, the Keymis, who had visited the country Spaniards were enabled materially to before, and represented himself to be obstruct his progress. well acquainted with the situation of the mine? He, accordingly, proceeded with five companies of soldiers (250 altogether) to search for the spot in question. The navigation into the interior occupied a month; and on disembarking near St. Thomas, a small town erected by the Spaniards, the exploring party fell in with an adventure. The rumour of gold mines being always an allurement, Raleigh found no difficulty in getting together a sufficient body of associates. In the course of a few months, he was in a condition to sail with a fleet of not less than thirteen vessels, some of them of considerable size, and all carrying a proportionable number of cannon. His excuse for being so strongly armed, was the necessity of being prepared for defence against any chance assailants-an excuse which appears to have been generally recognized as appropriate and sufficient. The assembling of such a fleet, under so renowned a commander, and for purposes so uncommon, did not, however, fail to excite a great deal of curiosity. Amongst others, it was visited by all the ambassadors, then resident at the British court. Raleigh's own ship, the Destiny, particularly engaged the attention of the foreign ministers. One foreign minister, the French ambassador, seems to have had interviews with Raleigh, on board this vessel, of a secret and important nature, which must be regarded as sadly affecting Sir Walter's patriotism and honour. The ambassador, in his despatches, describes Raleigh as being in the highest degree discontented; as representing himself to have been unjustly imprisoned, and stripped of his By some sort of accident or misunderstanding, or, perhaps, by intentional arrangement, our exploring party were induced to make an attack upon St. Thomas, in which conflict the governor was killed, and likewise, on the other side, Raleigh's eldest son; and the Spaniards having retreated and been pursued into the town, there took occasion to defend themselves by firing from the windows, and thereby so exasperated the English that they set fire to the place, and left it a perfect ruin. This done, Keymis, with a small party of gentlemen and soldiers, dashed forwards into the country to find out the "mine," which the leader represented as being situated at no great distance. They beat about for twenty days without result; being meanwhile frequently fired upon from the woods, and suffering considerable loss. Keymis, at last, thought proper to give up the search, and fell back with his party upon St. Thomas; whence the whole body shortly returned to Trinidad, where their disappointed commander, still unwell, was lying at anchor. Those who have most closely investigated the documents which form the groundwork of Raleigh's History, are decidedly of opinion that his main purpose in proceeding to Guiana was, not to discover gold mines, but to plant a colony in the neighbourhood of the Spanish settlements. The reception he had experienced from the natives satisfied him that they would cordially support him in his scheme. It is said, he lived so much in their remembrance, that, as he told his wife, he might have been "a king amongst them." And it seems clear enough," says Napier, "that he indulged in the hope of being yet able to return and avail himself of their good-will; but the destruction of St. Thomas, and the occurrences that forced him back to England, made the scaffold the termination of his ill-fated career: It is admitted in the Spanish accounts of the attack on that place, that the firing commenced upon their side, but this was because the advance of the English left no doubt of their hostile intentions. There can be no question | that its capture was, from the first, resolved upon." In proof of this, Mr. Napier has printed a hitherto unpublished letter, wherein it is shown that the English party disembarked expressly with that object. he at once set sail for Newfoundland, In July, 1618, after being about a On rejoining his commander, Keymis, unable to bear the reproaches with which he was received, and feeling likewise that he had been the immediate cause of the failure, which would now undoubtedly involve Raleigh in certain to him. ruin, took the thing seriously to heart, passed a few days in sullen abstraction, | year from England, Raleigh returned to and then destroyed himself. As to Sir Walter, he, in one of his letters written at this time, observes, that "God had given him a strong heart." And truly enough he had now need of all its strength. Trying must have been the hour in which he contemplated the total failure of his enterprise, and had to mourn besides over the death of his son, and lament the loss of one of his most faithful followers. Great, too, and angry were the complaints of those who had been longing for the gold mines; the most worthless being, as he testified, the most clamorous, and the surest to injure him on their return to England. Still he had spirit enough left for further action. Though weak from illness, Plymouth. What opinions were current respecting his proceedings there is now no means of knowing; though it is certain that the expedition itself had attracted considerable notice, both abroad and at home. The most that is apparent from contemporary documents is, that Raleigh's return, unpardoned as he was, occasioned great and general surprise; and his former representations, as regards the mine, were now looked upon as a lure thrown out to draw adventurers to Guiana for colonizing purposes. On arriving at Plymouth, Raleigh learned that a royal proclamation had been issued, strongly condemning his conduct in regard to the attack upon St. Thomas, and call ing upon all who could give any information upon the subject to repair to the privy council; and soon after landing he was put under arrest by Sir Lewis Stukely, vice-admiral of Devonshire, to whom a warrant for that purpose had been entrusted. He had previously gone on board a vessel with the view of escaping to France; but, owing to some unexplained and unaccountable emotion, he returned without making the attempt. Not long afterwards, he was re-committed to the Tower. At this time there was pending the negociation for the match between Prince Charles and the Infanta of Spain; and as Raleigh had made himself particularly obnoxious to the rulers of that country, his life was demanded by them as one of the conditions of their assent to the match. The demand was readily complied with; but the novelty, and the extraordinary circumstances of the case, occasioned much difficulty among the lawyers as to the proper course of proceeding. Being under an unpardoned sentence for treason, it was held that Raleigh must be considered as civilly dead, and therefore not triable for any new offence. Had he previously been pardoned, he might have been brought to trial for the attack upon St. Thomas, and the consequent violation of international law; but since James, with his precious cunning and kingeraft, had provided against the chance of that, there seemed no course open but to fall back upon the old sentence, which, for upwards of fourteen years, had been left unexecuted. One of the most revolting acts that ever stained the records of British criminal procedure was thus perpetrated, and, as an appropriate consequence, the memory of James I. rendered odious to all posterity. Without doubt, Raleigh was sacrificed by the crafty monarch, to gratify the resentment, and to appease the fears of the ancient enemy of his country. "Surely," says Mr. Napier, "if aught done against his own and his people's honour can consign the memory of a ruler to lasting reprobation, the following admission ought so to dispose of that of James: 'Let them know,' says one of the despatches written to the British ambassador in Spain, 'let them know how able a man Sir Walter Raleigh was to have done his majesty service, if he should have been pleased to employ him; yet, to give them content, he hath not spared him, when, by preserving him, he might have given great satisfaction to his subjects, and had at his command as useful a man as served any prince in Christendom.' In execution of the antiquated sentence under which he had been originally condemned, Raleigh was beheaded on the 29th October, 1618. His behaviour on the scaffold was firm and calm, and kindled the deepest emotions of pity, wonder, and admiration in the spectators. After addressing the people in justification of his character and conduct, he took up the axe, and observed to the sheriff, "this is a sharp medicine, but a sound cure for all diseases." Having tried how the block fitted his head, he told the executioner that he would give the signal by lifting up his hand; "and then," added he, "fear not, but strike home!" He then laid himself down, but was requested by the executioner to alter the position of his head: "So the heart be right," said he, "it is no matter which way the head lies." On the signal being given, the executioner hesitated, whereupon Raleigh exclaimed, Why dost thou not strike? Strike man!" By two strokes, which he received without shrinking, his head fell; and thus the brave Sir Walter passed out of the world. After his death were found these verses, written the night before: 66 "Even such is Time, that takes on trust There are no details to supply a delineation of Raleigh's daily and familiar life. Of his personal appearance, however, we have some account preserved by individuals who knew him well. Sir Robert Naunton tells us that he had, in the outward man, a good presence, in a handsome and well-compacted person;" and Aubrey adds, that, 'besides being tall and handsome, he had a most remarkable aspect, an exceedingly high forehead, long face, and sour eyelids." He was apt to be magnificent in dress, and used to ride abroad with Queen Elizabeth in silver armour. One of his portraits, mentioned by Aubrey, represents him "in a white satin doublet, all embroidered with rich pearls, and a mighty rich chain of great pearls about his neck." was a gift to be expected in him, and the stories of his personal influence in His mental qualities were of the kind debate and conversation may all be which fit men equally for speculation readily credited. He had the most fasand for action; and so expert and ready cinating powers of elocution, albeit, as was he in whatsoever he undertook, Sir Thomas Mallet informed Aubrey, that, as Fuller observes, he always "he spoke broad Devonshire to his seemed to have been "born to that only dying day." A vigorous, most brilwhich he was about." His intellect liant, and highly accomplished person, had both strength and versatility; he he has always been a figure in history, was alike great in meditation and in much admired by mankind, notwithpractical activity; and with a fine phi- standing his many meannesses and losophical and reflective power he com- imperfections; and being sacrificed, as bined a rich poetical imagination. "He he was, to the dastardly policy and can toil terribly," said Cecil; and, as caprice of a heartless and pusillanimous we have seen, he represented himself as prince, his name has come down to us possessing an exceedingly strong with a "halo of literary and martyrheart." The "bold and plausible like glory," which it will probably tongue," which Naunton says he had, retain to a remote posterity. 66 JOHN B. GOUGH. A FEW days ago, as we were turning | over some memoirs on the history of the seventeenth century in France, a fact struck us which we had not noticed before. It is well known that the mania for duelling had reached in those days such an extraordinary pitch, that gentlemen would send out challenges to one another, merely, as it would seem, for the purpose of keeping themselves in practice. Cardinal Richelieu was obliged to issue the most stringent laws against this barbarous custom; and it became a capital offence to act either as principal or as second in a duel. But efficacious as the minister's measures proved, it may be questioned whether they did as much towards the suppression of single combats, as an association which was organized at court for the same object. A number of gentlemen, amongst whom the Marquis de Fénélon stood especially conspicuous, took a pledge, never to countenance, in any way, the horrid usage of settling "affairs of honour" by the edge of the sword; and as no one could fasten upon them the epithet coward, their influence was extremely beneficial. The temperance movement presents an exactly parallel case to that first society for the suppression of duels; as, under the reign of Louis XIV., the reformation was advocated by those for whom the temptation had been the stronger: so our total abstainers of the present day are the very men whose home was till lately the gin-shop and the “public.” These few preliminary remarks are the natural introduction to the bio graphy of a person like Mr. Gough; and we may add, that apart from any consideration arising out of the progress of teetotalism, the history of his life is a page which none can read without profit. Our endeavour will be to let him, as much as possible, speak for himself; the plaudite cives must be suggested by the facts alone. 66 "I was born," says our hero, on the 22nd August, 1817, at a romantic little watering-place, named Sandgate, in the county of Kent, England; my father had been a soldier in the fortieth and fifty-second regiments of foot, and was in the enjoyment of a pension of £20 per annum, having frequently fought during the Peninsular War, and been wounded in the neck. I remember as well as if it had been but yesterday, how he would go through military exercises with me, my mimic weapon being a broom, and my martial equipments hitherto latent feeling of poetry. What some of his faded trappings. I was not was to be the result of this threefold destined, however, to see how fields training? Did the Corunna veteran exwere won. With what intense interest pect to see the lad one day clothed have I often listened to his description of in veritable armour, charging against battle-fields; and how I have shuddered the enemies of his country, at the head at contemplating the dreadful scenes of the Coldstream Guards? Were Mrs. which he so graphically portrayed. He Gough's views admitted to the hope that was present at the memorable battle of "John should one day, like Dominie Corunna, and witnessed Sir John Moore Sampson, wag his head in a pulpit;" carried from that fatal field. Here' he or, in fine, did the young dreamer form would say, 'was such a regiment-there, plans of literary toil and high sounding such a battalion; in this situation was epics, when sitting on the ruined turret the enemy, and yonder was the position of the feudal castle? We think that of the general and his staff.' And then the life of the temperance orator shows he would go on to describe the death of a combination of these various motives, the hero-his looks, and his burial near equally and harmoniously blended tothe ramparts, until my young heart gether. There is the resolution of a would leap with excitement. Apart from soldier in his onslaught upon the such attractions as these, my father drunkard's degrading propensities; there possessed few for a child. His military is also the power of a true orator, and habits had become as a second nature the glowing imagination of a poet. with him. Stern discipline had been taught him in a severe school, and it being impossible for him to cast off old associations he was not calculated to win the deep affections of a child, although, in every respect, he deserved and possessed my love. He received his discharge from the army in the year 1823. 66 My mother's character was cast in a gentler mould. Her heart was a fountain, whence the pure waters of affection never ceased to flow. Her very being seemed twined with mine, and ardently did I return her love. For the long space of twenty years she had occupied the then prominent position of school-mistress in her village, and frequently planted the first principles of knowledge in the minds of children, whose parents had, years before, been benefited by her early instructions. And well qualified by nature and acquirements was she for the interesting but humble office she filled, if a kindly heart and a well-stored mind be the requisite." Under influences such as these, young Gough grew up. His time was divided between attendance at the school and military exercises on the beach, intermixed with frequent rambles to an old keep or castle, built during the days of Bluff King Hal. There the boy wandered, through the desolate court-yards, the dilapidated chambers; whilst the screeching of the owls, the fluttering of the bats, the moaning of the wind across the battlements roused in his heart the Mr. Gough both displayed and improved, at an early age, his talents for public speaking. Whilst he was reading to his mother, as she sat at the cottage door, strangers, attracted by his proficiency, would stay to listen; now and then, too, he would be summoned up to the Sandgate public library for the purpose of reading the newspaper to a party of amateur politicians; and the correctness, the spirit, the force of his elocution enhanced in a very notable degree the intrinsic merit of many a leader. These performances, of course, were not without their reward; shillings, half-crowns, nay, five shilling pieces soon formed the nucleus of a very respectable exchequer they enabled, what is still better, the young lad to assist his parents through the struggles of an arduous life. Mr. Gough was twelve years old when he left England for America. A person then emigrating to that country agreed, in consideration of a sum of ten guineas, to take him over, teach him a trade, and provide for him until he was twenty-one years of age. The separation between the boy and his parents was a painful one; but the circumstances of the family rendered it a matter of necessity; so, on the 10th of June, 1829, everything being arranged, he sailed from the Thames in the ship Helen, accompanied by the prayers and blessings of many a loving heart, and carrying with him spiritual refreshment under the shape of books, such as " Doddridge's Rise and Progress of Religion," "Todd's Lectures to the Young," &c. &c. |