memory of a female relative of the poet. In very illegible characters, I could trace this inscription :

Ah! Maria!

puellarum elegantissima!
ah Flore venustatis abrepta,
Vale !

Heu quanto minus est
Cum reliquis versari
Quam tui

Meminisse."

I had been here but a few minutes, when, turning round, I recognised an aged man, in whose pale countenance I fancied I could discover traces of grief. He sat on a small bench, situated by the side of a fine piece of water. A nearer approach, and the exchange of a few words, soon convinced me that he was My Old School-master, under whose care I had been placed for several years, in the town of B.

As soon as he recognised me, the poor old man seemed quite overpowered. "How

is your dear son Edwin?" I asked; "and is he still living with you?" To these questions he made no answer; but appeared agitated and embarassed. There was a wildness in his appearance, which for a moment filled me with alarm. I seated myself by his side, and endeavoured to compose him. Alas! he appeared to have drunk deeply of the cup of sorrow. He could no longer stifle the anguish which lacerated his heart-his tears fell copiously on my hand, which he continued firmly to grasp. He made an effort to "reveal the sources of his woe ;" and at length spoke as follows: Many, many, have been the cares which have wrung this unhappy bosom, since I last saw you at B, and which will soon bring me to

"That undiscover'd country, from whose bourn No traveller returns"

My dear Edwin at the time you left us was

the hope of his father, and almost the idol of his mother. You must have observed, even at that period, the strength of his intellect, and the indefatigable manner in which he pursued his studies. Having an early love for the classics, he made considerable proficiency in several languages; so that at the age of seventeen he could read with great facility the Latin, Greek, and French authors. Of course, he be came useful in teaching the classics, and ultimately I committed that department of my school to his sole care. He appeared also to have a serious regard for religion; and would often, during the intervals of school-hours, retire to his own room for the purpose of pouring out his soul in secret before God. In the sanctuary also, while listening with deep attention to the minister of Jesus, I have more than once observed the tears trickling down his cheeks.

"But our hopes of Edwin, which had hitherto been so sanguine, were soon blight. ed; and the sun, which we so fondly hoped would gild the evening of our days, was destined to set long before it had attained its meridian; and a night of gloom and sorrow has succeeded his departure from the world.

"He became acquainted with several profligate characters, who succeeded in drawing him into company, and in making him an accomplice in their vices. I soon saw with horror the awful consequences which were likely to accrue froin a connexion with his new associates. He neglected the duties of his school-studiously avoided family prayer-and would sometimes stay out whole nights, till his dissolute habits had given him in every feature the appearance of a confirmed libertine. I clearly saw the ruin that was impending,

and too soon had the agony of beholding my apprehensions realized.

"Notwithstanding my intreaties and fervent prayers for his conversion, Edwin still followed his licentious career; and scarcely had he attained his twenty-first year, when he was arrested and taken to prison for forgery. In the tavern and at the gaming table he had squandered away all that he possessed; and having no other means of gratifying his insatiable thirst for pleasure, he was tempted by his tutors in iniquity to attempt the dreadful expediency, for which he subsequently suffered.

"I need not recount to you the particulars of his trial; suffice it to say, he was found guilty, and ordered for execution.

"With a heart broken by suffering, I visited him several times during his imprisonment. But the last interview I had with him, on the night previous to his ex

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