66 Mr. Maclean had some opinions in common with Monk Lewis. That gentleman was a very ascetic critic when dealing with the literary productions of female writers. In one of his letters, published in the "Diary and Times of George the Fourth," alluding to a rumor that Miss Fr wrote novels, he says, wish she would let such idle nonsense alone; for, however great a respect I may entertain for her talents (which I do), I tremble lest she should fail in this book-making; and, as a rule, I have an aversion, a pity and contempt for all female scribblers. The needle, not the pen, is the instrument they should handle, and the only one they ever use dexterously. I must except, however, the love-letters, which are full of pleasing conceits; but this is the only subject they should ever attempt to write about. Madame de Staël, even, I will not except from this general rule : she has done a plaguy deal of mischief, and no good, by meddling in literary matters, and I wish to heaven she would renounce pen, ink, and paper for evermore."* Proclus makes mention of the gifts of one in whom was "the very form, substance, and image of poetry in all its brightness ;"+ and the felicity of that gifted being was consummated "when, feeling the mighty influence of enthusiasm, and fully subdued by the power of the Muses, he called forth into action all the primal, original, and divine energies of poetry." What was the condition of poor L. E. L. when she felt those poetic influences within her, those divine energies and powers of enthusiasm, without the privilege of communicating them to others, or calling them into action and committing to paper the inspirations of her genius, or when she had to dread the coldness of contempt, or the hasty expression of reproof for those pursuits which had gained her honor and renown at home, and a high place in the literary world-pursuits which alone could be the solace of her weary life in a dismal fort on the coast of Africa? The account of the inquest, sent home by the friends of Mr. Maclean, that was published in the newspapers in this country * Diary and Times of George the Fourth, vol. iv., p. 117. shortly after the arrival of the intelligence of that lamentable event, states the circumstances of most importance that were brought to light on the inquest, and all the essential particulars are given in the following report of Mrs. Bailey's evidence: "At an inquisition held at Cape Coast Castle, the 15th day of October, 1838, before me, James Swansey, Esq., one of her majesty's justices of the peace, and others, upon view of the body of Letitia Elizabeth Maclean, Emily Bailey, being duly sworn, deposeth and saith, That between the hours of eight and nine of the morning of the 15th instant, the deponent, having received a note addressed to Mrs. Maclean from Mr. Swansey, went to her room for the purpose of delivering the same to her, and found some difficulty in opening the door, in consequence of Mrs. Maclean having fallen against it. 6 "That deponent, on entering the room, discovered Mrs. Maclean lying on the floor with an empty bottle in her hand (which bottle being produced, was labeled Acid. hydrocyanicum delatum, pharm. Lond., 1836; medium dose five minims'), and quite senseless; that, on seeing this, deponent went for her husband to call Mr. Maclean. She believed that Mrs. Maclean must have been attempting to open the door to call for assistance when she fell; that her mistress was subject to be attacked by spasms, and was in the habit of taking occasionally a drop or two of the medicine in the bottle in water, but had not herself seen her do so more than two or three times. She (Mrs. Maclean) had the spasms rather badly the previous evening, and wished to take a little of the medicine contained in the bottle to give her relief. "She did not complain much this morning. Deponent was not present when her mistress was taken ill, but had seen her about half an hour before, when she appeared well, and made her a present, as the deponent was about leaving the Coast for England. That Mrs. Maclean then told deponent to retire, and she would send for her when she wished to dress. Deponent had not seen her write this morning, but she was so employed the previous evening, when she delivered to deponent two letters for friends in England, and was affected at the thought of deponent leaving her; that when deponent saw her last she was in her usual spirits. The bottle found in Mrs. Maclean's hand was uncorked, and she (deponent) afterward corked it and put it aside. She could state nothing more which could throw any light upon the subject." (Some other witnesses were examined, but nothing of any importance was elicited; no post mortem examination was made.) "The verdict was, that the death of Mrs. Maclean was caused by her having incautiously taken an over-dose of prussic acid, which, it appeared, she had been in the habit of using as a remedy." Mr. Cruickshank, a merchant of Cape Coast, and a friend of Mr. Maclean, has recently published some information, purporting to be more reliable than any that has yet been given to the public, on the subject of the sudden and mysterious death of Mrs. Maclean. As an account given by a friend of Mr. Maclean, this statement is worthy of attention; but as to the opinions of Mr. Cruickshank of Mrs. Maclean's felicity and content, they are little value. of very Mr. Cruickshank says, "As one who had the happiness of seeing a good deal of this accomplished lady upon the Coast; who enjoyed, and keenly felt, the fascinations of her society; who, only ten hours before her death, had sat and listened with rapt attention to her brilliant sallies of wit and feeling; who was present at the investigations consequent upon her sudden death; whose eyes were the last to rest upon those rigid features so recently beaming with all the animating glow of a fine intelligence; and who, with a sorrowing heart, saw her consigned to her narrow resting-place, I will endeavor to place in its true light a short account of her too brief sojourn in Africa." When Mrs. Maclean arrived at Cape Coast, there was no European lady then at the settlement, and her husband was in very bad health. Mr. Cruickshank was also ill. An invitation to visit the governor and his wife found him in bed, and it was some days before he could venture out to the castle : "I sent in my name by the servant, and immediately afterVOL. II.-C ward Mrs. Maclean came to the hall and welcomed me. I was hurried away to his bed-room, Mrs. Maclean saying, as she tripped through the long gallery, 'You are a privileged person, Mr. Cruickshank, for I can assure you it is not every one that is admitted here.' I took a seat by the side of his bed, upon which Mrs. Maclean sat down, arranging the clothes about her husband in the most affectionate manner, and receiving ample compensation for her attentions by a very sweet and expressive smile of thankfulness. We thus sat and chatted together for some hours, Mrs. Maclean laughingly recounting her experiences of roughing it in Africa, and commenting, with the greatest good humor and delight, upon what struck her as oddities in such a state of society. She pointed to a temporary bed, which had been made for her upon the floor, and said Mr. Maclean's sufferings had been so great for some nights, that the little sleep which she had got had been taken there. I declined to occupy an apartment in the castle, but promised to call daily during my stay in Cape Coast to pass a few hours with them. "As the day drew near for my departure, she occupied herself more and more in writing to her friends in England. It had been arranged that the vessel should sail on the forenoon of the 16th of October, and I agreed to dine and spend the evening of the 15th with the governor and his lady. It was in every respect a night to be remembered. At eleven o'clock I rose to leave. It was a fine and clear night, and she strolled into the gallery, where we walked for half an hour. Mr. Maclean joined us for a few minutes, but, not liking the night-air in his weak state, he returned to the parlor. She was much struck with the beauty of the heavens in those latitudes at night, and said it was when looking at the moon and the stars that her thoughts oftenest reverted to home. She pleased herself with thinking that the eyes of some beloved friend might be turned in the same direction, and that she had thus established a medium of communication for all that her heart wished to express. 'But you must not,' she said, 'think me a foolish, moon-struck lady. I sometimes think of these things oftener than I should, and your departure for England has called up a world of delightful associations. You will tell Mr. F―, however, that I am not tired yet. He told me I should return by the vessel that brought me out; but I knew he would be mistaken.' We joined the governor in the parlor. I bade them good-night, promising to call in the morning to bid them adieu. I never saw her in life again." At breakfast next day Mr. Cruickshank was alarmed by a summons, "You are wanted at the castle; Mr. Maclean is dead,” said the messenger. Hurrying to the castle, he found that it was not Mr., but Mrs. Maclean-whom he had left the previous night so well-who was no more. "Never," he says, "shall I forget the horror-stricken expression of Mr. Maclean's countenance." "We entered the room where all that was mortal of poor L. E. L. was stretched upon the bed. Dr. Cobbold rose up from a close examination of her face, and told us all was over; she was beyond recovery. My heart would not believe it; it seemed impossible that she from whom I had parted not many hours ago, so full of life and energy, could be so suddenly struck down. I seized her hand, and gazed upon her face. The expression was calm and meaningless. Her eyes were open, fixed, and protruding. "All that could be elicited, upon the strictest investigation, was simply this: It appeared that she had risen and left her husband's bed-room about seven o'clock in the morning, and proceeded to her own dressing-room, which was up a short flight of stairs, and entered by a separate door from that leading to the bed-room. Before proceeding to dress, she had occupied herself an hour and a half in writing letters. She then called her servant, Mrs. Bailey, and sent her to a store-room to fetch some pomatum. Mrs. Bailey was absent only a few minutes. When she returned she found difficulty in opening the door, on account of a weight which appeared to be pressing against it. This she discovered to be the body of her mistress. She pushed it aside, and found that she was senseless. She immediately called Mr. Maclean. Dr. Cobbold was sent for; but from the first moment of the discovery of the body on the floor there had |