*

to find an antitype to the glorious Normans? Bare facts will not do it for us; but if we look at the results of those facts, we may yet light upon something that burns with the flame of chivalry. It is true that no knights and warriors came in pomp and panoply to dispossess, and then unite with the AngloSaxon, for the next immigration tells of chains and degradation, and the horrors of the middle passage. Soon after our conquest began the regular introduction of African negroes to the West Indies-a race whose miserable beginnings and servile condition gave no warning that their weakness should one day agitate nations and penetrate the hearts of kings. These were not Normans; no! but were lance and mail ever associated with a more sublime enthusiasm than that which impelled Christian Europe to the succour of the slave? Was the rescue of His sepulchre or the deliverance of His creatures the grander achievement of the soldiers of Christ? Hermit and paladin, and most Christian prince, and most holy father, though their zeal was ardent and their courage boiled, can vie with crusaders of these latter days only as the host of Israel may be compared with the universal Church; the former but a type of the latter. Yea, the intermingling of the sable race with the bright children of the Saxon has given rise to a school of chivalry the highest and the most powerful that the world has ever seen, the highest, because its aims and its rewards are beyond the earth; the mightiest, forasmuch as it has triumphed over nations and governments and monarchs in the Old World, and is now about to shake terribly the New World of the West!

At the date of our story, the negro question was creating its very fiercest contentions. Jamaica was being torn and ruined by excited factions. The planting interest, after years of domination,

found itself suddenly overborne and trampled on, while upon its forehead were branded all the sins of oppression committed since the world began. The triumphant abolitionists, as if the sacredness of their grand object absolved them from all blame as to the means they might use, conducted themselves with a vindictiveness and rancour which disgraced their profession, and soon were blinded to the difference between truth and falsehood, right and wrong. The weak Government at home, unable to control the torrent, lent itself to the iniquity with which emancipation was carried out, so that every official appointed by the Crown, from the Governor downwards, was forced into the position of a partisan, instead of holding the scales and controlling the fury of the factions. Confounded by, and indignant at, the injustice with which they conceived themselves to be treated, the planters nevertheless exhibited their ancient independence, and showed once more the bold front which had before now successfully resisted Imperial aggression. But this time the opposition was vain and ruinous; it served only to stimulate the hatred of their irresistible foes. The battle was not yet fought out at the date of our tale: the island legislature was as yet vigorous and hopeful, and breasted manfully the waves that were destined to overwhelm it; but it often, in its indignation and despair, lost sight of dignity and prudence. The local government, reduced to be the leaders of a violent faction, appeared to no more advantage than the legislative body. The Governor was said to be "a fine old fellow, who would stand no non

sense.

"The Council and Assembly likewise contained several fine old fellows who would stand no nonsense. Nonsense, therefore, seemed to have but a bad chance, and yet the proceedings on both sides were marked by the folly and petulance of childhood. Had it been the for

tune of the island at this critical time to be governed by a man of temper and discretion, instead of by a fine old fellow who would stand no nonsense, or had the colonists appreciated the magnitude of the opposing force, and bent before instead of resisting it, she might, like Barbadoes, have passed comparatively uninjured through the ordeal of emancipation. But that was not to happen.

The state of dissension of course afforded openings for loud-mouthed agitators and demagogues to exhibit their stump-oratory, and to grasp at places and gains. Crowds of these appeared, all with liberal and philanthropic sentiments on their lips, but the lives of many of them characterised by greed and hate. Like Judas, they were eloquent concerning the claims of the poor, not that they cared for the poor. And in the very front of the political agitators stood the religious sects,* the preachers acting as the leaders, and instilling their secular doctrines, and inciting to deceit and dishonesty from their pulpits. The clergymen of the Establishment, for the most part, sided with the planters, and shared the odium levelled at them. They were, therefore, of little use. But there were a few young and enthusiastic ministers, like our friend Mr Grant, who endeavoured, amid the roar of factions, to gain a few ears for the voice of true religion. They were nearly all young and inexperienced; most of them, going right as far as they could see, were unable to realise in their minds the state of things, and many of them had a zeal which outran discretion.

All of us are aware of the wreck in which these things resulted; but many who know the result may not know the elements from which it proceeded. We have ventured, therefore, on these few words of explanation.

And now we have to be taken

rapidly over the thirteen miles that separate Up Park from Spanish Town. Old Tom is the very person to do us that service. We rattle along, each person absorbed in his own reflections, and noticing nothing-not even the immense cotton-tree on the right of the road, beneath which sits an elderly negro retailing the milk of young cocoanuts for the refreshment of parched travellers, hewing off the outer husks with a weapon that might, for its form, have hung by the side of Haroun al Raschid, and converting the nut itself into a cup. 'Tis a simple draught rudely prepared; but if the old tree be there, and an old vendor beneath it when you go that way, our life on it, reader, you will halt and drink! He found no customers in Arthur and Tom that day. They passed silently along, first a warm horse stepping smartly and tossing his head, then another ditto, ditto, then two travellers abreast in their chariot, then two little streams of smoke.

He

Now, it naturally enough happened that his Excellency the Governor, being, as has been said, a fine old fellow, held a favourable opinion of a fine young fellow like Arthur Brune. But fine old fellows then had a way of showing their goodwill which we should in this day think objectionable. His Excellency gave Arthur a reception, whose warmth, as indicated by the oaths he used, was intense. had just then a little leisure, which he kindly devoted to the entertainment of his young friend, to whom he addressed a sprightly conversation, strongly spiced with doubles entendres, and illustrated with anecdotes, from which the chaste Maga, even though approaching her fiftieth year, would avert her eyes with indignant majesty. That was the way in which fine old fellows condescended to those whom it was their pleasure to honour. Arthur for a long time bore with his Ex

cellency's humour, and laughed at his jokes, longing to speak of the business which brought him thither, but not finding an opportunity, so continuous was the flow of his Excellency's conversation. At length the great man looked at his watch, interrupted his discourse, and was about to dismiss his young friend graciously, when Arthur besought an extension of five minutes, saying that he had a favour to ask.

"Well, my boy, what can I do for you?" said his Excellency. "Name something in reason, and you may command me."

"I want a licence to marry," said Arthur, firmly; " and I beg of your Excellency the favour that you will for a short time keep the granting it a profound secret.'

"Licence to marry!" repeated the Governor in amazement. "Why, what the devil! Marry! Why, you can't be serious."

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Quite serious, sir," Arthur said. Why, I really thought now you were one of the fellows that will take the places of us old cocks when we go our ways. I took you for a soldier, every inch of you. Marry! By Jove!"

"I have not the least intention, sir," said Arthur, "of giving up the service; and if I know myself at all, I shall not be less worthy of his Majesty's commission after marriage than I am now."

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Pooh, pooh!" said his Excellency; "wait till you're a fieldofficer at least. Marriage is a mistake in a young officer; fellow's never worth a farthing after. Takes all the dash out of him. And a married subaltern! damme, you must be joking! Eh? Can't mean it. All humbug. Mustn't think of such thing. Rather sign a deathwarrant for you!"

Arthur made a suitable acknowledgment for this mark of regard, but persisted that he was quite in earnest, and had well considered the step he was about to take.

"Then I can only say I'm infernally sorry," said the Governor. "Mark my words! You'll live to

repent it. Fine young fellow like you throwing yourself away! Besides, I thought you were rather soft about that girl Melhado's going to marry-devilish delightful girl she is too-splendid bust-cursed deal too good for that fellow ;-thought you were a little moonish in that direction, which seemed a capital thing, as it would keep you single. I say, Brune, whoever it is, you haven't got anything to match old Arabin's daughter, I'll take my oath!"

"Miss Arabin's," said Brune, steadily, "is the other name which I wish to be inserted in the licence."

His Excellency looked hard at Arthur to examine whether his eye showed symptoms of insanity; failing to perceive which, and at the same time recollecting Arthur's demand of secrecy, the representative of majesty began to perceive how matters stood.

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"The devil it is!" then said the Governor. May I ask what Mr and Mrs Arabin and Mr Melhado say to the arrangement?"

"I grieve to say, sir," answered Arthur, "that the marriage, if you give me the means of effecting it, will be clandestine."

"After which will come duels, actions at law, courts-martial, and I don't know what pleasures beside?" said his Excellency, inquiringly.

"I think not, sir," replied Arthur. "I have weighed well the consequences of what I meditate.”

You think you can do it neatly?" asked the great man.

"I have every hope of carrying out my design.'

Here his Excellency was so overpowered by his feelings, that after a suppressed chuckle or two he burst into a fit of hearty laughter, which brought tears out of his eyes.

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Capital!" said his Excellency, when he regained command of his voice; "only do it well, and I'll forgive you for marrying."

"Don't you," continued he again, unable to control explosions of delight-"don't you feel great remorse

at the trick you're going to play that excellent young man, Melhado ?"

"I do," said Arthur; "I wish I could avoid it."

Whereupon his Excellency made a grotesque face, which said, as plainly as a grimace could do, "I see you're a wag as well as a sly dog; but I have some fun in me too, and we understand each other," and then he pursued his remarks with intervals of laughter.

"By it'll set the whole island by the ears. Why, what an audacious young scamp you are, eh! Arabin won't have bo to throw to a goose for the next twelvemonth; and as for Melhado, oh, 'pon my soul, it's too bad. Well, she ought to marry a redcoat, I'll be if she oughtn't; 'twould be a slur upon the cloth to let a civilian have her. But the sell it'll be for them is best of all. Oh, by Jove, it's capital!"

In fine, so great was the Governor's glee that he promised to have the necessary parchment prepared that evening with great secrecy, and desired Arthur to dine at the King's House that he might receive it. And Arthur having incidentally mentioned that Gervaise

had travelled with him, his Excellency graciously extended his invitation to that officer, who was somewhat embarrassed at receipt of it, seeing that he had come over unprovided with red jacket, without which it was as bad taste to appear at King's House, as for a Jew to go to a marriage without a wedding garment. The difficulty was eventually got over; but as Tom was both tall and stout, there was some trouble in fitting him. They applied at last to a captain of the St Jago Militia, who was sufficiently stout, but who being of small stature, Thomas presented himself at the viceregal board with six inches of ragged shirt visible round his waist. The hiatus did not spoil his dinner, and his Excellency was so delighted with the coming elopement that there was little ceremony. It would have given us great pleasure to repeat some very excellent anecdotes and jeux d'esprit to which the Governor gave voice on this occasion; but we have so altered in only a quarter of an age, that the conversation of men who enjoyed fame and rank, and who were of mature age at that time, is objectionable in the present day.