LINES Written by George the Fourth, pending the Queen's Trial, on reading in Ecclesiastes-" All is vanity." Youth, riches, health and power were mine The devil himself possessed me, And while the Nation paid my debts, I sometimes" floored a charley." Yet still I can recal no day, Unvexed by a dun's clamour, Or when my thoughts were free from dread, What tho' Mc'Mahons shifts and schemes, I passed no day untroubled by Some blackleg, jade, or schemer, I thought when poor old George's death Times would amend-but now alas, The Queen holds out-she'll face the Lords, My plots I fear I'll rue'em, For but just now-Ben Bloomfield says, She's sent a brief to Brougham, LETTERS HOME, -M. FROM ABRAHAM SCOTT, OF HOBART TOWN, TO ROBERT CHAMBERS, STUDENT, IN LONDON. No. I, My Dear Chambers, Here I am at last, after a most execrable voyage, safe and snug at the capital of Tasmania, vulgó vocato, Van Diemen's Land,without one single soul to whom I can confide my hopes-my expectations-my sorrows-or my disappointments. And yet I am not unhappy. No! The same buoyant and hilarious spirit, which has still borne me through so much discomfort in England, still animates me with hope-still stimulates me to exertion. 66 How I wish you were with me! And, yet, this is a selfish wish; because, I am quite sure you would never bring yourself to like the manners and customs" of our fellow-countrymen here. There is too much selfishness, as regards the mass-too much exclusiveness-as regards the select but, I hope to explain all this more fully in my future letters. How often have we, when pouring over some intricate dissection— (the minute distribution of the Par vagum, for instance,) paused to talk of the Islands and Colonies in the Southern Ocean! We, then, both wished to behold-not, as we had hitherto beheld, "in a glass darkly"-but, as it were" face to face," our distant settlements in Austral-Asia: and I remember, how we used to warm in our conversation, as we pictured to ourselves the wonders and interesting peculiarities of these curious countries. Alas! Alas! How different is the sad and sober reality to these gay pictures, which were conjured up by our vivid and enthusiastic imaginations! You must not, however, imagine, that we are a Colony of savages, or that—as we used to think-the Bushranger prowls about for his prey, like the German bandit, or the Italian bravo. There is, I can assure you, but very little romance here, now-a-days. The Colony is civilized; and is, therefore, softened down into a very dull, every day and most sombre reality. You recollect under what bright auspices I left England, and you almost envied me. It is true my prospects were encouraging; and Captain when he gave me his letters of introduction, imparted to me hopes, which will never be realized. But this is not our good friends' fault. A series of incidents, of which no living person could have formed an idea, unfortunately intervened, and rendered my letters of introduction, with only one exception, perfectly worthless. As I expect our estimable, but rather volatile, young friend S, will, when he has "passed the College," bend his enterprising steps hitherward, I will briefly recapitulate the incidents in question; and I beg of you to communicate them to young S, and, if you like, to any other friend of your's, who may have fixed his mind upon a migration to this Colony: they may serve, at my expence, as a beacon for his, or their guidance, and sincerely do I wish they may prove salutary. You recollect the very interesting cargo of which I had the medical charge, as well as the strange mode in which this charge was confided to me by the Governnient. It was the expectations held out to me by the Home Government, which induced me to leave England; and I have no doubt but these expectations would have been amply fulfilled, had not the "incidents" alluded to occurred. And what were these "incidents ?" The mere ordinary events of almost every voyage! The Captain quarrelled with the Surgeon, and the Surgeon with the Captain, and such was the disreputable irregularity on board, that the Government here could not, with any thing like propriety, patronize any of the parties concerned in the expedition. This, however, was not all. You know my blunt and ante-humbug temperament. For the display of this, so many unfavorable opportunities occurred, and I, accordingly very easily acquired the enmity of some of the passengers. These people and, I should mention, that they were individuals to whom I had shewn every kindness within my reach-insinuated a variety of calumnious reports, which, in a place like this,-where calumny is so greedily devoured were readily received, and your humble servant looked upon as a very desperate sinner. It is said, that an acquaintance of one month on board-ship will enable you to acquire a more correct notion of a person's character and disposition, than that of one year on shore. I can amply corroborate this from experience most painfully and most bitterly acquired. If S― comes out, as he intended, surgeon in a ship with passengers, pray impress upon him most earnestly, the following advice : -- 1st. To make a close bargain with the owners or charterers, or whoever may have the control, to understand strictly what is to be expected of him,—and, by no means, to exceed his agreement. 2d. As regards the master or captain, as he is courteously called, to submit to him in no other way than as to the mere commander of the vessel :-to put up with no insolence, to bend to no tyranny,and above all, to afford no assistance over or beyond that of his mere medical avocations. 3rd. As regards the passengers-to treat them all with distant indifference, and rigid impartiality. If any of the females suffer much from the tedious confinement of a long voyage, let him by no mean extend to them any little indulgence in the way of" medical comforts" or otherwise, for so surely as he does, so surely will he be calumniated for his pains-and most likely, by the very parties themselves. 66 4th. As regards himself, let him be ever on his guard, and look on all with an eye of cautious suspicion. Let him not think, that because people speak him fair," they think well of him; but on the contrary, let him beware of such persons-he will not thus be disappointed and grieved at their subsequent discreditable conduct, Tell S― all this, and tell him it is the bitter fruit of his friend's experience. I know not how it is,-but there is scarcely a ship arrives here from England, whose passage has not been characterized by discord and discomfort. This depends, of course, in some measure, upon the strange medley of passengers, which usually comprizes our emigration cargoes, and, in as great a measure, very often upon the curious composition of the generality of sea-captains. Thus, in a small and so unequally diversified a community as ours, the evil effects of these dissensions are more prominent and more painfully felt. I have considered these things a good deal, and have found, that there is in the people of this Colony-or, at least, in the majo rity of them-such an insatiable appetite for slander, that they look as a matter of course, to every new arrival for fresh matter, wherewith to pamper it. You are political economist enough to know— and so, in truth, am I-that a demand creates a supply; and hence one great cause of the ill effects of these ship-board squabbles. From this, you will see, my dear fellow, that our's is not yet quite a state of Arcadian simplicity. Alas! No! We are very far, I can assure you, from simplicity of any kind. Here the "one thing needful" is money; and here the old miser's pithy maxim to his hopeful son is strikingly illustrated." Get money, my son, honestly, if you can-but-get it." It was only the other day, that one of our few monied men (and he was formerly a prisoner) was boasting to me, that he had granted a most particular favour to one of his best friends by lending him some money at £15 per cent. ! But money is now (remember the date of my favour,) very scarce; and great sacrifices have been made by needy persons in borrowing at exorbitant interest. The state of the " money market" here is altogether very curious. We have three banks in Hobart Town alone-all flourishing, as banks ought to flourish, gaining their profits by discounting short bills at £10 per cent. But then our circulating medium" is very inconvenient. The banks issue notes -while the bulk of the silver currency consists of Spanish dollars, half dollars, dumps, and a very few rupees,* with still fewer British coins. A sovereign is a "sight good for sore een," and the difficulty in the way of small change, is often very serious. People say, that all this is caused by the mode adopted by the Colonial Government of locking up every shilling it can scrape together in the Treasury chest. There are now-so I hear-upwards of £40,000 in this same chest, waiting, I presume, to be transported to England, so soon as my Lord Goderich, or whoever else may now be Secretary for the Colonies, may think fit to order its transfer. 66 Who, do you think, is here? Why, our old chum Q-! Literally and positively practising in this very town as a most attentive and enthusiastic disciple of Esculapius! You recollect poor Abernethy's opinion of our friend! "You are a d- fine fellow, Sirbut you'll never make a fortune by your profession!" Why not, Sir?" asked Q. "Because you have no humbug about you." "How then?" asked Q. shrewdly," have you, Sir, made one?" "Come and dine with me," replied Johnny-pleased beyond measure with Q.'s smartness. I heard this colloquy myself in the theatre at Bartholomew's, after lecture one day; and it was almost the last words, I heard our lamented Professor utter. I brought it to Q's recollection. "Ah!" said he, with a sigh "I wish I was there again." "And so do I!" was my cordial answer. * We have dollars of 4s. 4d., and dollars of 4s.; the dump is 1s. ld., and the rupee, which is now rare, passes for 1s. 6d. And how, in Heaven's name, are ye all getting on together; you and S and J. and W. M? A precious set of scamps, I warrant me, if ye have not hugely reformed. Which is the favourite nocturnal rendezvous at present? The Rainbow, the Cock, the Cyder Cellar, or the Coal Hole? O! ye Gods! What splendid recollections do these mere empty names conjure up ! The Rainbow ! Are the steaks as radiant as usual-the chops as luscious? The Cock! Is the stout as rich as ever-the Welsh "rare-bit" as savoury? The Cyder Cellar! Are the glories of its poached eggs undimmed-the flavour of its punch undiminished? The Coal Hole! Where are its kidnies" and where, and oh where” is Mr. Rhodes's song? Many a gay and glad evening have we had at these places, and many more, I hope, are yet to come. What a lion I shall be amongst you! By the time I come back again, I shall have been "round the world!" And if you will believe all I shall tell you, I shall relish my chops and enjoy my toddy with greater gusto. You ask me to tell you the state of the Medical profession at the Antipodes. You shall have a full, true, and particular account one day; and in the mean time, you must rest satisfied with my humble but sincere opinion, that it is just now very Antipodean, that is, very upside-down. Q- sends his regards to you, and all our old chums. God bless, you, my boy, ardently prays your sincere friend, ABRAHAM SCOTT. RECOLLECTIONS OF EARLY YEARS. I never heard Of any true affection, but was nipt With care; that like the caterpillar, eats The leaves of the spring's sweetest book-the rose. MIDDLETON The recollection of my first journey into the interior of the Colony, most vividly reminds me of an incident, which, though many years have elapsed since its occurrence, yet I cannot think upon without feeling most sensibly the sting of sorrow. At the period alluded to, I had almost become a misanthrope. In my |