duced my paternal relation to place me under the protection of the reverend Mr. F-1, first his exalted character, and superior abilities; and secondly, the contiguity of his residence to an esate which my reverend protector had purchased. That Mrs. Melville was not only a worldly, but an artful character my readers will have discovered by the method she adopted to exchange the name of S-; and had she not found her husband's dislike to a residence in London unconquerable, she would not have yielded to his proposal of purchasing Belmont Lodge; but finding him divided between that, and a more magnificent seat in Norfolk, she unhesitatingly gave preference to Belmont Lodge. The honorable Mrs. S- was one of those fashionable female beauties, over whom, aye, under certain restrictions has no power; or in other words, art, so completely imitated youthfulness, that it was impossible to form an accurate opinion of her years. 'She was sacrificed by the ambition of her parents to her honorable husband, at the age of fifteen;' to make use of her own words; though many of her friends who have more tenacious memories, declared she might have added ten to the pernod in which her virgin charms were offered upon the altar of Hymen. Mrs. S-, was according to her own account, eight and twenty, when fortune, tired of persecuting so lovely and amiable an object, threw into her lap a golden harvest; or in other terms united her destiny with that of a very rich She was at that period, the mother of five children; and evr VOL. XLI. man. dently young enough to have five more; for her eldest boy who was at Eton, had only just completed his eleventh year. When first placed under the protection of Mr. F-1Iwasalways sent for home, every Saturday night, and remained until the Monday morning, when the groom attended me back to school. nerves Though I perceived not the slightest abatement in my supposed father's affection, I could not help feeling it in that of his wife, whose delicate state of rendered the society of a child insupportable; and her husband too readily yielded to her folly ot caprice; instead therefore of being summoned to the arms of a ford parent weekly, three or four often elapsed without beholding his beloved face, unless he rode over to see me, a habit which was even discontinued by degrees. As this dear relation had introduced me at Bath as his own offspring, the Honorable Mrs. Snaturally concluded me to be such; and from some cause, for which I have not the power of accounting, my uncle before his marriage never thought proper to reveal my birth, and, in all probability, never would have done so, had he not considered concealment might prove injurious to his own offspring. The delicate state of Mrs. Melville's nerves was occasioned by one of those circumstances which naturally attend the marriage state; and the moment my uncle was convinced a prior claim might be laid to his fortune, he began to view concealment as a crime. Still he resolved to delay imparting the real relationship which subsisted between us until after C the arrival of the expected young stranger; but as, in due course of time, he made his appearance, my reputed father determined to announce me as his nephew, instead of heir. you both will be, though you are not so by the ties of blood. That dear boy,' continued my uncle, pointing to me, 'is the adopted child of my affection; his father, the bravest of British officers, bequeathed him to me with his dying breath; from that father he inherits a noble, nay, a princely fortune, and all he requires from me is tenderness and affection.' My uncle's voice faltered as he closed the sentence, and pressing me to his bosom with truly parental tenderness, desired me still to address him by the name of father, adding, that he should never have revealed the real connexion between us, but for the birth of his child. Impressions made during childhood are evidently more indelible than those at any other period, and never to be forgotten is that which was made upon my mind, when being summoned from school to see my new brother, as I had considered him, my uncle informed I was merely his adopted child. Mrs. Melville had at that period lain in about a fortnight, when with all due formality I was ushTered into the room, having first received orders from her attendant to tread on tip-toe. Tip-toe I certainly was with impatience, yet unhesitatingly obeyed the nurse's commands, and to my astonishment found my mother seated in-nied by remarks equally cutting, an easy-chair. She received me with a gracious smile, embraced me with affection (yet far different to the embraces she had been accustomed to bestow at Bath), and turning to her attendant, said, 'I dare say IHenry wishes to see his little brother: will you promise to love him, Henry, and be kind to him when he is old enough to go to school?" 6 Love him, and be kind to him, mamma,' I exclaimed with eagerness, why, I am very kind to Edmund Burke! he is quite a little fellow to me, and surely I should be kind to my own brother.' : My father, who had remained a silent, spectator, seeing me embrace the little innocent with unaffected joy, said, in a voice evidently agitated, Brothers in affection, my dear Henry, I trust, Never shall I forget the petrifying glance Mrs. Melville cast upon that dear relation when he made that declaration, accompa for a want of confidence; concluding by saying, she trusted he would not compel her to act with any further deception, or expect she would permit his nephew to accost her by the appellation of mother! of a There was something too satirically pointed in the tone of Mrs. Melville's voice to escape the observation even child, and bursting into a flood of tears, I eagerly demanded whether no one would let me call them mother?" Yes, my beloved boy, and father too,' replied my uncle; for you shall never feel the want of those dear relations. Your inother was my sister, and your father, your exalted father, the noblest, the most honorable of men! he bequeathed you to me as a precious deposit, which I will cherish with parental fondness whilst life circulates through these veins.' My uncle then simply related my history, which it would be tautology to repeat; and the unexpected joy my aunt felt at discovering her own ofispring was undisputed heir to her husband's immense riches, prevented her from making any further remarks upon his concealment of my birth; and Mrs. Johnson, the female attendant, who had been the protectress of my infancy, but who had been raised to the dignity of housekeeper, was called up to corroborate her master's testimony; as my uncle had referred Mrs. Melville to that faithful domestic for any further intelligence she might require. Previous to Mrs. Melville's confinement, my uncle had repeatedly complained of spasms in his stomach and side; but fancying his constitution perfectly re-established by the efficacy of the Bath waters, had not paid proper attention to those alarming symptoms of internal disease. On the morning of the day that I was summoned from Mr. F-l's, he had again felt attacks of the spasmodie kind; and scarcely had he quitted Mrs. Melville's chamber, after making the extraordinary discovery of my real relationship, when his bell rung with an unu sual degree of violence; and, when the servant attended the summons, he found his master writhing under absolute tortures. Cordials were instantly administered, and medical advice summoned; but, alas! all human skill proved vain. The agony increased with so much rapidity, that reason was unable to retain her seat-mental derangement was the consequence; and in that dreadful situation this valuable friend and benefactor languished two days and then expired, universally regretted by those who were acquainted with the intrinsie worth of his mind. Death is at every period awful! yet the impression of it made during childhood is scarcely ever ef faced - and I have as perfect a recollection of the sensations I experienced at that awful moment as if it had occurred within the last ten days. It was only in the society of the worthy Mrs. Johnsonthat I found the slightest solace for my affliction; all the inferior servants no longer treated me as their young lord and master; for Mrs. Melville, in spite of her violent grief, had contrived separately to inform each individual that I was their deceased master's nephew, not his heir; and as those kind of people change their manners with as much ease as their apparel, they took the hint exactly as it was intended they should. Mrs. Johnson, however, was of a different cast of character to the generality of persons in her situation; she was the faithful creature who had attended my mother to the camp at the decease of my father, and from that period had remained in the service of my uncle, had accompanied him to Bath, witnessed all the Honorable Mrs. S's plans to entrap him, and perfectly understood her character. Fortunately for me, that excellent woman was incorruptible; no bribe, however alluring, could induce her to deviate from the path of rectitude; she was, in fact, not to be purchased! and she would neither connive at, or permit any corruptive measures. She was certainly of all human beings the last Mrs. : Melville would have wished to have any connexion; yet to have got rid of her would have been impolitic, knowing she was gifted with the power of speech. The sudden death of my dear protector, of course, threw the whole family into a state of consternation; yet the moment it took place (nay, indeed, some say, before that period), Mrs. Melville prudently placed seals upon all her husband's effects, in spite of the hazard she rah in so doing, considering she had not lain in three weeks. Mrs, Melville, however, having taken this prudent precaution, instantly dispatched messengers to some of her former husband's right honorable relations, and likewise to two particular friends of my uncle's, whose names were Montgomery and M'Donald. Rapidly as the latter obeyed the summons, they did not reach Belmont Lodge until many hours after Mrs. Melville's partisans, when each party attended the other, whilst the sealed inclosures were separately examined; but no trace of will was found, or any papers discovered that threw a light upon my situation. • There has been some foul play here,' said Mr. Montgomery, fixing a steady eye upon Mrs. Melville's honorable relatives; for I am ready to make affidavit that my departed friend showed me his brother Colonel Melville's will, and took it from that drawer,' pointing to a secret one, ' in which, he informed me, all papers of consequence were deposited. However, the poor boy will not bé injured by the nefarious conduct of any individual, as a copy of Colonel Melville's will has been registered in the East Indies.' The partisans of Mrs. Melville finding the friends of her deceased husband were neither to be-imposed upon, or of a character to deviate from the strict laws of justice and humanity, did not think proper to resent Mr. Montgomery's remarks, but merely observed, they had no doubt of Mr. Melville's having carefully preserved the will, though it was evident he had changed the spot of security in which he had formerly kept it; and on the following day it was actually produced, under pretence of having been folded up amongst the purchase-deeds of Belmont Lodge. Annexed to this will of my deceased father was a short codicil (if such term can be appropriate), in my uncle's hand, evidently written a few days after his marriage. As this codicil, as I have termed it, from it's being sealed to my revered father's testament, was very concise, I shall copy it, for the inspection of my readers. It ran as follows: As life is uncertain, and I have just entered into a new engagement, which promises a greater portion of happiness than usually falls to the lot of mortals, I hereby prove the confidence I repose in the dear woman who now bears my name, by committing to her whole and sole care, during his minority, the orphan child of my respected brother-in-law; for, as her attachment to that dear boy was the maguet which attracted my attention, I can never doubt of her proving a real mother. Signed and sealed, &c. &c.' Volumes, it seems, could not have been more binding than this piece of paper, which was witDessed by the physician and apothecary who had attended my be Recipe against Taint in Meat. loved uncle when he first went to Bath; and Mr. Montgomery and Mr. M'Donald finding Mrs. Melville had the total charge of my education, took leave of the mistress of Belmont Lodge immedi⚫ately after the funeral; yet not until both gentlemen had taken a correct copy of my respected father's will, resolving, if possible, to compel Mrs. Melville to give me an education suitable to my future fortune. [To be continued.] To the EDITOR of the LADY's SIR, A SIMPLE recipe to prevent or cure taint in meat, and a recipe to clean and whiten the teeth, and preserve them sound to eat the meat, will, 1 presume, be acceptable to many of your fair readers. -I begin with the : Meat. By packing meat, game, &c. in charcoal, you will preserve it from taint. - If already tainted, the taint may also be cured by means of charcoal, thus. Boil in a pot a quantity of water sufficient for the complete immersion and submersion of the tainted joint, fowl, or whatever else it may be. When boiling, have in readiness three or four good pieces of charcoal, red-hot. Plunge into the pot, at the same moment, the tainted article and the hot charcoal. By the time when the charcoal is quenched, the taint will, 1 21 in most cases, be entirely removed; and the joint, fowl, &c., if intended for roasting, may be.immediately taken out, wiped dry with a clean cloth, and instantly put on the spit. - This charcoal operation should not be performed until the moment when you are going to cook the article, which, after this ordeal, may perhaps be better relished, by your guests, than if you had cooked it before it was at all tainted. It certainly will be much more tender: and Dr. Moore, in his 'Travels,' informs us that the much-admired delicacy of the Westphalia hams results, in great measure, from their being as long kept, previous to curing, as it is possible to keep them without being absolutely spoiled. - If your joint or fowl be strongly tainted, perhaps a greater or a second quantity of charcoal may be requisite. By a very natural transition, I now proceed from the food to the Teeth, and the gums, with which they are so closely connected. - As charcoal prevents, stops, and corrects putrefaction in dead flesh, much more easily will it produce the same effects in the live flesh of the gums: - as it removes the offensive smell from tainted meat, so will it cure an offensive breath: - as a scourer of the teeth, and a whitener, it is equally effectual; and, in short, your fair readers cannot possibly use a better dentifrice than charcoal-simple charcoal I mean, without any other preparation than that of reducing it to a fine powder; which is easily accomplished by the two simple operations of first pounding and then sifting it. If your sieve be |