Return at once. All is

SENOR.-The Descendant has squared all.

safe.

Here is another strange announcement:

MYSTERIOUSLY DISAPPEARED.-W. Pressick.-Emigrated to Texas about 40 years ago; supposed to have left wife and children. Was Member for one Session of the Texas Legislature. He suddenly disappeared, and has never been heard of since. His Heirs are entitled to his property.

The heirs of John Jackson, born in London or Gloucestershire in 1808, were informed that he died in 1876; that he had in a trunk the likeness of a brother, and brother's wife and two children; that he left 6,000 dollars in money and 6,000 dollars in property; and that further information could be had of ——. A niece will hear of something to her advantage on communicating with her uncle; and the relatives of a lady, who was born at Eastbourne, in 1806, are sought by the French Consul. A husband who, shortly after marriage, separated from his wife, was informed that she had died leaving property; and the Next of Kin of George M., were wanted, with reference to £2,000 Reduced. The mate of a vessel, who had not been heard of since 1861, has been remembered by his aunt; and a Joseph O., who emigrated to Australia twenty years ago, is entitled to property under his father's will.

:

The descendants of Mary and Joyce Shepherd, daughters of Henry Shepherd, a vintner, of London, in 1713, are interested in £20,000; and J. S. Tate may hear of some money left him by applying at --. A handsome reward (£200) was offered for the address or proof of death of a captain in the Hussars if the notice should meet his eye, he was most urgently requested to communicate with his solicitors. Claimants were wanted for an estate in Jamaica, and the Next of Kin sought of a private in the Royal Marines. A nephew, who went to visit his uncle in 1871, and has not since been heard of, is entitled to a legacy; while Edward H——, who is supposed to have gone to America, is interested in leasehold property. Twenty-four cousins (one believed to be resident at the Cape) are also interested in the residuary estate of a relative.

The following is suggestive of a family feud :

JAMES YOUNG never had a Will-it was PETERS. Cardinal S., Upper Plain House, and Admiral S., Lower Plain House, changed it from Peters to Young. When they changed everything, in 1844, they had no me right over me.

The heirs of a lady named Bonthron, or Jolly, are entitled to considerable heritable and moveable property; and a son will

find it to his advantage to communicate with his mother, who is now a widow. The heirs of two persons who emigrated to Texas are wanted to claim money in the hands of the United States Government; and two brothers-a police-sergeant and a soldier- are wanted to claim the estate of another brother, who died twenty-five years ag› A plumber and glazier is interested in £1,500: if dead, his Next of Kin are entitled; and a tailor who left Abergavenny in 1840, is entitled to a share of £2,000.

"Dear Percy" is informed that "some one loves him too dearly to let him go as a common sailor, but will try and get him placed on a good ship." He is entreated "not to go away without wishing his distressed parents good-bye.' Numerous notices were issued by the Bank of England authorities as to re-transfers of Stock or Dividends from the Commissioners for the Reduction of the National Debt-claimants having appeared. The Heir at Law of the Chevalier Francois de Rosaz was inquired for, owing to a dispute as to the Chevalier's very whimsical will. This gentleman spent the best part of his life in hunting up missing Heirs at Law, and died worth £40,000 personalty. The following is from the Scotsman :

PERSONAL-JANET NEWTON, daughter of John Newton, private in 79th Highlanders, last seen at Montreal about 40 years ago, when three years old, will hear of something to her advantage on applying to.

Should Janet be traced through this advertisement, the news of a legacy would certainly be unexpected in her case.

Hugh Edward John H--, only known to many persons as "the Whistler," and in the habit of frequenting public-houses, is, among the fortunate ones, wanted for "something to their ad. Tantage;" and a nephew-last heard of in Queensland is interested in his aunt's estate.

Daniel Matthew Matthias Charles Henry George Place, a private soldier, is wanted for something to his advantage; and the relatives of the mate of an American vessel, wrecked last year, are anxious to hear from him. Large rewards were offered for copies. of missing birth, marriage, and burial certificates, including one for the marriage certificate of a lady, who is reported to have eloped with a baker in 1792. Liberal rewards were also offered for copies of old Next of Kin advertisements.

Another lady was informed that she could obtain possession of "a verbal bequest of sundry china ware, &c., made to her by a gentleman who died at Greenwich in 1844."

In addition to the foregoing multifarious notices, the Treasury Solicitor advertised for the Next of Kin of between twenty and thirty persons who had died intestate without known rela

tives. Estates thus reverting to the Crown were estimated by the late Queen's Proctor to bring into the National Exchequer about £40,000 a year. The Crown is also the recipient of very large sums of money arising from Unclaimed Dividends of the Bank of England, Army and Navy Prize Money, Unclaimed Soldiers' Balances, Estates of Colonial Intestates, and "Conscience Money," the last item is said to bring in about £15,000 a year.

I trust that a perusal of these jottings may convey the news of a goodly windfall to some of your readers-they will then have served a very useful purpose. The "agony" column of the Times is often interesting as well as profitable reading-the news of an unexpected legacy has not unfrequently been thus conveyed. I am, Sir, your obedient servant,

EDWARD PRESTON, (Proprietor of "Chambers's Index of Next of Kin," &c.)

1, Great College Street, Westmister,

December, 1878.

DE NOVO.

O WASTED life! O vanished hours!
Unheeded, voiceless on ye sped,
Or leaving but a few stray flowers,
To save your memory from the dead.

Their petals may have long been sere;

We've seen decay their blossoms fill;
And naught that once was bright is here,
To satisfy our worship still.

Then let us cast their forms away,
A burden to the wanton wind,
And ere we've lived another day,
A more enduring trophy find.

H. E. W.

WHILE "TIS MAY.

BY THE AUTHOR OF "A DESPERATE CHARACTER," &c.

CHAPTER IV.

I HAVE seen a good many pretty girls in my time; but even at the risk of mortally offending some of them, I cannot help saying that she whom the old lady addressed by the name of Jessie-the only intelligible word she could speak, by the way-as I, then, for the first time beheld her, seemed to me the very fairest of them all; and I am of the same opinion still.

Mentally I judged her to be sixteen; but subsequently discovered that she was two years older.

Pale and delicate though she looked-half-starved, in fact-there was no mistaking her refined and intellectual features for those of an ordinary inhabitant of the Rents; ror was her eastern origin in any way doubtful, notwithstanding her large blue eyes, and the profusion of fair wavy hair that floated round her shoulders and rippled more than half-way down her back. She was undoubtedly a Jewess; and yet the old lady, who, by the way, could scarcely be her mother, presented certainly in her wizened features no trace of any such honourable descent, her Hebrew name of Mrs. Josephs notwithstanding.

Then I recollected that my child-guide had spoken of "the sick lady's granddaughter;" doubtless it was on the father's side that this fair maiden claimed kindred with the aristocracy of human nature; but I was wrong, as I not unusually am when I attempt a guess.

Yes, she was a beautiful girl; and yet it would have been difficult to say wherein her chiefest attraction lay, in features, form, or flowing locks-rather in all combined; but I must not attempt her portrait, not here at least, where she necessarily appears under a cloud in the murky atmosphere of Rhymer's Rents.

"I am so glad you have come, doctor!" she exclaimed, in the flute-like tone that had already won my goodwill for the unseen speaker. "Poor gran'ma was taken very ill in the night, so ill that I dared not leave her; but towards morning she seemed to rally a little, and I ran round to your house to ask you to come and see her. I hope you will pardon the liberty I have taken, but I pass February.-VOL XV., NO. LXXXVI.

9

your door every morning and evening, and have so often read your name on the brass-plate, that it has become quite familiar to me, and you seem quite like an old acquaintance. I have just been round to your house again, for I thought you had not received the message, as it is getting late, and you had not come."

"I cannot see every one 'first,'" I replied, with a smile; "but now I am here, I will do everything I possibly can for the poor old lady, who is very, very ill, and I fear has been irri. tated by my not being able to understand what she wanted to say to me."

"Gran' is irritable," admitted the girl, in a lower tone; "but you must not mind her; she is a good old gran,' too;" here she kissed the wizened face of the old woman, and smoothed her faded curls and dilapidated cap-"a good old gran.""

The sick woman seemed to take the caress impatiently, and tried her utmost to say something which neither her granddaughter nor I could understand; her inability to express herself intelligibly seemed to cause her the greatest annoyance, and irritated her to such an extent that I feared a recurrence of her attack, which would, in all probability, have proved immediately fatal.

"I think," I said, addressing myself to the granddaughter, "that I had better go; my presence here only vexes her-you must keep her as quiet as you can; I will make her up some suitable medicine, which I hope will be of use."

"Oh, thank you, doctor; thank you so very much. She is the only friend I have in the world; and, if I was to lose her, I don't know what would become of me."

"Have you lived here long?" I inquired, with an unusual feeling of interest in my new acquaintances.

"Almost twelve months," replied the girl, with a deep sigh, that seemed to swell up from the very depth of her heart-" but we have been very unfortunate. Little by little everything we had of any value has gone."

"May I ask," I continued, "how you get your living?"

Jessie flushed, to the tips of her ears, a vivid scarlet, and was on the point of resenting an inquiry which had been, certainly, most clumsily, not to say offensively, put; though not from any feeling of idle curiosity, but from deep and genuine interest, as immediately hastened to explain.

I

"I give lessons in music and singing in a school," she replied, "for which I receive seven-and-sixpence a week, and gran' used to do a great deal of sewing-she is a very beautiful worker-and so we have managed to exist, after a fashion. Unfortunately, how ever, we have fallen into arrears with our landlord, a dreadful