Story of Le Fever; from Triftram Shandy. A ༣༠ When I went up, continued the cor- He did not offer to fpeak to me, till I had walked up clofe to his bed-fide: -If you are Capt. Shandy's fervant, E faid he, you must present my thanks to your mafter, with my little boy's thanks along with them, for his courtefy to me-if he was of Levens'sfaid the lieutenant. I told him your ho nour was then, faid he, I ferved three campaigns with him in Flanders, and F remember him,-but 'tis most likely, as I had not the honour of any acquaintance with him, that he knows nothing of me.-You will tell him, however, that the perfon his good nature has laid under obligations to him, is one Le Fever, a lieutenant in Angus's-but he knows me not,-faid he, a fecond time, mufing;-poffibly he the captain, I was the enfign at Breda, may my ftory-added he-pray tell whofe wife was unfortunately killed with a muket fhot, as he lay in my arms in my tent.-I remember the ftory, an't pleafe your honour, faid I, ve- H by well-Do you fo? faid he, wiping his eyes his handkerchief,-then well may I.-In faying this, he drew little ring out of his bofom, which med tied with a black ribhand about reck, and kifs'd it twice-here, faid be,-the boy flew acrofs the G room to the bed-fide, and falling down upon his knee, took the ring in his hand, and kifled it too, then killed his father, and fat down upon the bed and wept. I with, faid my uncle Taby, with a deep figh,-I with, Trim, I was asleep. Your honour, replied the corporal, is too much concerned ;-fhall I pour your honour out a glafs of fack to your pipe ?-Do, Trim, faid my uncle Toby. I remember, faid my uncle Toby, fighing again, the ftory of the enfign and his wife, with a circumitance his modefty omitted;-and particularly well that he, as well as fhe, upon fome account or other, (I forgot what) was univerfally pitied by the whole regiment ;--but finish the story thou art upon-Tis finished already, faid the corporal, for I could stay no longer, -fo wifhed his honour a good night young Le Fever rofe from off the bed, and faw me to the bottom of the airs; and as we went down together, told me, they came from Ireland, so were on their route to join the rement in Flanders. But alafs! faid the corporal, -the lieutenant's last day's march is over. Then what is to become of his poor boy? cried my uncle Toby. But Trim, when,thou madeft an offer of my fervices to Le Fever,as sickness & travelling are expenfive, and thou knowest he was but a poor lieutenant, with a fon to fubfift as well as himself, out of his pay, why didft thou not make an offer to him of my purfe ;-and when thou offeredft him whatever was in my houfe,-why didft thou not offer him my houfe too:-A fick brother officer fhould have the beft quarters, Trim, and if we had him with us, in a fortnight or three weeks, he might march. - He will never march, an pleafe your honour, in this world, faid the corporal: -He will march; faid my uncle Toby, rifing up from the fide of the bed, with one hoe off-An' pleafe your honour, in this world, faid the corporal, he will never march, but to his grave:He fhall march, cried my uncle Toby, marching the foot which had a fhoe on, though without advancing an inch,-he fhall march to his regiment.-He cannot ftand it, faid the corporal; he shall be fupported, faid my uncle Toby;-he'll drop at laft, faid the corporal, and what will become of his boy-He thall not drop, faid my uncle Toby, firmly.-A-well-o'day,do what we can for him, faid Trim, paintaining his point,-the poor foul Story of Le Fever; from Triftram Shandy. will die-He shall not die, by G-, cried my uncle Toby. -The accufing fpirit which flew up to heaven's chancery with the oath, blushed as he gave it in ;-and the reording angel as he wrote it down, dropp'd a tear upon the word, and blotted it out for ever. -My uncle Toby went to his bureau, -put his purfe into his breeches pocket, and having ordered the corporal to go early in the morning for a physician, The went to bed, and fell asleep. by's hands, than an old regimental coat and a fword; fo that my uncle Toby found little or no oppofition from the world in taking administration. The coat my nncle Toby gave the corporal; A-wear it, Trim, faid my uncle Toby, as long as it will hold together, for the fake of the poor lieutenant-and this, -aid my uncle Toby, taking up the fword in his hand, and drawing it out of the fcabbard as he fpoke and this, Le Fever, I'll fave for thee, 'tis all the fortune, continued my uncle Toby, hanging it upon a crook, and pointing to it,tis all the fortune, my dear Le Fever, which God has left thee; but if he has given thee a heart to fight thy way with it in the world,—and thou doeft it like a man of honour,'tis enough for us. B My uncle Toby, rofe up an hour before his wonted time, and entering the lieutenant's room, without preface or apology, fat himfelf down upon the chair by the bed side, and independently of all modes and customs, opened the curtain in the manner an old friend and brother officer would have C done it, and asked him how he did, -how he had refted in the night,→ what was his complaint,-where was his pain, and what he could do to help him and without giving him time to answer any of the enquiries, went on and told him of a little plan which he had been concerting with the corporal the night before for him. As foon as my uncle Toby had laid a foundation, and taught him to infcribe a regular polygon in a circle, he fent him to a public fchool, where, excepting Whitfontide and Christmas, at which times the corporal was pun&ually dispatched for him, he remained to the fpring of the year, feventeen ; D when the ftory of the Emperor's fending his army into Hungary against the Tarks, kindling a spark of fire in his bofom, he left his Greek and Latin without leave, and throwing bimfelf upon his knees before my uncle Toby, hegged his father's fword, and my uncle Toby's leave along with it, to go and try his fortune under Eugene. Twice did my uncle Toby forget his wound, and cry out, Le Fever! I will go with thee, and thou fhalt fight befide me-and twice he laid his hand upon his groin, and hung down his head in forrow and difconfolation. -You fhall go home directi1y, Le Fever, faid my uncle Toby, o my house, -and we'll fend for a doctor to fee what's the matter, and we'll have an apothecary, and the corporal fhall be your nurfe;-and I'll be your fervant, E Le Fever. -The blood and fpirits of Le Fever, which were waxing cold and flow within him, and were retreating to their laft citadel, the heart,-rallied back, the film forfook his eyes for a moment, he looked up withfully in my uncle Toby's face, then cait a look upon his boy, and that ligament, fine as it was, was never broken. Nature inftantly ebb'd again,-the film returned to its place, the pulfe Butter'd-topp'd-went on-throb'd- F My uncle Toby took down the sword from the crook, where it had hung untouched ever fince the lieutenant's death, and delivered it to the corporal to brighten up-and having detained Le Fever a single fortnight to equip, him, and contract for his paffage to Legborn,-he put the fword in his hand, -if thou art brave, Le Fever, faid my Toby, this will not fail thee,-but fortune, faid he, mufing a little,-fortune may-and if the does,—added my uncle Toby, come back again to me, Le Fever, and we will shape thee another H courfe. stopp'd again-moved-stopp'd-shall G I go on ?-No. All that is necessary to be added is as follows : That my uncle Toby, with young Le Fever in his hand, attended the poor lieutenant, as chief mourners, to his grave. When my uncle Toby had turned every thing into money, and fettled all accounts betwixt the agent of the regiment and Le Fever, and betwixt Le Fever and all mankind, there remained nothing more in my uncle To The greatest injury could not have oppreffed the heart of Le Fever more than my uncle Toby's paternal kindnefs; he parted from my uncle Tabs, as the best of fons from the best of tathers both dropped tears—and as my 32 Further Obfervations on the Scarcity of Silver Coin. uncle Toby gave him his last kifs, he lipped fixty guineas, tied up in an old purfe of his father's, in which was his mother's ring, into his hand,-and bid God bless him. A Le Fever got up to the imperial ar my just time enough to try what metal his fword was made of, at the defeat of the Turks before Belgrade; but a feries of unmerited mifchances had pursued him from that moment, and trod close upon his heels for four years together B after he had withstood thefe buffetings to the laft, till sickness overtook him at Marseilles, from whence he wrote my uncle Toby word, he had loft his time, his fervices, his health, and, in fhort, every thing but his fword; and was waiting for the first ship to return back to him. : This flory is told to prepare the Reader to receive Le Fever as tutor to young Triftram. We have omitted fever al little circumflances to reduce it to a moderate length; but we cannot help obferving, that it is altogether a mafter-piece in its kind, and does the Writer great credit. SIR, TH public houfes, under forfeiture of it, And, by the fecond, it was enacted. That, for the better encouragement of all perfons to bring in their wrought plate, to be coined into the lawful coin of this realm, all persons "who should fo bring in any wrought plate between the 1st day of January 1696, and the 4th day of November 1697, fhould be paid for fuch plate at the rate of five fhillings and fourpence the ounce troy, without any deduction for folder, unless for fuch folder as fhould be in any hollow part ' of the fame.' 8, 9 Wm III. C. 8. If a bill, of the fame import with thefe ftatutes, was carried into a law, there can be no doubt but that many perfons of fortune would fell a part of their plate for the ufe of the public; C and that others, being fenfible of their folly in having purchased a great quantity of plate, to which their ftation in life by no means entitles them, will immediately difpofe of it; and think themselves happy in having an opportunity of doing an act, under the cover of public fpirit, to which priD vate neceffity, and a more fober understanding, may moft cogently exhort them. HE fcarcity of filver is at this time but too well known; yet the quantity of filver plate, kept merely for fhow in the houses of persons of very fmall fortunes, is notorious; and fuch is the folly and luxury of the E age, that even publicans, who vend porter, are reduced to the neceffity of having filver tankards, left the delicacy of the drinker should be offended with pewter. To remedy this fcarcity, it is propofed, that all publicans fhall be prohibited, by act of parliament, from keeping any fpecies of plate in their houfes for public ufe, except teafpoons and table-spoons; and that all other perfons fhall be exhorted by the legiflature, and encouraged, by as good a price as can be given, to bring their plate to the Mint, that it may be immediately converted into current coin. This remedy is offered to the public, with the greater confidence, as it has formerly been tried in England, F G If reafons, which do not now offer themselves, fhould render the profecution of this fcheme not adviseable, it will certainly be neceffary to coin a the place of filver; and perhaps quarnumber of small gold pieces to fupply ter guineas, as was hinted in our last (Supp. p. 615.) would be moft proper. Leff a precedent, therefore, should be wanting, in this diffident age, for doing what the most common understanding perceives to be abfolutely remay be neceffary to obferve, that no quifite, and undeniably beneficial; it longer ago than the year 1711, about 110 pounds of gold were coined at the Tower into above 70,000 of these useful pieces. Yours, &c. D.G Copy of the King of Spain's Orders to the Governors of the Sea-port Towns of that Kingdom, for the Detenfion of the English Ships. Buen Retiro, Dec. 10, 1761. IS Majefty is pretty fure that the and was found effectual. The acts of H King of England has already, or rliament, by which it was enforced, 278 Wm III. Chap. 6. and 8, 9 III. Chap. 8. the firft of thefe ftatutes, The of all wrought filver plate, fpoons ly excepted, was prohibited in all H will, in a few days, declare war, or caufe hoftilities to be commenced againft his majefty's fubjects; on this fuppofition, and until we are informed what conduct the English will oblerve in their rupture with Spain, which 1 New-invented Barometer. A their injuftice has occafioned, it is his majefty's will, that the fhips of that nation that should be found in any of the ports of his dominions fhall be detained, declaring at the fame time, that this is only done to keep them as a depofite, and which is to be effected with the precautions that the concerned shall think proper to take for the preservation of the ships and cargoes, till his Majefty finds that the King of England begins the war, agreeable to the regulations established a- B mongst civilized nations, when they will be fet at liberty: To put in execution this his Majesty's orders, and that nothing may be wanting to obtain the true object thereof, it is neceffary that your Lordship will make feizure of all the English hips, either men of war or merchantmen, that fhall be found in the ports of your jurifdiction, taking off their rudders, and fecuring their papers, to prevent their putting out to fea: Care shall be taken that no ill treatment is offered to their crews, and that no hurt be done to their cargoes, taking what measure fhall be requifite to the fatisfaction of their respective owners, for their prefervation. C D It is likewife his Majefty's pleafure, that an embargo fhall be laid in all the ports of Spain (till new orders) on all fhips or veffels of any nation whatfoever, beginning with the Spanish E hips, in order to hinder any intelligence that may be given to the enemy, of this rupture, and to provide against the dangers that, by fuch information, the Spanish men of war, or merchantmen now at fea, would run of being feized by the enemy. This order has no other exception, but that no obstruction or hindrance fhall be put to the departure from this port of any veffel that Don Juan de Arraiga, or the minifters of the Marine Department, fhall think proper to send out. The King trufts to your prudence and zeal, for the due execution of his orders. F G H 33 world, were at firft fight plaufible enough; but none of them upon trial have fufficiently answered the end propofed. In the horizontal and inclined ones, fome parts of the mercury break off from the reft; the wheel barometer and the pendent, friction renders ufelefs, and the compound ones are both difficult to make, faulty when made, and troublesome to ufe: fo that we have hitherto been forced to reft content with the common scale of three inches; or, rather two, for the quickfilver moves no more. The following contrivance is liable to none of the above objections; its bulk is pretty much the fame with the common one, its height and pofition exactly the fame, and its variation near ten times as much. It may perhaps, be fid, that mercury is of fo piercing a nature, that a small shaking will force it paft the cylinder, but as there is no occafion to shake it all, that objection readily vanishes. 31 Let A. D. be a glass tube inch in diameter from D F A B 34 Sea.-To prevent preffing. How to prevent Famine at From the enquiries I have been able to make, and from the frequent use of it which I have myself made, I cannot find that any bad confequence attends it. It is true, that in fome constitutions it is apt to bring on a coftiveness; but this may be prevented by the juice of lemons, oranges, limes, or even AI common vinegar or fea-falt. Vinegar is an article which few fhips are ever without a fufficient stock of; I am fure, at least, no hips ever ought to be without it. The way of ufing falop is to sprinkle a fufficient quantity of the powder upon boiling water, and after stirring it together, boil it up. Half an ounce of the powder ufed this way, will make a gallon of very thick nourishing gruel; more than fufficient to maintain a man in health and strength, even without the ufe of bread, for 24 hours. In very hot climates, ufed as a change, instead of falt provifions, this gruel would not only be an agreeable, but alfo a very healthy diet. However, what I would chiefly recommend it for is, as a resource in cafe of the other provisions either falling fhort, or being spoiled; as it is an article which, when kept dry, is not very liable to fpoil. The price of falop, I find, varied much; but, confidering the small quantity required for the nourishment of a number of men, it is, and must be, a cheap kind of provifion. The prefent price of falop is 12 guineas the hundred weight; within thefe few years it has been as high as 24/. and as low as 7 l. This fluctuation in the price is owing to the small demand for it, which occafions but a fmall quantity to be imported. By the bills of entry, the quantity imported to England for thefe last 5 years, amounts to no more than 14,189 pounds, that is, one year with another, 2,837 1. The expence of powdering it, 6 d. per pound; but, as it is very difficult to powder, and liable to great watte in the ufing, if not well done, it is the in-. tereft of every body to buy it ready powdered. By paffengers, and as an article of private ftores, it has already been ufed at fea; but, I believe, never as an article of fhip ftores for the use of the failors. If the gentlemen of the army would pleafe to take it under confideration, believe they too would find falop an cle of great ufe and advantage to men, especially after forced es, or foraging parties in the B C D E F beginning or clofe of their campaigns. The futtlers, I am informed, fometimes have it, but not at a price which the pay of a private man will often reach. If the contractors were obliged to furnish it fometimes to the foldiery, inftead of ammunition bread, believe it would be attended with great advantage to the fervice, and thofe gentlemen would still have a reafonable profit. I fhall be glad of the opinion of your correfpondents on this fubject; as the good of mankind in general, and of the British failors in particular, is the only end I want to promote. P.S. As there is a talk of fending fome fhips to the South Seas, it is particularly defired, that the gentlemen, concerned in fitting them out, would give this little memoir a proper confideration, as the failing of provisions in fo long a voyage has always been detrimental, and frequently fatal tə the intended expedition. SIR, A S at this juncture there is an extreme want of men to augment his majefty's forces by fea and land, it is incumbent on the magistracy, and all other peace-officers in the kingdom, to exert themfelves in procuring this fupply. But in this vigilant and honourable difcharge of their duty, it is neceflary that they have. an eye on fuch as are fit objects, left, while they are endeavouring to ferve their king, they injure their country: Vagabonds, loofe and diforderly men, who fubfift by protecting houfes and women of infamous characters, begging impoftors, drunkards, thofe who are too lazy to follow their refpective employments, the frequenters of night-houfes and the lewd fcenes of midnight riot and licentioufnefs; thofe who are without any honeft employment, and cannot give a good and fatisfactory account of themfelves; and Gall other men, who by their conduct or manner of living prejudice their neighbours and the public, are what fall under the cognizance of the magiftracy; and it will be a great fervice done to the honest and induftrious part of mankind to rid them of fuch evils. The number of them, upon ftrict fearch, will be found to be far greater than many people imagine, and of confequence would make a large fupply to the forces of his majefty, were they conveyed into his fervice. fhould be directed, that the peace offi H It cers |