"My dear

Relative to Mrs. Alsop.

"Carlisle, Sunday, Dec. 4, 1814.

"When I received your letter relative to Fanny, I immediately wrote to George, without endeavouring to prejudice him in the smallest degree-but was not at all surprised at the enclosed answer, which you may show or not, as you shall judge best. You have of course received my last. I will spare what I can to send her to Wales respectable, and enable her uncle to receive her comfortably. Whenever Alsop is in a situation to provide for, or maintain her abroad, I will exert my utmost to send her to him.

"All personal discussions on such subjects are doubly painful, therefore, my dear, to prevent such, I take the opportunity of repeating this by letter; and, in future, I have only to refer Fanny to my last letter to you. If she and Mrs. Williams should prefer living in any cheap part of France, they may do it to more advantage. It is very probable that I shall find it necessary to live

there the best part of every year.

Dear George's

account of every body in C. Place, gives me great pleasure. I could wish Mrs. Alsop and Mrs. Williams would make up their minds before I return. I shall be back, if those dear boys go soon, by the 15th or 16th. God bless you all!

Nothing is as yet settled when we start; but we are to go out in Admiral Burlton's ship, who goes out to take the command in India. I am now certain to join Lord Moira; but, if any thing is said about it, the Duke of York will give me positive orders to join my horrid regiment. I really think we go out in the most happy way, and ought, if we choose to stay long enough, to make

our fortunes. My father, poor soul, has suffered much, but is now better; his anxiety actually made him very ill-but both go out in the same ship, which is a great comfort. Although we are a great way off each other, (700 miles,) yet I hope, should any good situation offer, to bring Henry to Calcutta. The girls have made up their minds to it did not mention any thing very well. Mabout Fanny; but I cannot take her on board the King's ship. It will be impossible; I would not shackle myself with her. Mac Mahon gives me the most certain assurances of Alsop being provided for. I will do all I can; but I cannot take Fanny out with us. It will cost 3,000l. to get us out to India-where is all this to come from?"

"I shall be home by January 15th, or 16th. Truly sorry am I to be under the necessity of disturbing dear Dora; sooner than do so, if I was not very unwell, I would take lodgings.

"The inclosed to the Gen-1,* contains a proposition, similar to the one I made to you, concerning the house; which, if it does not appear eligible to him, I shall dispose of as soon as possible;-and, if not able to follow my profession, I shall immediately go abroad.

"God bless you!

"D. J."

"P. S. I trust in God you will exert yourself, in pointing out to Fanny the absolute necessity of her prompt compliance with the proposal; in which case, she shall ever find me her mother and friend."

* General Hawker, her son-in-law.

305

CHAPTER XXVI.

Sir Jonah Barrington's allusion to a distressing event, which he declines to relate-The person alluded to heard in his own defence.

THE reader will have weighed the reasons in a former chapter why I inclined to question the astonishing profits of Mrs. Jordan, in her profession, during her last year in England. However, Sir Jonah Barrington, estimating them at 7,000l., thus follows up his statement of their amount. "The malicious representations, therefore, of her having been left straitened in pecuniary circumstances, were literally fabulous; for to the very moment of her death, she remained in full possession of all the means of comfort-nay, if she chose it, of luxury and splendor. Why, therefore, she emigrated, pined away, and expired in a foreign country, (of whose language she was ignorant, and in whose habits she was wholly unversed,) with every appearance of necessity, is also considered a mystery by those unacquainted with the cruel and disastrous