signed, so as to avert punishment; but the true cause began to be suspected; and his mistress at length judged it expedient to issue a standing order, that he should never be sent for water unless he evinced a perfect willingness to go. In the state of moral debasement in which he describes himself to have been during his apprenticeship, it is not surprising that he contracted many of the pernicious habits of those with whom he mingled, or that some of the neighbouring gardens and orchards were reported to have suffered from the looseness of his morals. Though he generally managed to evade detection and punishment, there is reason to believe, that, in various instances, he was more indebted to adroitness than to innocence. Having ventured one day, with no honest intention, into the Tregrehan grounds, he was detected, by the proprietor, in the act of trespass. By a display of craftiness and agility, he escaped instant punishment; but the gentleman immediately apprized the master, that, as the boy's depredations had become notorious, unless measures were taken to restrain or remove him, he, as a magistrate, should consider it a duty to the public to commit him to the county jail ;—a threat which was not executed, since Samuel very shortly removed himself. Smuggling, at the time of Mr. Drew's apprenticeship, was more common in Cornwall than it is in the present day. Very few esteemed it a breach of moral duty; and to engage in it was not considered dishonourable. The ingenuity frequently displayed, in baffling pursuit, and evading detection, gained the applause of the public, who regarded the officers of the revenue as enemies of the common good. This was an occupation quite congenial with Samuel's adventurous spirit, and it pleased his excited fancy after reading "Paul Jones." had formed an acquaintance with some persons who were in the habit of assisting smugglers; and, without his master's knowledge or consent, was frequently absent on their nocturnal expeditions. It was while engaged in a smuggling or poaching affair, not far from his master's house, that an incident occurred, which he frequently related, as having made.a very deep impression on his memory. He "There were several of us, boys and men, out about twelve o'clock, on a bright moonlight night. What we were engaged about I do not exactly remember. I think we were poaching; but it was something that would not bear investigation. party were in a field, adjoining the road leading from my master's to St. Austell, and I was stationed outside the hedge, The to watch, and give the alarm if any intruder should appear. While thus occupied, I heard what appeared to be the sound of a horse, approaching from the town, and I gave a signal. My companions paused, and came to the hedge where I was, to see the passenger. They looked through the bushes, and I drew myself close to the hedge, that I might not be observed. The sound increased, and the supposed horseman seemed drawing near. The clatter of the hoofs became more and more distinct. We all looked to see who and what it was; and I was seized with a strange, indefinable feeling of dread, when, instead of a horse, there appeared coming towards us, at an easy pace, but with the same sound which first caught my ear, a creature about the height of a large dog. It went close by me; and, as it passed, it turned upon me and my companions huge fiery eyes, that struck terror to all our hearts. The road where I stood branched off in two directions, in one of which there was a gate across. Towards this gate it moved; and, without any apparent obstruction, went on at its regular trot, which we heard several minutes after it had disappeared. Whatever it was, it put an end to our occupation, and we made the best of our way home. "I have often endeavoured, in later years, but without success, to account, on natural principles, for what I then heard and saw. As to the fact, I am sure there was no deception. It was a night of unusual brightness, occasioned by a cloudless full moon. How many of us were together I do not know, nor do I distinctly, at this time, recollect who the men were. Matthew Pascoe, one of my intimate boyish acquaintances, was of the party; but he is dead, and so probably are the others. The creature was unlike any animal I had then seen; but, from my present recollections, it had much the appearance of a bear, with a dark shaggy coat. Had it not been for the unearthly lustre of its eyes, and its passing through the gate as it did, there would be no reason to suppose it any thing more than an animal perhaps escaped from some menagerie. That it did pass through the gate, without pause or hesitation, I I am perfectly clear. Indeed, we all saw it, and saw that the gate was shut, from which we were not distant more than twenty or thirty yards. The bars were too close to admit the passage of an animal of half its apparent bulk; yet this creature went through without effort or variation of its pace. Whenever I have read the passage about the 'lubber fiend,' in Milton's L'Allegro, or heard the description given of the brownie,' in the legends of other days, I have always identified these beings, real or imaginary, with what I on this occasion witnessed. "How such a being, if immaterial, could become an object of sight, or how it could affect my organs of hearing, I do not know; and it is folly to attempt to account for a supernatural occurrence on the principles of natural science; for could we succeed, it would be no longer supernatural. If it be inquired, for what purpose such a creature was sent, or permitted to appear to us, I cannot undertake to answer. With reference to myself, I might observe, that I was at this time forming acquaintances and contracting habits of the most pernicious kind, such as, if persevered in, might have brought me to an untimely and a disgraceful end. This night's adventure, though it produced no radical change in my conduct, was not forgotten. It prevented me, while I continued with my master, from engaging in any further expeditions of the kind; and it was a means of withdrawing me from the company of those who were leading me to ruin. In many circumstances of my past life, I can distinguish the kind hand of God stretched out to save me, as a brand plucked from the burning;' and this appears to be one. Whether the same end might have been effected by ordinary agency, is not for me to say. Probably it might. But then other objects of greater importance in the moral government of God might have remained unaccomplished; "For man, who here seems principal alone, Perhaps acts second to some sphere unknown,— The preceding relation, marked as being Mr. Drew's words, was made by him to the writer, a few years since, on the very spot where the circumstance occurred. The narrative, and the observations upon it, are given, as far as memory can be depended on, without variation of language; and, to ensure accuracy, they have been collated with the recollections of several individuals who have heard Mr. Drew's statement. His own remarks supersede any which we might be tempted to offer upon this singular occurrence. We live in an era of the world's history in which the arcana of nature are daily laid open; and yet "There are more things in heaven and earth Although it is sufficiently apparent that Mr. D.'s conduct was any thing but blameless, during his apprenticeship, yet he was, to quote his own expression, "like a toad under a harrow ;" and, amid the utter absence of that reciprocity of kindness and good-will so necessary to improvement, it is not surprising that he made little proficiency in his business He felt conscious, at the outset, that his master and mistress wished to degrade him by the most menial offices: his shoulders spurned the yoke; and the indignities offered him furnished a constant source of dissatisfaction. One of his youthful companions, who still survives him, says, "I believe Sam was a difficult boy to manage; but he was made worse by the treatment he received. I was once in the shop, when, for a very small offence, his master struck him very violently with a last, and maimed him for a time. Such usage only made him sturdy, and caused him to dislike his master and his work." The result was, that, when about seventeen, he absconded. The circumstances are thus related by his sister. "At the time my brother Samuel was an apprentice, my father was chiefly employed in what was called riding Sherborne. There was scarcely a bookseller at that time in Cornwall; and the only newspaper known among the common people was the Sherborne Mercury, published weekly by Goadby & Co., the same persons that issued the Weekly Entertainer. The papers were not sent by post, but by private messengers, who were termed Sherborne men. My father was one of these. Between Plymouth and Penzance there were two stages on the main road, each about forty miles; and there were branch riders, in different directions, who held a regular communication with each other, and with the establishment in Sherborne. Their business was to deliver the newspapers, Entertainers, and any books that had been ordered; to collect the money, and take fresh orders. Almost the whole county of Cornwall was supplied with books and papers in this way. My father's stage was from St. Austell to Plymouth. He always set off on his journey early on Monday morning, and returned on Wednesday. "One Monday night, in the hay season, after my step-mother and I were in bed, my father being absent on his journey, we were awakened by my brother Samuel, who had then come from his master's, in St. Blazey. He said to our step-mother, I am going away, and want some money. Will you give me She inquired what he meant by going away,' and whether he had then any money about him. some?" D 6 His reply was, 'I am going to run away. I have now sixteen pence halfpenny; and if you will not give me more, I will go with that, and never return to my master's house.' She felt herself in a dilemma. To refuse appeared cruel; and to comply with his request would be assisting him to do wrong. She therefore told him that he must go to bed, and wait his father's return. But his resolution was fixed; for though we concluded he would not execute his intentions without further supplies, when morning came he was gone. Knowing his resolute temper, and that he had more than once threatened to enter on board a manof-war, we were greatly alarmed, especially as my father was absent, lest he should take some decisive step before any thing could be done to prevent it. We sent messengers about the neighbourhood, but could get no intelligence of him, until my father returned. My brother's adventures, after leaving our house, I have heard him thus describe. "When I came to Polpea, to ask for money, I had not fully determined whither to go. I thought of travelling to Plymouth, to seek a berth on board a king's ship. Instead, however, of taking the short road, where I feared my father might fall in with me, I went on towards Liskeard, through the night, and feeling fatigued, went into a hay-field and slept. My luggage was no encumbrance; as the whole of my property, besides the clothes I wore, was contained in a small handkerchief. Not knowing how long I should have to depend upon my slender stock of cash, I found it necessary to use the most rigid economy. Having to pass over either a ferry or toll-bridge, for which I had to pay a halfpenny, feeling my present situation, and knowing nothing of my future prospects, this small call upon my funds distressed me. I wept as I went on my way; and, even to the present time, I feel a pang when I recollect the circumstance. The exertion of walking, and the fresh morning air, gave me a keener appetite than I thought it prudent to indulge. I, however, bought a penny loaf at the first place I passed where bread was sold, and, with a halfpenny worth of milk, in a farmer's house, ate half of my loaf for breakfast. In passing through Liskeard, my attention was attracted by a shoemaker's shop, in the door of which a respectable looking man, whom I supposed to be the master, was standing. Without any intention of seeking employment in this place, I asked him if he could give me work; and he, taking compassion, I suppose, on my sorry appearance, promised to employ me next morning. Before I could go to work, tools were necessary; and I was obliged to lay out a shilling on these. Dinner, under such cir |