WHICH IS THE HEIR? INGENIOUSLY
DETERMINED.

A JEWELLER who carried on an extensive trade, and supplied the deficiencies of one country by the superfluities of another, leaving his home with a valuable assortment of diamonds, for a distant region, took with him his son and a young slave, whom he had purchased in his infancy, and had brought up more like an adopted child, than a servant. They performed their intended journey, and the merchant disposed of his commodities with great advantage; but while preparing to return, he was seized by a pestilential distemper, and died suddenly in the metropolis of a foreign country. This accident inspired the slave with a wish to possess his master's treasures, and relying on the total ignorance of strangers, and the kindness every where shown him by the jeweller, he declared himself the son of the deceased, and took charge of his property. The true heir, of course, denied his pretensions, and solemnly declared himself to be the only son of the defunct, who had long before purchased his opponent as a slave. This contest produced various opinions. It happened that the slave was a young man of comely person, and of polished manners; while the jeweller's son was ill-favoured by nature, and still more injured in his education, by the indulgence of his parents. This superiority operated in the minds of many to support the claims of the former; but since no certain evidence could be produced on either side, it became necessary to refer the dispute to a court of law. There, however, from a total want of proofs, nothing could be done. The magistrate declared his inability to decide on unsupported assertions, in which each party was equally positive. This caused a report of the case to be made to

the prince, who having heard the particulars, was also confounded, and at a loss how to decide the question. At length, a happy thought occurred to the chief of the Judges, and he engaged to ascertain the real heir. The two claimants being summoned before him, he ordered them to stand behind a curtain prepared for the occasion, and to project their heads through two openings, when, after hearing their several arguments, he would cut off the head of him who should prove to be the slave. This they readily assented to; the one on a reliance on his honesty, the other from a confidence of the impossibility of detection. Accordingly, each taking his place as ordered, thrust his head through a hole in the curtain. An officer stood in front with a drawn cimeter in his hand, and the Judge proceeded to the examination. After a short debate, the Judge cried out, " Enough, enough, strike off the villain's head!" and the officer, who watched the moment, leaped towards the two youths; the impostor, startled at the brandished weapon, hastily drew back his head, while the jeweller's son, animated by conscious security, stood unmoved. The Judge immediately decided for the latter and ordered the slave to be taken into custody, to receive the punishment due to his diabolical ingratitude.

WINNING A LOSS.

IN the canton of Schweitz, many years ago, a man named Frantz came one evening to Gaspard, who was working in his field, and said to him, "Friend, it is now mowing time: we have a difference about a meadow, you know, and I have got the judges to meet at Schweitz,

to determine the cause, since we cannot do it for ourselves; so you must come with me before them to-mor row." "You see, Frantz," replied Gaspard, "that I have mown all this field; I must get in this hay to-morrow; I cannot possibly leave it.' "And," rejoined Frantz, "I cannot send away the judges now they have fixed the day; and besides one ought to know, to whom the field belongs, before it is mown.' They disputed the matter some time; at length Gaspard said to Frantz, "I will tell you how it shall be; go to-morrow to Schweitz, tell the judges your reasons and mine, and then there will be no reason for me to go. "Well," said the other, "if you choose to trust your cause to me, I will manage it as if it were my own." Matters thus settled, Frantz went to Schweitz, pleaded before the judges his own and Gaspard's cause as well as he could. When sentence was pronounced, Frantz returned to Gaspard.

"Gas

pard, said he, "the field is yours; I congratulate you, neighbour; the judges have decided for you, and I am glad the affair is finished." Frantz and Gaspard were friends ever after.

SIR SAMUEL HOOD, BART.

THIS Gallant officer, who commanded the Juno on the Jamaica station in 1791, exhibited a noble instance of intrepidity and humanity. The ship was lying in St. Anne's harbour, when a raft with three persons upon it, was discovered at a great distance. The weather was exceedingly stormy; and the waves broke with such violence, as to leave little hope that the unfortunate men

upon it could long survive. Captain Hood instantly ordered out one of his ship's boats to endeavour to rescue them; but the sea ran so high, that the crew declared the attempt impracticable, and refused to expose themselves to what they considered certain destruction. The captain immediately leaped into the boat, declaring that he would never order them on any service on which he would not himself venture. The effect was such as might be expected: there is no danger that a British sailor will not share with his captain; all now were eager to offer themselves. The boat pushed off; and reached the raft with much difficulty, and saved the exhausted men, who still clung to it. The House of Assembly of Jamaica, to testify their sense of this undaunted exertion in the cause of humanity, presented Captain Hood with a sword of the value of two hundred guineas.

HONEST POVERTY.

IN the report of the House of Commons on Mendicity, Mr. John Doughty, a gentleman much in the habit of visiting the habitations of the needy, was asked, "In your opinion, do many worthy, honest, industritrious persons have recourse to begging; or does this class of society consist chiefly of the idle and profligate ?" Answer: The instances in which worthy, honest, industrious persons have recourse to begging, are extremely rare. They will in general rather starve than beg. A person of veracity, who some time ago visited one thousand five hundred poor families in the neighbourhood of Spitalfields, affirms, "that out of full three hundred cases of abject poverty and destitution, and at Least one hundred of LITERAL WANT AND STARVATION

not a dozen had been found to have recourse to begging. Many of the most wretched of these cases had been not long before able to support themselves in some comfort; but want of employment had completely ruined them. They were at that moment pressed by landlord, baker, and tax-gatherer; had pawned every thing that could be turned into money; were absolutely without a morsel of food for themselves or family; but still had not recourse to begging. As a general fact, the decent poor will struggle to the uttermost, and even perish, rather than turn beggars.

What an admirable foundation of virtue must be laid in those minds, which will even thus endure the horrors of death, approaching with all the torments of hunger and cold, rather than seek to relieve themselves by courses reputed disgraceful.

PRINCESS CHARLOTTE.

IN 1812, a young woman of the name of Frances Sage, was under sentence of death in Newgate. A benevolent Gentleman whose compassion had been deeply excited by an inquiry into the circumstances of her crime, resolved to write a letter to the late lamented Princess Charlotte, to supplicate her intercession for the unfortunate criminal. The letter was such, as did equal honour to his head and heart. It was in these terms:

"MAY IT PLEASE YOUR ROYAL HIGHNESS,

To give a few moments attention to the most humble advocate that ever volunteered in the cause of an afflicted family and as I seek for no reward except the hallowed