The Sun. — London, England, 1817-12-31 00:00:00

THE FORTUNATE YOUTH. `Concluded from The Morning Chronicle.) The 1,1001. placed its Hammond's bands was auatneoted by report of others to 5,0001. ; and the source from whence the original sum was obtain ed, abbough known to several. was never men tioned, for in the - conviction of youni! C.'s story beiag true to its fullest extent, it should seem it was thought right to give him all possible couse qaence that might tend to impress the neigh boa h 00d with similar belief. The young man vow saw himself the object of general interest, not merely in a Newmarket circle, but amongst all ranks in every part of the kingdom, and he also found that even the most exaggerated absurdities fascinated more than probable narrative. Still be was not indifferent to the dumb spew of the drama: In all his views he seemed to he guided by the most disinterested and honourable feelings. His generosity was romantic, but still it was tem pered with a delicate tact and refinement, with a Luoseledge of mankind, and quick perception of character, surprizing for his age, and rarely to be met a Sib in the real transactions of lite. With his intimate frieuds he avoided all conversation about his affairs ; and before strangers he appear ed to be retired its his habits, absorbed in thought, and overcome by his intense application to bo•i ness, and the anxieties attending the management of his important concerns at home and abroad. He genetally read great part of the night, wrote Red received :natty letters, pretended to dispatch esaniers to boobs, and Liverpool, but.tvithoot ostentation, and kept a German Secretary (who once travelled with Lord Darlington) in constant employment. His expenses were not consider able, butt still he was sometimes profuse, and his allowatice of 2001. per annum to his groom ap-: reared a culpable extravagance, until he justified it by stating that it was no more than a just com pensation for the confidence lie was obliged to re pose in him, an:l the fatigue he encountered in carrying his most secret dispatches to their various d es tin a tions. Sometimes a draft was accidentally suffered to fall from out of his pocket-book, and he appeared eager to teenver it, but not before the figures representing a considerable sum had been seen by some of the company. Now and theu he produced drafts signed by hinmif, but under as sumed names, to verity some anecdote_he might be reiatiog relative to the mysterious transactions of the old man, and which obliged him to pursue the same alias system. Amongst those drafts was one on Hatibnry and Lloyd, in favour of the Duke San Carlos, and in the name oll'ttei ta, for :i33,0001.; another on the same firm for 150,0001. after date, as he stated be had overdrawn the house 100,0001. for the ntoment, to make a Spanish loan. This draft not being ott stamp paper, he said, wa's of no consequeace, as the stamp might be affixed at any time, and then it would be tendered legally valid. Another in the name of Forrester, out the Batik of Shrewsbury, for 37,0001. ; and this draft he appeared to send instantly by the post, as he reTsested the bell might be rung for his servant to eirry it there, and on Isis coming, gave him what was then presumed to he the letter which he ha:l •;lickru. Occasionally he embellished his tales with appropriate anecdotes, then expressed great appreliensioo that avat ice would become his pre noietratut passion, said that he felt it growing, and that the only antidote in his case was . the ac elaisitiou of power. He rejected all questions about tile ald man, but once he said that he had a sister living in Kent ; that she was a lady of rank, but he could not mention her name, as it W'ould endanger her happiness and interests ; but that the estate she now enjoyed would devolve to bins at her death. He also spike o f two Noble men, who h d !Mt themselves so completely in the p aver of the old man, that even their lives were' compromised ; that during the time he was 011 va.it to Sir .1. 11. near Edinburgh, the father of one of his school-ft llows. he had given op the vital papers, which one Nobleman had claimed, and who, its consequence, had placed at his dis pafit ion a living 48001. a year ; but be had refused 9.0001. tot those w Isich affected the other, and that he would never part with theist, as Ise was resolved, in consequence of soave pretended injury, on hum bling him, and on to.sking Ishii an instrument of his will. Adverting to tenderer connections, he admit ted an early attachment and indiscreet engagement whit a lady at Shrewsbury ; but as he had lent the family large sums of money, be had controlled their resentment at his subsequent defection front the lady's charms. lie might have married ayoung ladv of higk rank in Scoland, con:set:fed with a person from whom he pretended to have received another incidental legacy of 3,0001. ; and Gene ral in gratitude for the services rendered by hi• , benefactor, and continued by him, towards the South Americans, had recently offered him his daughter its marriage. Matrimony, however, was Iris pro!'essed object, and to ingratiate himselt more into the favour of a family who had countenanced him through life for his promising ta l co N, and modest, unassuming manners, he its sisted on being the adopted parent of a little boy, to w h o m h e had once expected to be il;e tutor.— Po, , fore the cansent :vas actually riven, he took the b„y f rom sehnol, and removed him to the care of his OW II 01 . !!1 instructor, The Rev. Mr. 0. ta whom he held oat the assurance of a very large eatopensation for the attention be respired of Bins, and which compensation would blend with • a d e bt of gratitude which had been contracted on Iris o ,vn account. Some time afterwards he soli - cited in uniun with the family, and, with the crsascut of the respective patents, he was allowed to express Isis admiration " where for so many years he had confiaed his feelings to the langaage. of acknowledgment for protection." The tamily being obliged to go to town, young C. affected a low nervous state, and earnestly requested per- missiOn to accompany his friends. In - the first instance he occupied lodginga'. near Pall Mall, wheae, he was attended by P. and Da..H. to th - Oatter, of whom he almost iminetl.i tely reo .pose'd, trie appointmeat of travelling; physician ,tloritg .(iii journey to Spain (where he was obliged. to go fo. take possession of his estates):, with salary of 10,0001. per annum, as cotstpensatian f the sacrifice of his professional business. I - Its swamis atieetioa appearing to conti n ue, his me dical advisers .recontincmltd his removal to the more comfortable residence of his friend, who immediately. Wrote for his mother to come up to him, received him in his house, on the 25th Nos ember,' until her arrival. From his first coining to town he- had entered free ly into conversation with all classes of persons who approached him, and related particulars of his history, fortune and prosperity, with many inconsistencies as have since been discovered, but s' ill he imposed ou all hearers, and by exhibition of parchment documents (which there is a sos picion he engrossed himself, as blank parchment had heeu seen in his possession) and of fictitious drafts of immense amount, he paralyzed com pletely that good common sense wbich, if once es srr e d, must have discovered the imposition.— As the Ist of January approached, his character seemed to change; instead of his usual gentleness, he displayed great violence of temper, and an ir ritation on the most trifling subjects, that greatly alarmed all about him for the state of his mind. At leneth his language was sp extravagant, that it was feared the acquisition of fortune bad over powered his facalties, and his physicians were consulted, but they contradicted tine opinion, and vouched for his sanity of mind It was neverthe less resolved, on the 30th of November, to re move him, and terminate an intercourse which could no longer exist with any prospect of happi ness, - whatever might be the wealth at his com mand, and Mr. W. the Solicitor, was sent for, that a painful personal explanation with young C. might be avoided.—Before, however, this de. .ermination had been carried into execntion young C. had sent for the lawyer of the family, Mr. E. of Gray's Inn, awl, after making him ex ecute another will, gave him various instructions, amongst which was that of advertising for all I claims on the estate of Gasper Quintella,* as the' old man, his benefactor, had possessed an estate in that name, and, from his hooks, it appeared owed to smite creditoiS abont 60001. which he, yonng C. was anxious to pay immediately. This trait of honesty, and imagined proof of redun dant money at command, added tO the circum stance of the Solicitor- being sent for to the house of the family by whom he was regularly employed on their ov:u important affairs, stifled every doubt of his mind, and he proceeded accord ingly to execute the directions he had received.— To the family, young C. had represented the em ployment of Mr. E as the consequence of his connexion with Mr. S. of Liverpool ; but his anxiety to prevent any communication with Mr. L. until he had arranged, as lie said, al) his bu shiess, caused inquiries to be instituted by others, which convicted him of a fallacious representation of the affairs he was? pretending' to transact, for instead of a proposition to pay debts, he had stated he was selling to Mr. E. debts of the old man for rrady money, as S his practice, to avoid the trouble of collection. Young C. lore-. eiog the hoia of detection must arrive, had al ways insisted ou the necessity of a journey to Spain, that be might eater into poSsessioo of his property in that country ; and in his interview with Mr. E.had requested him to procure passports, not only for that country. but also for Germany, Switzerland, France, Italy, .which Mr. E. declined, as not being in his province, bat lie indi cated the regular mode to Obtain them. A day or two afterwards the Foreign Secretary came to the family and announced his departure the same [tight on a mission to the Continent, to collect 700,0001. which belonged to young C. from se vend bankers in Germany, and return with it so expeditiously, that he should not be absent more . than six weeks. The Secretary accordingly took his leave, and remained in Loodou, notwith standing a person subsequently declared that lie had gone to Dover to embark, but with an irre gular passport, so that he was seat for to town j again by the Alien Office—a declaration which, ou inquiry at the Alien Office, proved not to be ' true. Such is the baneful influence of delusion, that few can resist the contagion of misrepresen tation when veracity is to manifest their error.— At length, on the 3d of December, Mr. W., who had beau too much occupied to attend the first summons, on the 30th Nosember, arrived, .and the letter was put into his hands which announced the necessity of his client's immediate removal. — Some conversation ensued at the instigation of a person present, which on Mr. W.'s own denial of propositions attributed to him by young C., esta blished still more clearly the fact of his being a lunatic or an impostor, and Mr. W. was expressly requested to make that statement to the father, with delicacy but candour, that lie might take suitable measures to prevent further mischief being l hazarded to the detriment of the young matt, his family, and society. Mr. W., young C., and the father (who had come with Mr. W., but who had not been present at the conference, t s it was wished to spare him the pain of such an inter- ' view), withdreW from the house, and Mr. NV. soon afterwards acquainted the family that young C. would not return, but would leave town that night, which he did in a post-chaise and four (the chaise lie took away without the consent of the owner), accompanied by the German Secre tary and Groom. So many circumstances having transpired which gave cause toistispect that the *hole story of young C. was an invention, sus tained by a fabric of falsehoods and disingenuous acts, every person whom he had named in the course of his narration as a banker, 'agent, &c., seas apalied, to for information, and all disowned knowledge of him, except from public report or school-boy connexion ; every fact affirmed by him was examined, awl not one was authenticated which related to money transactions. The whole was visionary, but still wore tertfully wrought, and so successful was his manner in makieg that to this boor there are many who confide in his re-appearance - with all the treasure to wile') he has pretended. Ode very respectable person afl rmed . that he had Seen a remittance to ymng C. from Spain, amounting to 350,0001. ; a draft of frightful amount.from Lii-erpool, and that he knew he possessed two milliOus in the fands ; nay, that . a banker, within a few doors of him, had but the day before said he would have paid his bill for 100,0001. if it had been presented, instead or . .the 3001. bill which was cashed. Other per sons bast heard a respectable solicitor declare he Dun Pedro Joachim Quilltella, the richest mar in Portu gal, had lately died, leaving two to:alio:Ai knew young C. hail great estates in Scotland, from which 45,0001. had been received ; that he had many diamonds at Rundles and Bridges, and altogether 700,0001. per annum. Others, that he meant to buy an estate, and pAy 500,0001. for it in gold, and some offered large bets he would be in possession of Houghton by the Ist of January; others cited Noblemen and Gentlemen of the greatest accuracy,who had known the old Wall at Shrewsbury, and who had heard it said at the time, " that he would cut up, when dead, for more money than any man in the Empire :" others, that they had known those who had dealt in dia monds with him, and almost every one professed to have an authority which justified original and still unshaken belief. Even those to whom pro perty purchased by young C. but not paid for, had been returned, seemed to think an injury more than-a service was likely to be done them by the restitution, and no statement of detected falsehood could counteract or weaken the infatuation. In the course of a visit to Newmarket, young C. had announced the expected arrival of some Sicilian wines, front his estates an Mount Etna ; a hamper came, but he did not appear anxious to revert to the subject. When it was mentioned, he affected pleasure at being reminded of the cir cumstance; ordered the sample bottles to . be brought in, descanted on the advantages he should derive by the improved cultivation of the Sicilian grape, and requested °pillion as to the quality he should enconrage—The Surchall, the 'Pinta, and. the Cretins di Vino, especially, were appt;)ved.— Young C. promised to allow his friends to par take of the quantity already imported by his agent, and to direct abundant stores to be supplied in future from his vineyard. One of the - guests had at the time obsetved " Ed wards, Crutched-friars," . written on the cork of the bottles. To Edwards application was now made, and it resulted from that inquiry, that the son-in-law of Mr. Edwards was named Cawston,l and had employed himself for some years in the Sicilian vintage ; " that, presuming on his name's sake, he had written to recommend his fa ther's Sicilian wines to young C. as doubtless lie was about to stock the cellars of his various man sions." No proposition could ever come roore hap pily, and an order was instantly given for samples to be sent ; 14 bottles, coutainiog seven different sorts, were dispatched accordingly, and the me morandum remains this,day existing in Mr. Ed wards' books, as evidence Bacc!ii decipientis. All these discoveries were communicated the ensuing day to Mr. W. who admitted that they authorized a bad opinion of the young man, but still he had faith in him, and as a proof had paid that morn lug a bill on his account of 40 odd pounds, by verbal message, and without any other security ; for be reported again, as he Ii id done the preced ing day, that lie never had aoy reference given him, nor was any document ever shewn him, to authenticate the boy's story, or prove hi: pos session of one shilling. - Never, indeed, was • any confidence more sincere than Mr. W.'s, for he not only had been in treaty for Hough ton with Lord C. nod for other estates, but he •lotd employed Mr. 11. and Sir 5: R. to make his client a ward in Chancery ; anti as some difficulty arose front the young man's property being per-, social, and conveyed by deed of gift, it was ar ranged that voting C. should give his father 100,0001. and the father should make a settlement on him to this amount, which would enable the Chancellor to interfere—a ; process as easy as . the prescribed duty of a Comuntoder of an In diatnan, which commences, it is said, by the simple direction, " first get a ship." Mr. W. has himself mentioned; that he had moreover di rected his Banker, near-Charing-cross, ro open two accounts in his name, representing the account, No. 2, as one that would be Of a greater magnitude than any which was ever brought into the house. On the 10th December, however, on reference be ing made to it, there appeared the solitary item of—No. 2, debtor to No. 1, forty-seven poutuls . eleven shillings.—ln consequence of what had tranapired, it was thought a public duty to dis concert any further machination 3 which this young man might have in view, and therefore in The Morning Chronicle, on the fith of December, a caution was inserted against the " Fortunate Youth," who was designated an impostor, but the caution was worded with as much delicacy as pos sible fur the feelings of his family anti friends, by omission of his family name. Tbis caution pro duced a letter from the Solicitor and confidential friend of the . Fortunate Youth ; in which the youth's character was vindicated front the asper sion, anti a threat of prosecution was hazarded against the libeller. An answer was published, in which the charge of imposition was mentioned, ' and the pledge made of proof being given to sub stantiate the charges betcire the . menaced tribunal. Instead of returning to London to investigate the accusation, 111 r. W. set off with the young man's father and brother to lloug,hton, and at the same time, in his owl) name, addressed a letter to the public, it) which Ire stated " he had no reason to disbelieve the story of the much-abased youth ; but if he ever did discover hint to be an impostor, lie would give hint no longer countenance." This letter was considered by many not merely a pith lie defence agaiust the charge, butt an admission ttat Mr. ‘V. had no proof to offer that he was not t:te dope of his client. Still the journey to Houghton, the correspondence from thence with the Conveyancer, on the subject of the purchase; the declaration that the contract should be con cluded, and that this act would be the best answer to the calomniatora, and the high language held with regard to the prosecution of the Newspaper Editors, fortified many in their errors, and in duced some of the most respectable persons, who had been made acquainted with every particular, to confess they were again wavering in their opi nion—a confession which certainly does the highest honour to the character of Mr. W. Ne vet thcless Mr. W.'s agents were not satisfied that his confidence - was justified, and at length they persuaded his return to town, when a letter which yo ) nng C. had given to Mr. NV. with orders that it should not be opened until the first of January, WAS, under the urgent necessity of the case, exa mined (rite fattier thereto consenting), and that letter being (mind to 'contain only false references, Mr. W. suffered the bandage to be" draWn from his eyes, which a generous confidence had so per severiugly maintained. A letter from Messrs.., 5, and E. of Liverpool removed the last linQerlg doubts, and Mr. W. immediately wrote and pal' lisped the acknowledgment of his having been de' &civet! by a lunatic or depraved impostor. rt charm being broken, a letter. written by your C., and dated Paris, in which he anticipated t. discovery of his false references, but yet affirm the general truth of his story, although receive the day preceding the publication of Mr. %S recantation, had no effect upon his decision: but it was so far satisfactory as to remove sort of Me. INT.'s uneasiness as to the course tali( by young C. after he reached Calais, since is said he had letters of recommendation, which if he had gone direct into Germany, he might hat used to the great prejudice of Mr. W. who hi rendered himself responsible, by his first publishe letter, for the motley he Might take up abroad, e %veil as the debts lie had incurred in England.- Of the original 11001. advanced by the relative young C. had drawn out all but 101. by Londa, and Newmarket checks ; but he has left seveer hundred pounds to be paid by his family. Tl.tet is indeed a report that the relative alluded to !:a' previously advanced 800/. but this report want'• confirmation. At all events, it is certain that thi , yming man spent above sixteen hundred pountl' iu two months, without being at any expence fe house, equipage, &e. But although this stir' was large for one whose previous expenditure been so very limited, still it is not of soffit:lole magnitude to justify the supposition that his ob jects were merely pecuniary. It they wets, 1) had not time to mature his designs and adventur: on their consummation. But whatever miglil have been his mcosives, however splendidc menda! (divertingly false), parts of his history may be, au many anecdotes are omitted, for they required rh actor to give them an air of credibility, still chi- young man, if he.really possesses his faculties on impaired, in making his _family the sport .of tti> ' fictions and the victims of his fraud—in deli' bendely converting the father's tears of grati - Aul , and joy into the brine - of disappointment, sorron's and shame, has evinced a Wall . t of prilld pie - ad callonsness of heart, which almost extingoisl4 4 the hope of reformation, - and a laudable use'•Ol those talents which he undoubtedly po3sesses-. We have thus endeavoured to give a faitlric and accurate narrative of the two months' caret , of the " Fortunate - Youth ;" but as the witud is no" more variable than a liar, and there is no bare' meter by which his words eau be weighed; it it very possible that much may have been said r• others, at variance With litleCdOteS in the presets relation. Still, as the camelioti is the sathe'ani map, notwithstanding changes. of line, so tit Fortunate Youth" may be recognized as a moi' mischievous inemstor, under every representatio , ' and colouring of his story. •P.S. We uneerstand the Fortunate Youth,'` on arriving at Paris, in conformity with his sys' tent to patronize his-relations, enga g ed on e ‘ehot4 he knew to be established diet e as his travelliofl Physician into Spain, vice Dr. H. cashiered London. This 'Gentleman was, however, .'` startled at the Amount of the salary proposed' that he requester to make the arrangement wilts the youth's father, and obtained leave to come 0 England for the Impose,. where he arrived a• fee days since. Upwards of 60 vessels are employed in herriri' fishing at Portsmouth. On Tuesday nearly toss'' thousand bushels were landed. They not ,o; - 11' furnish cheap food to the whole neighbom.i:Ji; poor, but give employment to a number of per' sons in curing them A stag's horn, of an enormous size, was found , about ten days ago, by some workmen employd in deepening the river Davan, in Li idelly Gres s Marsh, in Waies ; thirteen feet below the Surface' It is in high preservation, and is supposed to hay .. lain there several hundred years. COURSE OF EXCHANGE, ; .N.EsVAY, DEC. 30. Amsterdam . ~.. 137 6 B. 2 Ditto, at Sight Amsteidaiu -.11 10 C. F. Ditto, at Sight~ Rotterdam ' Notwerp Hamburg - 1i Altona J 1 '11 1 k Paris, 3 Day's date .... ;.,' / 24 10 Ditto BOllliteatlX, ditto Frailliforton the Maio . ,4 145 Ex-Mote l ' Madrid - -' ' 3if itettieill Cadiz Seville liilboa Gibraltar Leghorn G•eno4... 17 -Venice Ma1ta...44----Naples 4 Palermo Lisbon Oporto itio Janeiro 84 per Cent. Agin of the Baia. on Hylland.... 2 per Cent. Portugal Gold, in Coin. / 0 6 per 01' Foreign Gold, in Bars. 4 0 6 New Dollars ...... 37f. . 33 BIRTHs On Sunday, in Beelford-square, the Lady of James Parlily. sou, Esq. of a daughter. On Monday, in Great Russell-street, the Lady of Geary ' Richards, Esq. of aEori. —• DIED. On Sanday last, in his 72d . year, Mr. John Wallis, - ` No. 42, Skinner-street. On Sunday, at. Great Marlow, Mrs. Lovegrove, aged 77. / Same day, Mrs. Mary Hail, wife of Mr. John Hall Holborn-bill. Same day, Caroline Elizabeth, the wife of George Nak ir 4 Esq. and daughter of the late Henry Halsey, Esq. survi o • only a feW days her infant son. On Sunday evening, at his-house in Harpur-street, Da 3 o f Braithwaite, Esq. F.R.S. and A.S. formerly Comptrolle r the Foreign Post-office, aged so. On Saturday morning, Mr. Isaac Keyser, of Upper Capl et in the 39th year of hi% age. At Exeter, on the ainstant, in the 72d year of her t Mrs. Mary Trewman, widow of Robert Trewman , original publisher of the Extter Flying Post, and utothe r the late Mr. Robert Trewman. On Saturday„ the 20th instant,• Mr. Fenjamin V 3r f ,,ir batter, of Haverfordwest. He had been attending 0 6 1 ; ,,S, at Car:ligan, and upon his return home called•u port a '4 l ' l o ft the house of Mr. Llantwood, where he retired to rest o c Friday night, in apparent god health, but gas found 60 . next morning in bi t ; bed speechless, from the effect of au g ! . e. plectic fit. He was a man much respected as a trade suj i;.4 and universally esteemed and legal - tied as a friend: 11e left a widow and eight children to lament his death. LONDON: Printed by J. B. CARSTAIRS, of ar44 Orniond-sti vet, Queen-square; an-1 published by li' a l. o rs SCRIPPS, of No. 7, South :11°1ton-street, at TIP 7 ' °Alice, 112,,Strand ; where Advertisements, Letters, (po,-;t-pad) mii3t be addr,,,ssed.