The Sun.
London, England, 1824-11-05 00:00:00

INTERESTING TALE.

MR. EDITOR—Your readers may rely upon
the following story being original and true, and
never yet publicly communicated, as it is of very
recent occurrence :

In the County of Surrey, some few miles from
Loudon, under the care and benevolence of a
worthy master, lives a labourer, now an aged
servant, being upwards of ninety years old.—
Over and over again persuasions have been made
to him to cease from labour, and live easily and
quietly in the lodge adjacent to his master's
house. This he as constantly refuses to do, and,
by a good appetite, is enabled to scratch up the
earth and mend the road leading to the resi-
dence, which is his favourite employment. He
invariably replies to overtures of the above
kind, that he has all he wants ; his children have
left him ; he will not be idle, and desires to re-
main in his present situation. It happened, one
day, he was discovered by his master lying on his
back upon the lawn before the house, haring fal-
len down in a fit, but after being removed into
the house, and proper assistance provided he re-
covered. When able to speak, he said to his
master, 46 Master, I'm ready to die; I'm quite
worn out ; I never wronged no one in my life—
that's not true neither. I remember I did once.
44 When was that, Richard ?" Why, when I was
a boy, about six or seven years old, I won a half-
penny of my play-fellow ***to**, and he went
and told his mother : I sees her coming to I,
so I hides the halfpenny in the lining of my bat;
says she, 64 you av won a halfpenny of my boy
here ;" says I, ",no, I didn't ;" but, says she,
" I knows you did ; you av got it now ;" I says,
" I aunt, sarch me if you like ;" which she did,
but could not find it upon me; so, when she goes
away, I gave the halfpenny back to the boy
again ; 44 so you sees, Master, I never did wrong
to nobody in my life, so I am prepared for death
this hour." The fits, however, of the poor old
man of late made him expect his departure from
this world ipust be drawing very near, and, hav-
ing entirely by his previous industry brought up
and maintained a family, not fewer in number
than eight, some of whom were dead, one only
turned out badly, but his daughters well. One
day a thought strikes him, and he comes up
to the house, and tells the man-servant he wants
very much to see his Master ; this being duly
notified, he was ordered into the library, whi-
ther the Master repaired, when, presently,
is
must it
ayxo u a want
favour?''
in walks 44 Old Richard."—" Well, Rich-
ard, whattl
Measter,whon"
ye,Please e at
the
oylootry,
one I want." " Well, what is it ?" 44 You sees
I be ninety years ohl or more ; I can't live long ;
I has a daughter that lives at Havant, and an-
other at 'Wimbledon ; " Mary," (who lives at
Havant) "must now be fifty year's old ; she is
married ; I knows she's living ; I should like to
see her once more before I die, if ye would please
to let me go." " And how would you get there,
Richard ?" 0, I would go by the coach." " Then
you must get to Kingston to do that ; and how
will you manage to get there ?" Bless ye, Sir,
I'll walk there." The distance being great, his
benevolent master not only gave his consent for
his departure, but ordered William to take him
to Kingston in the chaise-cart on the next morn-
ing, and place him inside the conch. Accord-
ingly, early the next morning, William went
forth with his protegee, and great was the
resistance Old Richard made to an inside
birth, but being subject to fits his mastet
gave peremptory orders that he should nor
be allowed to travel on the outside. Hav
ing arrived at Havant, he got out of the
coach, and scarcely out of it ere he in-
quires 46 Does one ***** live any where-
abouts here ;" yes, down yonder." Meditating a
trick, away goes Richard, and finds out the cot-
tage of his daughter Mary: halting momentarily
at the door, he gives some gentle taps, when
comes to it a hale looking woman, and asks
what he wants there : " Pray, is your good mau
at home ;" " no, he ant';" " for I be come from
Wimbeldon, and they axed me to come and call
and see how'he and his wife gets on :"—" Walk
in, will ye ;" the old man walks in; 44 sit down;
he must be hungry by this hour ;" " Yes, I've a
mind to eat a bit." The unsuspecting wife then
sets things before him, and holds on the conver-
sation until rather late, when the woman says to
him, " So they be all well at Wimbledon, be
they ?" 0, very well :" 46 How's *****, she be
my Sister i" 46 She's pearly too :" 64 Will your
husband be long afore be comes in ?" " No, I
expects him every minute." The night was uow
coming on, which made Richard ask this last
question." 44 Be these your children ?"—" Yes,"
" And how be ye, Mary ?" Oh, I am well,
thankee," somewhat startled at hearing her Chris-
tian name mentioned. " Did you hear, Sir,
them at Wimbledon ever talk about Richard
Parker ?" 46 Mayhap, I did." " And how
did they say he was ?" " Pretty tolerable
for his years ; he'd had a fit or two, which
made him incline to think he should'nt live
much longer, and wanted to see his daugh-
ter Mary." The light was now setting in,
the husband had not returned, so the old
man thought he ought not to carry the dis-
guise on further, and therefore this proceeds to
reveal himself : 46 Would you like to see Richard
Parker" 66 Yes, I should, very much indeed ;
but with my children around me, I can't no how
move aways." " Do you think you should know
him." " Oh yes." 64 Be ye cartin you should ?"
" Yes, though he must be an auld man now."
46 Aye, he's very old:" " But I's sure I should
know Richard Parker ; why he be my father."—
Now looking earnestly and attentively at each
other, too tired to rise, he says," 44 Weel, Mary,
I be your old Richard Parker, and my master,
Mr. —, gee I leave to come away and see thee
before I die, but I be's old, and ye have forgot
me l" Thus mentioning other clues at the time,
by which he discovered himself to the daughter
to be her father, and upon which he was in-
stantly recognized. It is needless to add,. that
the (laughter and her children, overjoyed at the
discovery, fell upon the old man's neck, and em-
braced him in the most affectionate manner.—
Having passed a week with his grand-children

and their mother, he returned cheerfully back to
his master, and told him the above story ; who
having heard it, assembled all his family, and bade
the old servant recite the tale again. Accordingly
he did so, and with much vivacity and spirit, the
old man's eyes sparkling as he introduced the
part where he undisguised himself: nor were his
the only eyes that glistened upon the occasion,
but the children of his master, affected, by the
artless and uncouth manner in which he told the
story, could not refrain from shedding those tears
which virtuous sympathy for others ever WM
draw down, and this anecdote was heard by the
writer who now transmits it as it fell from the lips
of the father of that good family. The object of
the old man's journey, beyond seeing his daughter,
was not learnt ; probably, some of his savings
were conveyed to her. But the moral which
is here conveyed is a fair lesson to the crafty
and the pampered servants of the nobility,
ho nod
others, and ought effectually to tell them, w
alone, by industry, by honesty, and contentment,
death can be met calmly and satisfactorily, either
in the smock-frocked labourer, or liveried foote
man. lam aware, Mr. Editor, that this anecdote,
from its length, is scarcely fit for your paper,
but I crave the first space that Is at liberty l
enta
your columns during the recess of Parliam,
and you will oblige both a constant Reader
ORand,
November Ist, 11324. VIAT.

_ ---
EDUCATION OF THE HIGHLANDERS.

_........n....._
Friday a meeting of Highland Proprietors was
held in the Waterloo Hotel, Edinburgh, which was
moat re'
spectably attended. Lord MACDONALD ill the Chair. ,
MACLEOn, of Harris, said, that the Resolutions which ne
had to submit to the meeting required no pref Ice, te
nr he be•
lievedtheyewosoulloa
dboeoranimously assented to.
a series of it Ice, t nioved
General Durk, seconded the motion. Their reasonabless
he thought quite obvious. He for one, as a Highlantimenant
and a friend to Highlanders, wished to sec the lower orders of
his countrymen as enlightened as education could make dial%
Capt. FRAsER of Torbreck observed, that the public ought
to know that much might be done and actually had beendo
ee,
obrydethrse. HHigehlhaniindsePlfroLsrietomrsemfboerr'tahfe
aeoduitcasstoiocnistoiofotliine
ilnovwerr•
success. red
had established 30 schools, and with theedgfacraptgisi:
A gentleman observed, that he wished the propos
avoid
cation to Parliament every success, but he could not
.aev,
_..
mentioning that an Association in Edinburgh, to which b 6"to
longed, had established no fewer than 80 schools. from b,
8 of these were in the island of Harris, and. were attenuceu,!.
500 scholars, As the result of experience he could staut._telr;
EknoogwElseggoet
000feLe.nglish five times easier than if
a person having once been taught to read Gaelic, acq r
The resolutions having been read seriatim, CaPta'n - 8 In
said that he did not mean to oppose them or to submit anY„, cot
tion, but he could not help hinting, that it might be as vl'iing
correspond with the societies already established for i10f.,0,
the Illghlanders, anti to concentrate all tha tangbe ci,Jar" us,
trated in pursuit of the same object, before applYi 0
ment.
W. !Noma, W.S. observed that be could not coincidebiamenthit
views of the last speaker. But for the unfortunate attac
Loge'
of the Highlanders to a certain family, Government ,_tieri
this must have provided the meansof instructing the 1.14;1?la1,:o.
dinona kifioodwldedongee
ionflitnhieteEgoongldishtotoongue
peu.wiTer societies in 44 -.,
desire to see the Highlanders qualified to transac.
!lona object, which Government as well asblinttilhiviisis,9 (ile•
bound.. to support. It was the wish of no one to bribb ;rile to
lie into disuse ; for his part lie wished this venerable dialer to
putt tro wired
be perpetuated ; but with this wish it was quite coils,. when
they came to the Lowlands. Hi ghand .pro
burdened with expences of ,educatl ° .
ing the Pier A the Cliain
proprietorsiie of any other part of the kingdom ; at t f Ps'
tics. He !gee about to make was irresistible in I° °t
ac"
in English without understanding a word of it.
was assured by a Highland Gentleman " 40.
cording to the usual mode of ceducationin tile ' 1
,_ le Diti 0
lands, a ,Highlander might be enabled to read the wa°;flatera
taught English only, 1,
others only Gaelic ; ono —, reading
Highlanders English, without instructing then illl"esi 0 hair
of Gaelic, was just as difficult as to teach a Lowlanuer . I
never been at school Latin or Arabic.
Cat. FRASER explained. Arc.
Meer.Eop of Macleod said, that he had heard man„oda,
Preto- teach the
tions stated to the object of this meeting, which had iligii-
tion. It never was meant to destroy all character in the
te, ex•
lenders, or even to assimilate them to the Low,lal dialect
cepting. in so far as to make them understanu the..„l,, in
removed by
of their fellow-subjects. Captain Fraser was
~,,Ifewoi4 of
supposing this to be an association; it V 111.4,1 "I, ty VOla
all and sundry for a certain object; and every.wma. otion
beT
Meeting would be attained. w lc
their
i ICS of
1 the wan ,_
cordially
auppoortnthinwegasiint2eunntbaynersimhoo.ufholthyecarrati iosoebacji;eactati,noialislaindijet ocfb tig:
priettobo!srawinreore Tho:00
the Meeting to Lord Macdonald far his conduct in i 1000,01
and to the mover and seconder of the resolutions Wcr
and earrled.—(Etiinburgh Courant.)
---------.'"---""""" 4 lb. $
There is at present a Lady real-di:419040
town, who recollects the time when thereA io a
lone
but two umbrellas in Taunton : one be was the
Gentleman named NoBLE, and the °therd of St'
property of the Clergyman who officiate . dr
Mary Magdalen, who, on proceedin
h vine
ties on Sunday, hung it up in the pore I derintat
attracted the gaze, admiration, and f,ourier)
of the whole congregation," nn
vas foot
On Wednesday morning last, a mon W o'o
Mr. Nei'
lying on the hearth in a room of sleeping!
house, at Weaver': t• He Was rile
g-stree • I turtle
and covered with soot. It subsequent 1 loot
out that he was a convict and recently e" r,so,
fetters r ,
from the hulks, and still had his leg ,s loos'
He had contrived to get into Jr.A ISTelsnout with
through the chimney, and being wern have de'
fatigue, fell asleep in the situation we "
scribed.—ollaidstone Gazette.) 01311
, lotlC a
Last night, a little after ten 0 c 14; oh.
,_ i)
threw himself off the centre arch of try' jo,,s
work-bridge. On the alarm being givetrit'on, '''''
Harrison, a watermanwith another pert t tiis.•
, ld n°
mediately put off in a boat ; but Oh Thai,
cover the body of the 'unfortunate map' by he)
however, brought on shore with them
of which
instilsthe
which they found floatin • I the ,,... oel 4
g: ayr (
was written 44 J. Clay, 5, Swan•court, .0 0
James Harrison, waterman,
,ssio
•
lane." The hat remains in the Pes'
to bLa 0 it

hIARRIED. ploelnicia
On Thursday, the 4th inst., at St. George %Ann, t°
George Waugh, Esq., jun., solicitor, of aryl
__,k.sqUftre.
Charlotte Baba Slade, of Kenton-street, Ilrenswi'
eleflst

At Batavia,
DIED
William
jaucirsoiasn,tiEasqt
of the firm yeThornpson Whiteman, :land Co., Aged' Petl'itt
on the tat of June DIED.
J• E. Whitellll7s
thineCivnaitaithernNovt2ithabstthregutl,
Jackson,
arkutntsh'weichkot_issequoafr letcriggjlacitcksrtoon':—,videlf t'"
Jamaica, Alm Maria '.ll. Scevi.Slr.tli: iwiziarebett,hf 'stilt chinteille,il;oillicalli3fet
Syiseartleawn,darwtf,unrcuonratileteasuosfeptpetrviacesst, poiofanriesonilfitl,
thattrunetilongleatr,„_stteoorfewStria. J 01051.05 hwer :still':
Cambridge. This unfortunate young ladis onlmY /ier ns,tivf:
country and friends, when the yellow fever, 01PP ~.t of ,
been introduced hy the troops stationed 'in that p..- .10vc.
Es., formerly of his Alajesty
fatal to her after very short illness.
On the 2tl inst., at Drompton, of apoplF:7lllE:l;ll:inif:Cipriridie6:
aged 66. .., First Regonatt of 4

Printed and B•
Published far
the
PROpaiE;C:iiit,

I