The Sun.
London, England, 1861-12-25 00:00:00

sime cause of war. The question of slavery Could
not be disposed of by the sentimentalism of Exeter
Hall, or by fictitious Uncle Toms and impossible
little Topsys. As for the North, it had only abo-
lished the institution when it had ceased to pay. It
would be for the future to decide whether this con-
flict was a rebellion or a revolution. George Wash-
ington was a rebel chief till he had led the North to
liberty. Colonel Fuller indulged in some discur-
sive remarks condemnatory of unrestricted suffrage,
such as is conceded as a right to " the swarms of
paupers, convicts, refugees, and adventurers who
swell that tide of emigration to New York, which,
like the Propontis, knows no ebb." He concluded
by indicating reasons for a separation of North and
South, but said he left the end to be drawn from
the logic of events.

A ROMANCE OF PEAL LIFE.

The Roman correspondent of the Morning Post,
under date Dec. 12, tells the following strange
story :—On Nov. 10, 1860, there arrived at the
Hotel de l'Europe, it this city, a gentleman and
lady coming from Naples, who engaged apartments,
and gaN e their names as Mr. Kenrick and Miss
Gray, his stepdaughter. The gentleman was a
hale, elderly man, and the young lady handsome
and of a fine figure. He was 62 years of age and
she 28. Shortly after their arrival an English officer
from Naples, who had just left Garibaldi's British
Brigade there, joined them at the Hotel de l'Europe,
and after spending a fortnight in Rome with them,
left for Florence. After this officer's departure Mr.
Kenrick and Miss Gray lived a very retired life in
the Hotel, where they were as economical as the style
of the establishment allowed ; but after three months
residence in it without their ever asking for a bill,
the English proprietress of the hotel, Mrs. Melga,
gave instructions to her secretary to send them in
their account. Mr. Kenrick repaired to the secre-
tary's office on the following day with the money
required, but he stated that, as the last remittance
he had received from England was not of the amount
he had expected, he should be glad to defer the pay-
ment of his bill a little longer, if not inconvenient.
The secrettry made no difficulty, and the credit was
renewed for some time longer, Mr. Kenrick con-
tinually saying that he was expecting remittances
from England, and that he was surprised and indig-
nant at the remissness of his relations. After
several months had elapsed, Mrs. Melga, was advised
to apply through a solicitor in London to Mr. Ken-
rick's family, or to their legal adviser, and through
the communications which ensued she became ac-
quainted with the following history of her guests.
Mr. Kenrick belonged to a most respectable Welsh
family, but he had so little talent for the adminis-
tration of his own property that he had squandered
nearly £lOO,OOO, leaving his wife dependent upon
the will of her father, a very rich man, who, how-
ever, on his death, left her only £5,000 instead of the
bulk of his property, as had been expected. Mr.Ken-
rick, becoming bankrupt, left England and went to
Lyons, where he speculated in silk, and became
partner in a manufactoty, but with no success, as
after six years' residence in that city the firm was
declared insolvent, and he, disgusted apparently
with commercial undertakings, left France to join
Geribaldi's legion, which was then besieging
Capua. It appears that Mr. Kenrick on this occa-
sion again fell in with Miss Gray, a misguided
young lady, although belonging to a respectable
family, with whom he had previously been inti-
mate in Eng'and. How or why she was at Naples
is not clearly specified, but she immediately joined
Mr. Kenrick there, and came on with him to Rome,
as already stated, but on account of this liaison, Mr.
Kenrick's usual remittances from his wife's rela-
tions were suspended, and Mrs. Melga was in-
formed that no money would be furnished to
him until he should return to England and
alone. Mrs. Melga offered to supply him with the
SUM necessary to reach England, and to send a
person to see him safely there, provided his rels-
dens would guarantee the payment of his liabilities
to her; but they declined this proposition, and a
subsequent appeal made by Mrs. Melga to Mr.
Kenrick's daughter, Mrs. Robert Roy, the wife of
a wealthy clergyman, living near Boston,in Lincoln-
shire, in behalf of her father, remain unanswered.
In this way matters went on until the month of
August in the present year, and Mr. Kenrick and
Miss Gray felt that, with no prospect of being able
to pay their bill, their stay at the hotel must be
brought to a close. An arrangement was made by
which their trunks and passport were left in 'Airs.
Melga's possession, whilst they went to take a tem-
porary lodging in a little country osteria or tavern,
about two miles from Rome, on the Monte Mario
road, opposite the church of St. Onafrio, where
they lived in the most economical manner. Mrs.
Melga drove out to see this unfortunate couple seve-
ral times, continuing to supply them with money as
their slender supply became exhausted, but without
receiving any letters or prospect of succour from
England. Mr. Kenrick was very much dejected at
his position, but Miss Gray affected to be indifferent
about it, saying, as she looked down from the lofty
eminence they had selected for their place of refuge
upon the Tiber wiudieg below, "When we cannot
get on any longer, we shall tie ourselves together,
and plunge into that river." Mr. Kenrick said if he
could get to Naples ho was certain of obtaining as-
sistance or employment amongst his friends and
acquaintances there, mentioning at the same time
some of the principal English residents, with whom
he said he was intimate. Mrs. Melga, on due reflec-
tion, determined to aid Mr. Kenrick in effecting
this change of scene. Mr. Kenrick, however, had
much exaggerated the availability of hisconnections
in Naples, so that he and Miss Gray would have
been in abject beggary had not Mrs. Melga once
more come to their aid by sending them a letter
of recommendation to a rich merchant of Naples
(Mr. Pitken), who supplied them with money,
and became answerable for their board and
lodging at Mrs. Corby's English boarding-
house on the Riviera di Chiaja, whilst he set on foot
a subscription among his own friends to forma fund
with which to enable Mr. Kenrick and Miss Gray
to return to England, such being the course recom-
mended to them by everyone. It was in this state
that Mrs. Melga found matters when she went to
Naples to visit her married daughter there, about
the 20th of November last. Complaints were made
to her, on the one hand, of the obstinacy of her
proteges in refusing to go to England, whilst they,
on the other hand, complained of the cruelty of
sending them back like paupers against their ex-
press wish. On the evening of the 25th of Novetn-
ber Mr. Kenrick and Miss Gray called on Mrs.
Melga, the son-in-law of the latter and a Neapolitan
gentleman being present at the interview, which
lasted from eight to ten. Mrs. Melga. urged Mr.
Kenrick to adopt the plan suggested to him, as
from his age and his ignorance of the Italian lan-
guage it would be impossible for him to find em-
ployment in Naples. Mr. Kenrick appeared at last
to acquiesce, but Miss Gray strenuously opposed
from beginning to end the return to England. This
unfortunate couple then left Mrs. Melga—Mr. Ken-
rick thanking her warmly for all she had done.
From what subsequently transpired they must ha. ve
gone directly to the public gardens of the
Reale, on the sea-shore, where, the cafe being still
open, they took a glass of rum or rosolio. They
then climbed over the low wall of the
.villa, where
a semi-circular space overlooking the seais furnished
with stone seats, and descended on thhe beach,er nki whered
Miss Gray tied her dress. .roundl
thefro ms a
mt hee
purposew ai st w with sand,
lli
ng tAhler .
bosom.K esnrai and
filledheffecting
tt, his waistcoat, andsn
pcpolayti:nslge etvhens with sand
frGomrayher own dress. They then
erintghssteornannsetelltaaApeleitssesgether round the waist with their
ptsaionecd: et handkerchiefs, and deliberately lay down to
die in the sea, which at that point is not more than
two or three feet deep. They had the resolution to
endure suffocation, and their corpses were seen in
the transparent water next morning at daybreak
by a fisherman, who, having apprised the authori-
ties, measures were taken to establish their identity,
and after a post-mortem examination, to show
whether they had taken poison also or not, they
were interred in the English burying ground, Mrs.
Melga's son-in-law taking upon himself the last
offices of charity towards the unfortunate deceased.