Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1844-01-19
From Graham's Magazine for January.
THE HISTORY OF A LION.
BY JAuEs X. rAulDrse.

Not a hundred miles from the famous |
city of Gotham, on the margin of l1i's (
lake Of pure, transparent water, and white |
sandy shores, resided Mr.. Gilbert Meryin, |
respectable gentleman of more than compe |
tent estate, and descended from a family of
some pretensions, both in the old aud new
world In the former, one of his ancestors,
or at least one of the name had been assoc
ciaied with the famous Johnny Armstrong,
whose Last Good Night" forms the sub
iect of famous old ballad, in many of.
/ those exploits which led him to glory aud
/ the galows. In the new, the family could
/ boast Of a president of his majesty's coun-
/ Gil. collector of customs, and a recorder
under the old colonial government There
was another historical character of the same
'name aud blood, a gallant officer under
! Washington, who fell at the head of his
regiment at Monmouth but as, with this
single exception, the Mervins were all
stannch loyallsts-they never boosted Of tins
achievement. Mr. Meryin always called the
General Mr. Washington, though in his
heart be could not but admire the man who
not only freed his country but left her free
whose patriotism had equally sustained the
ordeal of adversely aud prosperity, and who
stands before the world so free not only
from STAIN but from the very imputalion Of
+ crime. that even those who abhor the cause
he espoused, reverence the hero through
whose talents and virtues il triumphed.
At the commencement Of the Revolution
| the father Of Mr.. Mer,iu-the collector Of
= the customs-took sides with the loyalists,
. whether from motives of gratitude, from
frot, i,tcrocs tYfti l,a l,oat doc i
ded by the sequel. 1t is sufficient to say
= that by choosing this course, he eventually
forfeited large property, and with his only
son, became an exile. He retired to that
paradise of loyalty, Nova Scotia, where he
= subsis,ed on the interest of a moderate sum
which was saved from the wreck of his for
o tune by being invested in the British funds.
This was all he had for the worthy old
=, gentleman scorned 10 enlist himself among
the crowd of those who claimed and receiv-
l. ed from the British government remunera-
IT ton for losses which it ~ shrewdy suspect.
= ed some of them never sustained. There
were few means and opportunities of ac-
curing liberal education al that time il
} any of the British colonies, and Gilber
!, Mervin received but Indifferent training
d Neither was he, in truth, very promising
genius, TO remedy what had been denied
b., by circumstances. But nature had kindly
J. made amends for all of these deficiencies
Of by giving him u letter of recommendation
e. to my Lady Fortune, which answered ever
a; purpose. He grew up to be one of th'
:, handsomest men of the day, and possessed
a voice that might corrupt saint, mucl
more a sinner. lie was therefore, all bu
irresistible, for the eye and ear are the tw'
7, great leading-strings of the grown up chill
in dren of this world, most especially that por
as ton which is said to have been last created
d as the learned Palaiergus supposes, from a
no WAYS having the last word.
be The return of peace brought back the e
'S der Meryin and his son to the United States
of where the former lived several years, solaC
ing himself with predicting the failure {
), the experiment of enlightenment and TIA
F speedy return of the rebelous children I
the bosom of THEN benign mother. II
chucked over the great controversy b'
at tween New York and Vermont, aud Shay
" ,e rebellion, but never lived 10 see his proph
} sy fulfilled. The good man, for such
lg, was, departed in peace, rested from his !
Iu' bors, and his works followed him for a j
nh dicious and learned dissertation which /
Sc wrote on the propric,y of restoring conf
ot- Gated estates has never come to light.
70. The son walked in the footsteps Of b
rds father, and inherited not only his little pro
I'VE erty in the British funds but likewise his /
,e o. spiraiion. The decent comforts OF life we
ion at his command, nothing more lie veg
tx- tated about town until lie became incapaC
!, IN tated for any useful occupation, and W
w gradually running to seed, when his exec
lent friend, my Lady Fortune, one day brI
IS ed Dan Cupid-who has lately become
LII distinguished member of the Board OF Br
va kers-to launch his sharpest arrow into t
heart of Miss Georgiana Gammerton, o
nth of the greatest heiresses extant in the city
val The course of Love ran very smooth
this occasion. Georgiana was her o'
On mistress, having arrived at years OF disc
y zion; and there was nothing so repusl
a If about her as not TO be overcome by
we counteracting principle of money. 1t
We true. nature had not made her of the cho
man est materials, and education had done
nore best to make worse what was orlglna
ere, none of the best. She was, however
test passabe sort of a woman, and as might
said in a nautical phrase, made up for
q deficiency of her hall in the weight Of
have metal. AS she was, HHpeIt MeNlh III
red her in haste, and whether he repen
IDLY at leisure may perhaps be gathered from
-;oas sequel of our story.
hieh Among the rest of the great prope
'om- which the benign Georgana bestowed VI
p ,be her husband, exclusive Of the very consI
'pce rabIe portion settled on herself, was
country seat, where we first introduced
COM Meryin to the readers acquaintance,
ately where they usually spent more than half