, 1864-05-23

OF tnelf immense estuDllsnmenJ tueTc.
al must return to Scotland, Mr. Black
burn" said Mr.. Telford, "and that imme-
diately, else may never see my native land.
Yet l do not 60 with any very sanguine
hopes of recovery-I feel too far gone for
that; but / am desirous to lay my bones
beside those Of my fathers, in the little,
lonely churchyard Of my native village. l
think, too, could die without reluctance or
regret, if l was blessed with one other sight
of the dear heath-clad hills Of Scotland. 1t
is almost all now wish for"
Thus spoke the dying merchant; for he was
dying-that was made sufficiently evident by
his pallid countenance and emaciated frame /;
and thus was Blackburn raised another step
on the ladder Of fortune.
In less than three weeks after this con-
versatioh took place, Mr.. Telford broke up
his domestic establishment, and embarked
for Scotland; leaving his superb villa, with
its furniture, to be occupied by his repre-
sentative, Mr.. Blackburn.
In due time after the departure Of the
former, the latter received q joint letter from
him and his partner, Mr.. Boglc, appointing
and confirming him their sole agent at Cadiz
with power to act in every case as he Judged
best for their interest. 10 this was sub
joined the agreeable intimation Of d large
addition to his salary, and the still more
agreeable tidings that he was admitted a
partner in the firm of Alessrs. Telford 4
Boyle to the extent of One-ffth.
Blackburn now stood in very elevated
position. lie was person Of note, an i'm.
portant man "oh Change" and otherwise
Of the highest rcspectability. But his good
fortune did not end here. In little more
than year afterwards, Mr.. Telford, the
principal Of the firm, died. On this event
taking place, Mr. Boyle, who was now an
old man and in infrm health, expressed, in
letter which he addressed to Mr.. Black
burn, desire to withdraw from the firm
altogether, as he felt himself wholly unable
to take any further active part in its con-
Germs, or indeed to attend to business Of any
kind; and concluded by making an offer oi
the whole stock and interests Of the firm to
his correspondent, on such terms as the lat
ter could not but consider highly advantage
ous. With this offer Blackburn at once
clbsed; and the necessary interchange Of
documents on the srbject havingtaken place,
Mr.. Blackburn commenced business on his
own account, and with success that prom
ised soon to conduct him 10 oindopeRdnRee.
Having brought the history Of our hero to
this point, we here leave him, and resume
our narrative after an interval Of ten years,
with change also Of the scene Of the sub
scquent occurrences.
At the end Of the period named, or to-
wards the close of the summer of l764, a
vessel from Cadiz, loaded with wine, arrived
at the port Of Leith. On board Of this
vessel was a gentleman, the proprietor Of
the cargo. This gentleman was Mr.. Black
burn. He had realized, during the interval
which we have passed over, considerable
fortune; but, while increasing his means, he
had been losing his health, and this, latterly,
so rapidly that he had determined on quit
ting the country before he should be so far
eufeebled as to render recovery hopeless.
Having come to this resolution, he made
the necessary arrangements for carrying it
into execution, and finally embarked for his
native land. In doing this, it was not his
intention to give up business, but merely to
change the scene Of his exertions. lie re-
solved on commencing business in Edin-
burgh, his native city, as wine merchant ;
aud hence the reason Of his bringing with
him the cargo of wine Of which VIC have
spoken.
On the wine being landed on the quay,
Mr.. Blackburn might have been seen 60
ing amongst the casks or butts, and, after
tasting many, carefully selecting one. This
he ordered to be rolled out from amongst
the others, and, with his own hands, nailed
card on it, bearing the address Of "The
Rev. DR.. Marshall, Edinburgh" This
done, he dispatched it, BY cart, to its des-
tination.. Conformably to his orders. the
cartel drove the pipe Of wine up to the
worthy doctors door, and, summoning out
his hOusekeeper-f1r the doctor was wild
ower-told her that twas fOt her master, and
requested to know where he should put il.
"a pipe o vine IA hail pipe o wine,
for the doctor!" exclaimed Mrs. Brackin.
ridge-for such was the houstkeeper's name
lin great surprise. "Prcserve us, that's
an awfu' quantity! The doctor never used
to get in aboon three dizen atatime. What
in a. the yearth could hae pdttih't in his
head to order q pipe! That'll last him
twenty years, if be grows nae drouthicr
than he used to be. But are ye sure, hon.
est man." continued Mrs. Brackinridge
"that there's nae mistak in the business!"
"Sure aneuch," replied the man. "The
gentleman that aucht it, directed it wi his
ain ha6ds."
"But I'm no sure o't," rejoined the eau
tiOus housekeeper. "Wsit there till 90
and tell the doctor abodt it." And she
hastened up to his study.
On entering the apartment-
"Save us, doctor" she said, Lhefe's q
man wi pipe o wine on cart ut the
dOor-a hail pipe-and he says it's for
YOU"
"a pipe o wine for me, Mrs. Brackin-
ridge" replied the doctor, no less surprised
at the circumstance thdn his housekeeper.
Its impOssible There must be some
mistake in it"
al thoucht that, doctor, and said it too
but the man insists it's a RIGHT aneuch
an il that be the case, ye ken, we may just
as weel tax it in ataince. Mycerty! we re
no gaun to turn ava pipe o wine frae the
door withoot kennin what for. It's. 10
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