haufted by difeafe, without friends, without credit, unknown, and full of milery, he found his way to Koningfberg. There, in the hour of his utmost distress, he resolves once more to have recourfe to his old benefactor; and he luckily found a perion who was willing to take his draft for five guineas on the Prefident of the Royal Society. "With this affiftance he arrived in England, and immediately waited on Sir Jofeph Banks, who told him, knowing his temper, that he believed he could recommend him to an adventure almoft as perilous as the one from which he had returned; and then communicated to him the wishes of the Affociation for difcovering the inland countries of Africa. Ledyard replied, that he had always determined to traverse the continent of Africa as foon as he had explored the interior of North America; and, as Sir Jofeph had offered him a letter of introduction, he came directly to the writer of thefe memoirs. Before I had learnt from the note the name and bufinefs of my vifitor, I was ftruck with the manliness of his perfon, the breadth of his cheft, the opennefs of his countenance, and the inquietude of his eye. I opened the map of Africa before him, and, tracing a line from Cairo to Sennar, and from thence Weftward in the latitude and fuppofed direction of the Niger, I told him that was his route, by which I was anxious that Africa might, if poffible, be explored. He faid, he should think himfelf fingularly fortunate to be entrusted with the adventure. I afked him when he would fet out? To-morrow morning,' was his anfwer. Such a perfon as Mr. Ledyard . was formed by Nature for the ob ject in contemplation; and, were we unacquainted with the fequel, we fhould congratulate the Society in being fo fortunate as to find fuch a man for one of their miffionaries; -but-the reader will foon be acquainted with the melancholy circumftance to which we allude. Mr. Ledyard undertook, at his own defire, the difficult and perilous task of traverfing from Eaft to Weft, in the latitude attributed to the Niger, the wideft part of the continent of Africa. On this bold adventure he left London June 30, 1781, and arrived at Cairo on the 19th of Auguft. Hence he tranfmitted fuch accounts to his employers as manifest him to have been a traveller who obferved, reflected, and compared ; and fuch was the information which he collected here from the travelling flave-merchants, and from others, refpecting the interior diftricts of Africa, that he was impatient to explore them. He wrote to the Committee, that his next communication would be from Sennar (600 miles to the South of Cairo): But death, attributed to various caufes, arrested him at the commencement of his refearches, and difappointed the hopes which were entertained of his projected journey. A bilious complaint, produced by vexatious delays, induced him to try too ftrong a dofe of the acid of vitriol, which he counteracted by the strongest tartar emetic; the continued difcharge of blood produced by which, haftened his death, and he was buried at Cairo. C T HE family name of Mr. Elwes was Meggot: and as his name was John, the conjunction of Jack Meggot, made ftrangers fometimes imagine that his intimates were addreffing him by an affumed appellation. His father was a brewer of great eminence. His dwellinghoufe and offices were fituated in Southwark which borough was formerly reprefented in parliament by his grand-father, Sir George Meggot. Mr. Clowes is now in poffeffion of the above premifes. He purchafed, during his life, the eftate now in poffeffion of the family at Marcham, in Berkshire, of the Calverts, who were in the fame line. The father died while the late Mr. Elwes was only four years old; fo, little of the character of 1 Mr. Elwes is to be attributed to him; but from the mother it may be traced at once-for though she was left nearly one hundred thousand pounds by her husband-fhe ftarved berfelf to death! 2. The only children from the marriage above, were Mr. Elwes, and a daughter who married the father of the late Colonel Timms-and from thence came the intail of fome part of the prefent eftate. At an early period of life he was fent to Westminster School, where he remained for ten or twelve years. During that time he certainly had not mifapplied his talents--for he was a good claffical Scholar to the laft and it is a circumftance not a little remarkable, though well authenticated, that he never read afterwards. Never was he seen at any period of his future life with á book, nor has he in all his different houfes now left behind him, bocks that would, were they collected to gether, fell for two pounds. His knowledge in accounts was ftill more trifling-and in fome measure may account for the total ignorance he was always in as to his own affairs. From Weftminfter School, Mr. Elwes removed to Geneva, where he foon entered upon purfuits more agreeable to him than ftudy. The riding-mafter of the academy there, had then to boaft, perhaps, three of the beft riders in Europe, Mr. Worfley, Mr. Elwes, and Sir Sydney Meadows. Of the three, Elwes was reckoned the most defperate: the young horfes were always put into his hands, and he was the roughrider to the other two. On his return to England, after an abfence of two or three years, he was to be introduced to his uncle, the late Sir Harvey Elwes, who was then living at Stoke, in Suffolk, perhaps the most perfect picture of human penury that ever exifted. The attempts of faving money were, in him, fo extraordinary, that Mr. Elwes, perhaps, never quite reached them, even at the last period of his life. His poffeffions at the time of his death, were fuppofed to be, at leaft trvo hundred and fifty thousand pounds his annual expenditure was about one hundred and ten pounds! However incredible this may ap pear, it is yet ftrictly true; his cloaths coft him nothing, for he took them out of an old cheft, where they had lain fince the gay days of Sir Jervaife. He kept his houfehold chiefly upon game, and fish which he had in his own ponds; and the cows which grazed before his own, door furnished milk, cheese, and butter, C 2 for for the little economical household. What fuel he did burn, his woods fupplied. To this uncle, and this property, Mr. Elwes fucceeded, when he had advanced beyond the fortieth year of his age. And for fifteen years previous to this period, it was, that he was known in the fashionable circles of London. He had always a turn for play; and it was only late in life, and from paying always, and not always being paid, that he conceived difguft at the inclination. The theory which he profeffed, "that it was impoffible to ask a gen"tleman for money," he perfectly confirmed by the practice; and he never violated this feeling to the lateft hour of his life. On this fubject, which regards the manners of Mr. Elwes, gladly I feize an opportunity to fpeak of them with the praife that is their due. They were fuch-fo gentle, fo attentive, fo gentlemanly, and fo engaging, that rudeness could not ruffle them, nor ftrong ingratitude break their obfervance. He retained this peculiar feature of the old court to the laft; but he had a praise far beyond this; he had the moft gallant difregard of his own perfon, and all care about himself, I ever witneffed in man. It is curious' to remark, how he then contrived to mingle fmall attempts at faving, with objects of the most unbounded diffipation. After fitting up a whole night at play for thoufands, with the moft fafhionable and profligate men of the time, amidst fplendid rooms, gilt fophas, wax lights, and waiters atten lant on his call, he would walk out about four in the morning, not towards home, but into Smithfield! to meet his own cattle, which were coming to market from Thaydonhall, a farm of his in Effex. There would this fame man, forgetful of the fcenes he had just left, ftand in the cold or rain, bartering with a carcafs-butcher for a filling! Sometimes when the cattle did not arrive at the hour he expected, he would walk on in the mire to meet them; and, more than once, has gone on foot the whole way to his farm without ftopping, which was feventeen miles from London, after fitting up the whole night. He always travelled on horseback. To fee him fetting out on a journey, was a matter truly curious; his first care was to put two or three eggs, boiled hard, into his great coat pocket, or any fcraps of bread which he found-baggage he never took-then, mounting one of his hunters, his next attention was to get out of London, into that road where turnpikes were the feweft, Then, ftopping under any hedge where grafs prefented itself for his horfe, and a little water for himself, he would fit down and refresh himfelf and his horfe together. In the life of Mr. Elwes, the luxuriant fources of industry or enjoyment all stood ftill. He encouraged no art; he bestowed not on any improvement; he diffufed no bleffings around him; and the diftreffed received nothing from his hand. What was got from him, was only obtained from his want of knowledgeby knowledge that was fuperior; and knaves and fharpers might have lived upon him, while poverty honefty would have ftarved. and in the hands of the needy, always drew him on to a loan of money. A fmall wine-merchant who had thefe views-begged his acceptance of fome very fine wine, and in a fhort time obtained the loan of fome hundred pounds. Old Elwes ufed ever after to say, " It was, indeed, very fine wine, for it cost him twenty pounds a bottle!" Mr. Elwes, from his father, Mr. Meggot, had inherited fome property in houfes in London; particularly about the Haymarket, not far from which old Mr. Elwes drew his firft-breath--for, by his regifter, it appears, he was born in St. James's parish. To this property he began now to add, by engagements with one of the Adams, about building, which he increased from year to year to a very large extent. Great part of Mary bone foon called him her founder. Portland-place and Portman-fquare, the riding-houfes and ftables of the fecond troop of life guards, and buildings too numerous to name, all rofe out of his pocket. In poffeffions fo large, of courfe it would happen that fome of the houfes were without a tenant; and, therefore, it was the custom of Mr. Elwes, whenever he went to London, to occupy any of thefe premifes which might happen to be vacant. He had thus a new way of feeing London and its inhabitants- -for he travelled in this manner from street to ftreet; and whenever any body chofe to take the houfe where he was, he was always ready to move into any other. He was frequently an itinerant for a night's lodging; and though mafter of above an hundred houses, he never wished to reft his head long any he chofe to call his own. A couple of beds, a couple of chairs, in a table, and an old woman, were all his furniture; and he moved them them about at a minute's warning. The fcene which terminated the life of this old woman, is not the leaft fingular among the anecdotes that are recorded of Mr. Elwes. But it is too well authenticated to be doubted. I had the circumstance related to me by the late Colonel Timms himself. Mr. Elwes had come to town in his ufual way and taken up his abode in one of his houfes that were empty. Colonel Timms, who wifhed much to fee him, by fome accident was informed that his uncle was in London; but then how to find him was the difficulty. He enquired at all the ufual places where it was probable he might be heard of: he went to Mr. Hoare's, his banker-to the Mount Coffee-house but no tidings were to be heard of him. Not many days afterwards, however, he learnt from a person whom he met accidentally, that they had feen Mr. Elwes going into an uninhabited houfe in Great Marlborough-ftreet. This was fome clue to Colonel Timms: and away he went thither. As the beft mode of information, he got hold of a chairman-but no intelligence could he gain of a gentleman called Mr. Elwes. Colonel Timms then defcribed his perfon-but no gentleman had been feen. A pot-boy, however, recollected that he had feen a poor old man opening the door of the ftable, and locking it after him: and from every defcription, it agreed with the perfon of old Mr. Elwes. Of course, Colonel Timms went to the house he knocked very loudly at the door-but no one answered. Some of the neighbours faid they C 3 had had feen fuch a man, but no answer could be obtained from the houfe. On this added information, however, Colonel Timms refolved to have the ftable door opened, and a blacksmith was fent for and they entered the houfe together. In the lower parts of it-all was fhut and filent. On afcending the ftair-cafe however, they heard the moans of a perfon, feemingly in diftrefs. They went to the chamber-and there, upon an old pallet bed, lay ftretched out, feemingly in death, the figure of old Mr. Elwes. For fome time he feemed infenfible that any body was near him; but on fome cordials being administered by a neighbouring apothecary, who was fent for, he recovered enough to fay-"That he had, he believed, been ill for two or three days, and that there was an old woman in the house, but for fome reafon or other fhe had not been near him. That fhe had been ill herself, but that fhe had got well, he fuppofed, and gone away." On repairing to the garrets, they found the old woman-the com-. panion of all his movements, and the partner of all his journies ftretched out lifeless on a rug upon the floor. To all appearances fhe had been dead about two days. In three fucceflive parliaments, Mr. Elwes was chofen for Berkfhire: and he fat as member of the houfe of commons about twelve years. It is to his honour-an honour in thefe times, indeed, moft rare that in every part of his conduct, and in every vote he gave, he proved himself to be what he truly was an independent country gentleman. All this time the income of Mr. Elwes was increafing hourly, and his prefent expenditure was next to no thing; for the little pleasures he had once engaged in, he had now given up. He kept no house, and only one old fervant and a couple of horses; he refided with his nephew; his two fons he had stationed in Suffolk and Berkshire, to look after his refpective eftates; and his drefs certainly was no expence to him; for, had not other people been more careful than himself, he would not have had it eyen mended. When he left London, he went on horfeback to his country feats, with his couple of hard eggs, and without once ftopping upon the road at any houfe. He always took the most unfrequented road-but Marcham was the feat he now chiefly vifited; which had fome reafon to be flattered with the preference, as his journey into Suffolk coft him only two pence halfpenny, while that into Berkshire amounted to fourpence! When his fon was in the guards, he was frequently in the habit of dining at the officers' table there. The politeness of his manners rendered him agreeable to every one, and in time he became acquainted with every officer in the corps; amongst the reft, with a gentleman of the name of Tempeft, whose good-humour was almoft proverbial. A vacancy happening in a majority, it fell to this gentleman to purchafe; but as money is not always to be got upon landed property immediately, it was imagined fome officer would have been obliged to purchafe over his head. Old Mr. Elwes heard of the circumstance, and sent him the money next morning. He afked no fecurity-he had feen Captain Tempelt, and liked his manners; and he never once afterwards talked to him about the |