recital of it now by us, in this place, will not occasion him the smallest uneasiness.. It is eminently characteristic of the illustrious Duke-it redounds, we shall say, to his lasting honour

November 22, 1836.

SIR, I have this morning had the honour of receiving your letter of the 19th inst., regarding the sisters of the late Colonel Hamilton of the Scots Greys. If I had this single case to deal with, or a hundred, or even hundreds, I should be under no difficulty; but as soon as the war was over, nothing would avail the officers of the army, their relatives, and relicts, but exorbitant profits and interest. Instead of placing their money in security, and being satisfied with small but secure interest for the same, they entrusted it to gamblers and speculators-whether in the profession of the law or otherwisein order to acquire more than could fairly be made by money; and the tale of distress which you relate of the Misses Hamilton is that, not of hundreds, but, to my certain knowledge, of thousands. All these naturally come to me, from all parts of the world. I have at this moment applications before me from Canada, and the East Indies, as well as from different parts of Europe; and I need scarcely add that the relicts of officers of the army are not the only sufferers. The Government will do nothing; and I must confess that I cannot see on what ground a grant of money can be justified, founded on losses of fortune occasioned by imprudent and unreasonable speculations. No private funds can provide for such demands. I make this statement in answer to your letter, as I wish to show you that the case is not singular; at the same time, I send you the enclosed, requesting you to add it to any subscriptions which may have been made for the service of these unfortunate ladies.

I have the honour to be, sir, your most obedient humble servant, WELLINGTON.

To David Dreghorn, Esq.,

Govan Parish Poor-Rate Office, Glasgow.

Mr. Dreghorn, we know, was much pleased at the time with that letter from the illustrious Duke, and had it published. It conduced much to his elevation in public life in this city; and although we had a pretty powerful

weapon at that time in our own hands, in connexion with the public press, we were sensible that we had not the ear of the monied, or the upper classes of society then in the city-our politics, indeed, were deemed, by some of them, to be odious and violent in the extreme, yet we have lived to see them actually adopted; and in language far more pungent than we ever published or employed, by no less than Earl Derby and Mr. Disraeli-the great leaders of the Conservative party, and by most of Her Majesty's present Ministers! and, therefore, it was, that we suggested to Mr. Dreghorn that he should try and get the Glasgow Courier-the unflinching leader of the rich Conservative party in Glasgow, whether it has been rewarded by that party or not-to take up the case of these poor ladies, thus spoken to by the Duke of Wellington, whose words carried weight with them over Europe. The Courier, we are glad to say (for even we can yet respect a once proud and bitter opponent) did the agreeable on the occasion. The Courier, under date the 26th November, 1836, inserted the following choice leader, which the old respected readers of the Courier will not regret, we are persuaded, to have dished up afresh to them again, by the old hand which pens these latent effusions

A most distressing case of misery has just been communicated to us, and as the best mode of detailing it, we copy the following (above) correspondence between Mr. Dreghorn and his Grace the Duke of Wellington. We do so the more readily, as it at once shows the attention and munificence of his Grace, than whom a more patriotic nobleman does not exist; and were but the tithe of the charitable acts performed by his Grace made known, we are sure it would make his most bitter opponent blush. This business-like, and sensible letter, which is holograph of him, was accompanied by a Five Pound Bank of England note. We trust his example may be followed by those

who have it in their power to do so. The objects are every way worthy; their noble brother died in defence of his country, while leading on the gallant Greys to the final charge at Waterloo; and we cannot think that his sisters will be allowed to starve at our very doors. Any subscriptions will be thankfully received by Mr. Dreghorn, 11 Miller Street, Glasgow.

Within a very short period after that publication appeared, Mr. Dreghorn had the satisfaction of receiving from lords, ladies, and gentlemen of the highest repute, upwards of £300 sterling; and amongst them was a donation from the Hon. Captain Kerr of the Scots Greys, in the following letter, which we beg to quote

Clarkerdo, 22nd Nov., 1836.

SIR,-I learn with much regret the unfortunate circumstances of Colonel Hamilton's sisters, and beg leave to hand you the enclosed (five pounds) for their behoof.

I had the pleasure of being a brother officer in the Greys for fifteen years with the Colonel, than whom there could not be a more zealous officer, nor a more thorough gentleman.

I have the honour to be, sir, your very obedient servant,

To D. Dreghorn, Esq.,

No. 11 Miller Street, Glasgow.

JAMES KERR,

Late Captain of Scots Greys.

For several years afterwards, through the agency of Mr. Dreghorn, we had the unspeakable satisfaction of seeing the ladies comfortably attended to-in fact, they visited us every week, sometimes oftener; and, latterly, they made our house-to which they were ever welcome, their only house or place of call. They were extremely timid, modest, and retiring. It was difficult to get a laugh out of them, but when we raised it they did enjoy it. All our endeavours were to keep up their spirits, and not let them sink in melancholy, and for a time we did

succeed. They were extremely well versed in history, and thoroughly understood and appreciated every Christian duty; they always spoke mildly and gently in the extreme, and when they curtsied, in token of any recognition made to them, it was the very emblem of pure, dignified life.

We were anticipating the pleasing hope that poor Miss Jean, the youngest of the two sisters, would soon be restored to her wonted reason, but a sudden message came to us one day, by their servant girl (for they had now a servant attending them-they had many such in former times), conveying their compliments, and entreating that we should pay them an immediate visit, if convenient. We obeyed the call, and were shocked to see such a strange and sudden alteration in Jean's placid countenance. She gave one convulsive sob, and then gently closed her eyes in death, ere we were many minutes in the sick-room. On the 30th July, 1848, we laid her head in the silent grave, beside her brother, the Lieutenant, in the Ram's Horn Church-yard of this city.

Poor Ann, the survivor, mourned sadly. She was now the last of the race of this extraordinary family. But before we end the story with her death, soon afterwards, we have to narrate a most remarkable fact, which should, probably, have been done at an earlier period of this chapter.

Colonel Hamilton lost all his valuable luggage on the field of Waterloo. Two days after that bloody battle his body was discovered, and recognised, amongst the slain. His pockets had been rifled, for it is a well-known fact that stragglers from Brussels, and other places, had gone out to pillage the field, and empty the pockets of every dead officer they could find. His rings and valuable gold

watch were gone. His trusty sword was also gone-it had probably done execution enough—but the scabbard remained, with the SILKEN SASH, upon his body; and that Red Silken Sash was carefully transmitted to Mr. Swan, as agent of the deceased, in Edinburgh, by whom it was transmitted to the only one who was best entitled to it, viz., Lieut. John Anderson, the Colonel's lawful and only surviving brother, who was dying of his own wounds in the city of Glasgow. That Red Silken Sash, belonging 1 to, and found upon the body of Lieut.-Colonel Hamilton, commanding the Scots Greys at Waterloo, is actually in our possession at the present moment! It is not the first time, these many long years, that we have saluted it with reverential esteem; nor may it be out of place for us to tell, in a few words, the affecting circumstances which brought it into our possession, and entitles us to hold it, as no mean part, but rather one of the most honourable parts of our slender but cherished inheritance.

The sole surviving sister, Ann, was now evidently fast hastening to her grave, with grief for her departed sister. She earnestly requested to be permitted to come to our house, and spend an hour or two, on one particular afternoon-it was the anniversary of the battle of Waterloo; and that we would be good enough to have all the young members of our family assembled, that she might again have the pleasure of seeing them, probably, she said, for the last time. She was always welcomed by every one of our then happy household. On this occasion she was particularly calm and dignified. She soon rose from her seat, and carefully unrolling a white linen handkerchief, which, obviously, contained something of importance in her eyes-for there was more than one handkerchief around it-and her hands shook as if she were afraid to in