I need hardly say, that such a statement as I produced, accompanied by a narrative, written in such a spirit, was met, on the part of the creditors,-with the utmost sympathy,the kindest usage,—and, the most speedy compliance, on their parts, with whatever terms of settlement I might be disposed to accede to. Indeed, I left them to adjust and settle the terms themselves, while I retired to another room, to be out of the way of their deliberations. It was in that situation, Mr

off to be sold by auction, was even considerably more than I have calculated in the second item of L.300 more-the other losses, L.140 and L.237, can easily be explained to gentlemen conversant in the book business.-Finding the auction business also failing, or, carried on in such a protracted shape at a distance, as must add considerably to the expence, as well as risk (as I had now learned by dear bought experience,) I determined to call home my northern auctioneer, and to confine my operations nearer home, which, although not likely to be suffi ciently productive, would, I thought, enable me to carry through with a little more assistance from friends, without sacrificing so much of my stock, as I found had been the case of late, and which would enable me to get quit of my obligations to them the better, now that my instalments were all paid up"-alas! how much was 1 again mistaken!-For now commenced the calamities of EAST LOTHIAN, and Berwickshire, the very places I had marked out as the theatre of my future operations.

[I need not here repeat, the great originating cause of these calamities, and of our having in consequence, been obliged to carry our sales in the ensuing winter, into Forfarshire,-nor have I room to pursue this part of the subject further.]

A little further on, in allusion to the particular period, I had selected for bringing out my Popular Philosophy, I take occasion to observe, "Before I had yet time to carry my intentions into execution, the storm began to gather, -and, before I had advanced many paces in my task,-it burst, with fearful impetuosity, and most destructive influence upon the Book trade," &c, &c. And, as I approach towards the conclusion, I remark, "what may be your opi nions, Gentlemen, of the propriety, or impropriety, of MY CONDUCT, one thing is clear, that, if it had not been for Mrs M.'s exertions in the shop, while my attention was so much taken up with other considerations, in order to make the best of, what some would have deemed a hopeless cause, long ago, very little if any thing had been left, and I may say, and say truly, that it was THIS HOPE, -the hope of being able, one day to get the better of difficulties, arising, as every one must see, now, out of former misfortunes, by our united and protracted exertions, that made me persevere so long, although sometimes almost against hope."

[But here comes the last paragraph, which seems to point out one of those mournful occasions, I so affectingly alluded to, at the time, I penned the last page but one, of my series of introductory chapters, (See page 95 of the present volume.)]

"I might have said more—a great deal more-to shew you, that in this most eventful period of my life-upon which so MUCH DEPENDED-and upon which my future fate and comfort may be said to have hung,-I might have been well styled, A MAN OF SORROWS AND ACQUAINTED WITH GRIEFS,' in the truest sense of the word;-but I shall, for the present, draw a veil over the melancholy picture, trusting, that I have said enough to meet your sympathy, even if my conduct, should not altogether, meet your approbations :-up to the last moment of HOPE, I persevered when HOPE expired, what could I do, but give way to despair ?"

found me, I dare say, the picture of despair, or something approaching to it, when he came to inform me of the determination of the creditors, or what they rather had the goodness to submit to me as reasonable. I agreed to the terms-returned again to the company,—and, as securities, I think, were found on the spot,-the matter may be said to have been so far settled.

To complete the thing, however, I, with the advice of a gentleman, who had acted again, as he had often done before, a very friendly part, on this distressing occasion, went westward on the Tuesday following, to Edinburgh and Leith, to get the assent of the absentees in that quarter; and I shall never forget the readiness, with a very trifling exception, with which my request was complied with, and the great kindness I experienced in that otherwise disagreeable journey. Indeed, my kind friends, for I must ever call them so-seem to have vied with each other in paying me every soothing attention, under my new reverses, and some of them even went so far as to congratulate me on my happy determination to go west personally; and, if ever any person experienced the truth of the adage-" If you wish to have your business done, go-if not, send," I think I did, on that occasion.

It is the less to be wondered at, then, that the kind friend, who had taken such an active hand in the matter, and who advised me so strenuously to go west personally, when my spirits began to flag and I hesitated in coming to the resolution, on the afternoon of the 15th, should, when the result of my journey had been communicated to him, have congratulated me so warmly on my success, in his letter of the 22d, at which, he said, he was "most happy."

The many disagreeable calls I had to make, about Edinburgh and Leith, on the 18th and 19th, will still, occasionally, flit across my mind; but the disagreeableness of the call was, in general, soon neutralized by the kindness of the reception; and if one person assumed the blustering attitude—which he might have spared on the occasion-that person, has now be come, more the object of my pity than my anger, in consequence of the information I have recently received, that, that

person, who then blustered his hour,-has been,-or now is, -in the back ground himself.

There are a number of little associations connected with my gloomy journey to Haddington, on the dark morning of the 15th, which I have not yet forgotten-the very circumstance of the clock not striking at the hour of starting-the information we received from a gentleman who came in at Beil Gate, and his strange surmises after he joined our partythe conversation I had with previous to the meeting,are all fresh in my memory;—while others of more paramount interest, but which, at present, it would be painful even thus briefly to glance at, make it somewhat difficult, to suppress the rising sigh, when I think of them.

Things seem to have gone on progressively towards the completion of the settlement, from my return from Edinburgh, till the end of the year; for, on the 28th, I see, I was able to forward to my friendly coadjutor, so recently alluded to, the deeds of accession, of other two of the few houses, from which we had not yet finally heard ;—and on the 31st, or last day of the year, in a letter in answer, and containing some necessary information, he gives me the following consolatory advice:-"Get on with your arrangements, and keep up your spirits, for, I have no doubt, that a more comfortable and successful period is at hand for you, than you have experienced for many years back.”

CHAPTER XXXVIII.-1828.

No reason to doubt the sincerity of my friend's sentiments, nor his ability and inclination to serve me so far as lay in his power. Pleasing cogitations to which such considerations must have given rise.-Another flower, or rather the crowning piece of a new chaplet.-Enumeration of the several flowers that composed this new bouquet,-Opinion of the Rev. Ebenezer Brown of Inverkeithing written on New Year's Day. Another perplexing consideration engages my attention. New evidence of the sincerity and good intentions of my friend. Comparative calmness and serenity of mind in which I write my new retrospect.-Yet something ominous in the unaccountable motto.- Another kind letter from my old friend.—And another of a most consolatory and gratifying description, largely quoted.-A person cannot feel too sensitively on such occasions.Go to the westward again in good spirits, and am again most

cordially and kindly received.-The first fore-taste of another very bitter cup, in a state of preparation for me.-Issue my February sale catalogue.-Sales at Edinburgh.-Auction of remnants, &c.-Disagreeables of the month of April. The month of May not without its full share of them.- Bad effects of procrastinated suffering.-I become a living barometer.-Letter of condol. ence to an old correspondent in consequence of a recent afflictive bereavement. —Arrival of a little stranger into these sublunary regions.-My observation on the occasion.-Pleasing but affecting extract from the answer of an old and much valued correspondent.-A visit of mercy very opportunely chosen. Death-bed conversation on a sacramental Sabbath.-My son Robert's only regret in dying.—Go to the westward on a cheerless journey, and on a cheerless subject.-Visit in July, Edinburgh and Dalkeith, rendered memorable by the affecting reminiscence of THREE LAST THINGS.-Timely present of "the farewell to time," for being perused on a death bed.

THAT my friend thought as he said, and said as he thought, I had no reason to doubt,—and how could I? He had long been my steady and unflinching friend, and that on many an important and trying occasion. In the late instance, as preses of the meeting, to which he had been appointed, as my highest creditor, he took a most active part towards getting matters speedily arranged; and, in the very letter from which the extract is taken, which concludes my last chapter, he gave sufficient evidence of his exertions to be of service to me still.

And, as I had no reason to suspect the sincerity of a gentleman, whom I could not tax with having ever manifested any intention to deceive me, in any former instance; so I could

not doubt, from former experience, his ability, as well as in clination, to be of use to me on this now exceedingly depress ing and distressing situation. I knew well, that he had mucis in his power, towards promoting, or forwarding me to the very state, he had so feelingly and kindly predicted, and itc was not long until he gave me a very convincing proof to o this effect.

a

The year, therefore, so far as Mr was concerned, a must have gone down in peaceful serenity, not unmixed, perhaps, with the pleasing anticipations of what I might yet expect from his aid, in the unfortunate condition in which I was again, after so many unremitting efforts, to the contrary, unfortunately placed; and these, indeed, might have formed part of the most pleasant of my cogitations, when I sallied forth, to take my accustomed sea-side walk, on that beautiful sunny afternoon, of the first day of January, 1828.

The comfortable expressions, in that letter, must indeed have constituted it a flower, to cheer my path, as I sauntered leisurely along on its southern banks, near the mouth of the great estuary of the Forth,-while, at a considerable distance up, and in the neighbourhood of its northern shores, there had been preparing, on that very day, perhaps that very hour, unknown to me, a flower of a different kind, and destined to become the crowning one, to A NEW CHAPLet, which had been for some time forming.*

This refers to the letter of that venerable and exemplary minister of the Secession Church, the Rev. Ebenezer Brown of Inverkeithing, who, in writing to a neighbouring bookseller of that date, ordering a copy of the book, is thus pleased to express himself,—" I wish to have another copy of Popular Philosophy, to make a new year's gift of it to some young persons. To me it appears to be an excellent book. A thought occurred this morning-say that a person was sitting in his chamber-Mr Miller's book in his left hand—and the Bible, the best of all books, in his right—the former shewing him "That all God's works praise him," and the latter, informing him, that the God of nature is the God of grace and that the God of providence is the REDEEMER of sinners—and suppose this person to be under the influence of the Holy Spirit, how happy would he be! Would he not feel, in some degree, as John the apostle did, when he 'heard every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, saying, Blessing and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever.' Which it will be seen in my next set of printed testimonials, beginning with No. XXVIII. forms the last, or conclud. ing one, No. XXXV.—This set, containing those I had received up to that date, since the time I published my full sheet, formerly alluded to, is as follows: