mitted upon the bank have been done by the said means; it was evident these plates mentioned by the brothers were engraved for a similar purpose, and the impressions taken from them were counterfeit bank of England notes. This ingenious sort of a syllogism being neither more nor less than forcing the ergo, having met with the sanc-` tion and applause of all present, they lost no time in resolving, that as it was without doubt a more heinous sin to practise the most trivial offence against the paper currency of the bank, than to deprive a fellow-creature of his heart's blood, it became them, as good men and true, to give immediate notice of these worst of offenders, to that immaculate body.

In consequence of this information, Messrs. Winter and Key, solicitors for the bank, took a party of Bow Street officers with them to Hackney, in order to secure these daring offenders. Morland, who had just got a hint of the traps being seen not very far from the premises, enquiring for a painter, immediately concluded his

retreat was discovered, and made the best of his way over the garden-wall, and got safe undiscovered to London. When the officers and their guides entered the apartments of poor Morland, his brother began to explain the mistake; but no explanation would satisfy these intruders, till they had broken open and rummaged every thing that could hold a pack of cards. They were repeatedly cautioned against opening a box which belonged to another person, and which stood in one of the rooms. Disregarding all consequences, the bank being infallibly absolute upon all such occasions, they at length discovered their error; the suspected ingenious offender against the virtuous old lady in Threadneedle Street · turning out to be no other than the celebrated George Morland the painter, who had taken shelter at Hackney, to avoid the vengeance of some of his most obdurate creditors. This notable discovery was made by one of the officers, upon breaking open the painting-box, and seeing a picture upon the easel nearly finished.

When the solicitors perceived their error, and that they had been put upon a wrong scent, they apologised for the interruption and trouble they had given, and promised to represent the affair to the directors, who were too just and too generous not to make George ample remuneration for his loss of time, and the inconvenience they had put him to, in being obliged to seek out for another retreat.

Now, whether the solicitors or their employers were either or both liable to any civil action for this trespass, and if so, what damages the painter might have recovered in such a case, are questions we leave to the legal determination of professional gentlemen. The generous remuneration received by poor Morland, from the directors of that grand depository of unknown millions-we say, from the bank of England, whose means are inexhaustible, even to that wide-wasting, destructive whirlpool of continental wars—yes, out of their unbounded munificence who

direct those mighty affairs, poor George was ordered, and we are confidently as-. sured that he received, the immense sum of twenty guineas! Nay, and that it was really all in gold too!!! Our readers will be good enough to bear in memory the partiality Morland always shewed for the precious metal just here spoken of, as mentioned in a former part of this impar tial and faithful Memoir.

Being thus deprived of his favourite retreat at Hackney, he took shelter at a carver and gilder's in Leadenhall Street, where he remained three weeks, we suppose more to the interest of his host than to his own. From hence he went to Fountain Place, City Road; and, being soon tired there, removed to his brother's, in Dean Street, Soho, where he painted several fine pictures, and remained undiscovered to his pursuers for three months. Amongst many other capital productions finished here, were the pair of uprights, from which the prints have been en

graved, called the Poacher, and companion, the figure in the first of which is an exact and striking likeness of his faithful servant George Sympson, of whom he always spoke kindly. And we are too happy in recording every instance of inte grity, particularly when found in humble life, ever to omit our feeble meed of praise, wherever we can so justly bestow it How happy should we feel ourselves, if this conduct were more strictly attended to by our various cótemporaries, who are so condescending as to oblige the world with the biography of celebrated persons numbered with the dead, of whom, when living, they were as completely ignorant as they are of the antipodeans. This may in some measure account for the fulsome panegyrics it grieves us to see so liberally bestowed upon the memory of too many worthless characters, whose conduct whilst living was every day a satire upon the situations they crowded and abused with insolent meanness; without being able, upon any one occasion, to fill with dig