has, according to a well-known English law, been
taken charge of by the state and imprisoned in
the London Penitentiary. Maître Bob has
conceived a strong affection for his grandchild, and
it has become the principal object of his life to
effect her release. In the first scene, the
pawnbroker receives a visit from one of his clients,
Sir Edward Barckley—generally called Sir
Barckley, sometimes Mr. Barckley, and on one
occasion Milor Barckley. Sir Barckley has
recently been wounded in a duel he has
fought with one Henry Mildred (jeune
professeur), who has eloped with his (Barckley's)
cousin, Anna Davidson, niece of the rich Miss
(sic) Lady Davidson. Mildred having fled to
escape the consequences of the duel, Sir Barckley
has, with his servant Buttler, deposed before
the justices that Mildred attempted to murder
him; Mildred has, therefore, in his absence,
under another well-known British statute, been
sentenced to transportation as a contumacious
person. Now Sir Barckley happens to live
next door to the "attorney-general," and
consequently possesses great influence with that
functionary. Bob, therefore, endeavours to
induce him to obtain the release of Nancy,
promising him, if he succeed, to relieve him
from a debt of one thousand pounds. Sir
Barckley, however, fearing to lose cast by
acknowledging his acquaintance with the
pawnbroker, declines. Subsequently Mildred calls
on Bob, to pawn his watch. Bob, who has
recognised him, resolves, as he has failed in his
endeavour to get at the attorney-general, to try
another exalted legal functionary, "the sheriff,"
and prevails upon that officer to release Nancy
upon his betraying Mildred. Mildred is
accordingly given up; but Bob's little scheme with
reference to Nancy is frustrated, in consequence
of that precocious young lady, aged eight years,
having made her own escape unaided, and
proceeded to Botany Bay to join her parents. Bob
is therefore obliged to content himself with a
pecuniary reward of one hundred pounds, and
the unhappy Mildred is removed, in charge of
le constable and les watchmen, to Botany Bay.

After the lapse of fourteen years, Mildred,
then known as Marcus, manages, by the aid of
Nancy, to escape from Port Jackson, Australia,
and together they swim to a vessel bound for
England. It should be here remarked that
Buttler (Sir Barckley's servant), who has also
been transported, on his death-bed furnished
Nancy with a written statement that Mildred
is innocent of the crimes imputed to him.

Anna Davidson has, after the transportation
of Mildred, given birth to a son, which she
confides to the care of a peasant woman known by
the peculiarly British name of Noémi, while
seeking subsistence as a governess. Her aunt,
Miss, Lady, or Milady, Davidson, as she is
indifferently called, finds out Noémi, persuades
her to inform Anna that her child is dead,
and procures his admission to Greenwich
Hospital (L'hospice des orphelins de Greenwich),
which asylum, our authors evidently
suppose to be situated at the sea-side, as appears
by a dialogue which takes place on the spot.
The boy is there brought up under the name
of Olivier, but is nick-named Patience, on
account of the serenity of his temper. Previously
to the death of Milady Davidson, which
occurs at about the time of the return of
Mildred to England, her ladyship, relenting,
makes a will, leaving the bulk of her fortune
to the son of Mildred and Anna; but, fearing
that the son might inherit the supposed bad
qualities of his father, she makes a proviso that
he is to forfeit the bequest, if he be proved
guilty of any dishonest or shameful action.

The remainder of the story is devoted to the
efforts of Mildred and Miss Anna to discover
their child, whom they believe to be alive, and to
the efforts of Sir Barckley, assisted by his friend
Bob and a minor villain, called Le Matois (the
sharper), to involve Olivier in a breach of the law.
One scene in which Le Matois, accompanied by
Olivier, visits by night the house of Mr. Bolton,
a lawyer, and attempts to steal therefrom Milady
Davidson's will, and in the course of which
Olivier is fired at and wounded, affords rather
strong evidence that one of the authors of the
French play, at least, is not wholly unacquainted
with the novel of Oliver Twist. Thanks,
however, to the watchful care of Nancy, who,
restored to her grandfather's house, spends her
whole time in frustrating these nefarious
schemes, Olivier is kept from harm, and
eventually succeeds to his great aunt's property.
Towards the close of the drama, Bob, touched
by Nancy's remonstrances, resolves to pass the
remainder of his days in the practice of virtue,
and, with that object in view, agrees with
"the sheriff," for a handsome pecuniary
consideration, to deliver up to justice all his former
dishonest acquaintances, at a farewell supper to
be given by him. This plan, however, becomes
known to Sir Barckley, who attempts to blow
Bob up with gunpowder, but who only succeeds
in blinding him. Bob ultimately shoots Barckley
in the presence of le sheriff, les watchmen, and
"the people with torches," who have arrived
on the scene with the view of arresting Mildred,
and who do not appear to consider Bob's
proceedings as in the least irregular. Neither do
they appear to be of opinion that, Barckley
disposed of, it is at all necessary to execute
their warrant against Mildred. That individual
then tumbles into Anna's arms, declaring
himself perfectly happy, and—the curtain drops.

AN ANONYMOUS DIARY.

THE subsequent memoranda, are gleaned
from the fragment of a manuscript diary which
fell into our hands among some old papers. It
is paged from eleven to two hundred and thirty-
eight, the beginning and the end having been
alike torn away. Even the name of the diarist
is unknown to us, but he would seem to have
been a Scottish naval surgeon, settled or
stationed at Spanishtown, Jamacia, during the
years 1783-4; and, from amid the entries of his