always, from his connection with a West Indian property, felt a strong interest in the question of the negro capabilities for intellectual culture, Mr Paget took a pleasure, while at sea, in promoting and watching the development of Cæsar's mind, finding therein an excellent amusement for his unoccupied time. Very little instruction of any kind had been given to the boy before, but he rapidly profited by that which his kind master deigned to bestow on him; and thus solved for his teacher the problem of negro improvability, which Lott Cary, Thomas Jenkins, and Phillis Wheatley, may have solved for others.

The facility with which the young African imbibed the common rudiments of education during the voyage, induced Mr Paget, on reaching his aunt's house in the west of England, to provide Cæsar with continued opportunities of instruction. In short, Cæsar, during several years succeeding his arrival at Pagetville, received a good ordinary education, such as is usually bestowed on the middle-classes of Britain. It was not thrown away on a barren soil. The boy's intelligence and correctness of deportment soon made him very much a favourite with Mrs Paget, the lady of the house, and aunt of his benefactor. It would be superfluous, however, to dwell on this part of our hero's life. Suffice it to say, that, after he had passed the period of boyhood, he became the personal and favourite attendant of his mistress. Subsequently, he advanced in position, as opportunity occurred, until he became house - steward, and was intrusted with the highest charge connected with his lady's household affairs.

Shortly after he was made house-steward, his mistress removed to the neighbourhood of Henley, on the Thames, where she had a small estate, with a mansion attached to it. Here Cæsar continued for several years in the management of the domestic matters of the family, and in the course of this occupation, became known to, and indeed familiarly acquainted with, many of the respectable tradesmen and merchants of the town of Henley. The consequence of this was seen in the course of time. Mrs Paget died. Her oldest nephew, a brother of Cæsar's

former friend, fell heir, though never the deceased's favourite, to her English property. Several years before this time, Henry Paget, being in bad health, had returned, for the advantage of warmer air, to the Paget estate in Antigua, which his aunt had latterly disponed to him, being all the landed property she had it in her power to bestow on the nephew she loved. In this situation of things, our friend Cæsar received an invitation from the English heir to continue in his place as major-domo. But he declined the offer for several reasons, though undecided about any other course for the future. Several of his friends in Henley heard of this, and the result was, that a number of the respectable merchants of the place, knowing Cæsar's probity and activity in business matters, strongly recommended him to take advantage of a favourable opening which then occurred, and to engage in trade in Henley. The opening in question was in the coal-trade, which is carried on extensively there. Cæsar took the advice given to him, and became a coal- merchant in Henley.

His late lady had not forgotten in her will the valuable services of her attached African, and Cæsar Paget, as we may now call him without fear of confusion, was therefore enabled to embark in business with a considerable capital. IIe had also the advantage of having a considerable range of acquaintance, and a good character. Some may perhaps think that he had disadvantages, or at least a disadvantage, to counterbalance the favourable points. But -whether from a particular liberality on the part of the people among whom he found himself placed, or not, we cannot say certain it is, that Cæsar not only was successful in business, but also in gaining the warm friendship of the most respectable of his fellow-townsmen. The colour of his skin became forgotten or unheeded; how completely, the following incident in his career will shew. After our hero had spent a number of fortunate years in business, the chief rival he had in trade died, leaving a young and comely widow behind him. Cæsar was at this time in the prime of confirmed manhood, with a tall, manly person,

not inelegantly formed. His colour was, it is true, as black as ink, but his features were as near the European as the African contour. Thus fashioned, Cæsar Paget determined to offer himself to the blooming widow, thinking, no doubt, that the junction of the two businesses would be a most excellent thing for all parties. The widow thought so too; or, it may be, Cæsar had the address to persuade her of it. However this may be, she married our friend, and, we believe, never had occasion to repent of it, in the course of a long wedded life.

The tastes and manners, indeed, of Cæsar Paget may be described, without exaggeration, as those of a cultivated English gentleman. He was a great reader, to use a common phrase, and attached, in particular, to dramatic literature, as also to theatrical amusements. In order to see a favourite actor in a favourite play of Shakspeare, he would sometimes proceed, expressly on purpose, to the metropolis, accompanied generally by some of his family. In all the cultivated and elegant amusements of Henley, he took a prominent part. In the cricket-clubs, he was an active and cherished associate; and very odd, in truth, it was, to see him on the cricket-field, 'among the white ones, coloured only he.' But his fellow-townsmen and cricketers seemed, as has been said, to have utterly forgotten, in the course of time, the existence of such a circumstance as his peculiarity of hue. From his speech, nothing could be detected to indicate him other than a well-educated native of the country in which he lived.

Thus, possessed of wealth and comfort, surrounded by a happy family, esteemed by friends and employers, and enjoying as well as appreciating all the elegant and refined pleasures of civilised life, did he, who was in youth a poor slave-boy of Antigua, spend his advanced years. What a change-what a revolution-in his existing circumstances and probable fate, was produced by that stumble amid the Antiguan palm-trees-which caused the sprain in the ankle-which caused him to be lashed -which caused him to cry-which caused Mr Henry

Paget to come to the spot-which, finally, caused the liberation of the boy! These, at least, form the chain of circumstances by which the change was wrought out; but the true proximate cause of the whole, was the filial affection implanted by the Creator in the boy's nature, which led him to risk the lash for the procuring of a little good to his poor mother. With this moral, the old story-books would certainly have concluded a history like this; and though they too often left out of account, in doing so, all the after-propriety of conduct necessary to consummate the good attained by the first act, yet, as the failing of the old narrators leaned to virtue's side, we are content that filial affection should be regarded as the origin of Cæsar Paget's remarkable success in life. At the same time, we cannot help fearing that similar inlets to success have fallen in the way of many individuals, both white and black, without proving of any permanent avail, because the persevering industry and activity were absent which were required to make the thread into a tether. Cæsar Paget possessed these qualities, and all who would imitate his course must imitate them.

ANECDOTES OF MUSICIANS.

MUSIC, in its highest degrees of endowment, produces effects in the human character, of which the least that can be said is, that they are as worthy of being studied as any other class of mental phenomena. One of the most remarkable circumstances attending the gift in its loftiest forms, is the absolute impossibility of repressing it. Even during childhood, it is quite in vain, in most instances, to attempt to impose upon it the least control. In spite of the injunctions, the vigilance, the tyranny of masters and parents, the unprisoned soul' of the musician seems always to find some means of escape; and even when debarred from the use of musical instruments, it is ten to

one but in the end he is discovered ensconced in some quiet corner, tuning his horse-shoes, or, should he be so fortunate as to secure so great a prize, like Eulenstein, eliciting new and unknown powers of harmony from the iron tongue of a Jew's harp. Some curious examples of the extent to which this ruling passion has been carried occasionally occur. Dr Arne (except Purcell, perhaps our greatest English composer) was bred a lawyer, and as such articled to an attorney; but his musical propensities, which shewed themselves at a very early age, soon engrossed his mind to the exclusion of everything else. He used not unfrequently to avail himself of the privilege of a servant, by borrowing a livery, and going to the upper gallery of the Opera-house, at that time appropriated to domestics. It is also said, that he used to hide a spinet in his room, upon which, after muffling the strings with a handkerchief, he practised during the night; for had his father known what was going forward, he probably would have thrown both him and it out of the window. The latter, however, never appears to have come to a knowledge of these proceedings; and his son, instead of studying law, was devoting himself entirely to the cultivation of the spinet, the violin, and musical composition, until one day, after he had served out his time, when he happened to call at the house of a gentleman in the neighbourhood, who was engaged with a musical party, when, being ushered into the room, to his utter surprise and horror, he discovered his son in the act of playing the first fiddle; from which period the old gentleman began to think it most prudent to give up the contest, and soon after allowed him to receive regular instructions.

Handel, too, was similarly situated. His father, who was a physician at Halle, in Saxony, destined him for the profession of the law, and with this view was so determined to check his early inclination towards music, that he excluded from his house all musical society; nor would he permit music or musical instruments to be ever heard within its walls. The child, however, notwithstanding his parent's precautions, found means to hear