hat
spoke the painful feelings of his bosom, he thus addressed them:

"For more than thirty years I have been engaged in commerce, in order to
acquire independence for myself and my family. To accomplish this,
I became connected with some English importing merchants, in a seaport
town, and went largely into the English trade. Success crowned our
endeavours. On balancing our accounts, two years ago, we found that our
expectations were answered, and that we were sufficiently wealthy to
close business, which some proposed to do; it was, however, agreed to
make one effort more, as some favourable circumstances appeared to
offer, in which we adventured very largely, on a fair calculation of
liberal and extensive proceeds. Before returns could be made, the war
came on, embarrassments ensued, and by indubitable intelligence lately
received, we find that our property in England has been sequestered;
five of our ships, laden with English goods, lying in English harbours,
and just ready to sail for America, have been seized as lawful prizes;
added to this, three vessels from the Indies, laden with island produce,
have been taken on their homeward bound voyage, and one lost on her
return from Holland.

"This wreck of fortune I might have survived, had I to sustain only my
equal dividend of the loss; but of the merchants with whom I have been
connected, not one remains to share the fate of the event--all have
absconded or secreted themselves. To attempt to compound with my
creditors would be of little avail, so that the consequence to me is
inevitable ruin.

"To abscond would not secure me, as most of my remaining property is
vested in real estate; and even if it would, I could not consent to it.
I could not consent to banish myself from my country, with the view to
defraud my creditors. No: I have lived honestly, and honestly will I
die. By fair application and industry my wealth has been obtained, and
it shall never justly be said that the reputation of my latter days were
sullied with acts of meanness. I have notified and procured a meeting of
the creditors, and have laid the matter before them. Some appeared
favourable to me, others insinuated that we were all connected in
fraudulent designs to swindle our creditors. To this I replied with
becoming spirit, and was in consequence threatened with immediate
prosecution. Whatever may be the event, I had some hopes that your
happiness, Theodore, might yet be secured. Hence I prop