s not only
out of my power to aid her, but that it was impossible for her, however
strong the claims of her husband might be, to obtain her request. These
things are required for friends and dependants in England; and in the
race of competition, what chance of success has a colonist?

I made up my mind at once to forward her memorial as requested, but
pondered on the propriety of adding to it a recommendation. It could do
no good. At most, it would only be the certificate of an unknown man; of
one who had neither of the two great qualifications, namely, county or
parliamentary interest, but it might do harm. It might, by engendering
ridicule from the insolence of office, weaken a claim, otherwise well
founded. "Who the devil is this Mr. Thomas Poker, that recommends the
prayer of the petition? The fellow imagines all the world must have
heard of him. A droll fellow that, I take it from his name: but all
colonists are queer fellows, eh?"

"Bad news from home?" said Mr. Slick, who had noticed my abstraction.
"No screw loose there, I hope. You don't look as if you liked the
flavour of that ere nut you are crackin' of. Whose dead? and what is to
pay now?"

I read the letter and the memorial, and then explained from my own
knowledge how numerous and how valuable were the services of my
deceased friend, and expressed my regret at not being able to serve the
memorialist.

"Poor woman!" said Mr. Hopewell, "I pity her. A colonist has no chance
for these things; they have no patron. In this country merit will always
obtain a patron--in the provinces never. The English are a noble-minded,
generous people, and whoever here deserves encouragement or reward,
is certain to obtain either or both: but it must be a brilliant man,
indeed, whose light can be perceived across the Atlantic."

"I entertain, Sir," I said, "a very strong prejudice against relying
on patrons. Dr. Johnson, after a long and fruitless attendance on Lord
Chesterfield, says: 'Seven years, my Lord, have now past, since I waited
in your outward rooms, or was repulsed from your door; during which time
I have been pushing on my work, through difficulties, of which it
is useless to complain, and have brought it at last to the verge of
publication, without one act of assistance, one word of encouragement,
or one smile of favour. Such treatment I did not expect, for I never bad
a patron before."

"Ah!" said Mr. Hopewell, "a man who feels that he is wrong, is always