ive a very good general idea of his. All that his
mother's remnant of his father's hoarded wealth could do, was done, to
prove him guiltless, but in vain. Counsel pleaded, some of his turf
friends, themselves of doubtful reputation, spoke to his character, and
he sat through his trial as imperturbably as if he had been at a
dinner-party. The prosecutors, Sir Samuel Spendall and Sir Horatio
Simpson, met with deserved reproofs for allowing themselves to be
swindled, almost before their faces, out of money and property to an
enormous amount.

Long before his father's death, Howel had begun a system of betting-book
cheating, and forgery on a small scale, which had ceased for a short
time when he came into his enormous wealth, but recommenced as that
wealth dwindled. Numerous instances came out from various sources whilst
he was in America,--all his former associates being ready to leave his
setting sun, for the rising one of his accusers.

Sir S. Spendall and Sir H. Simpson were sole prosecutors, and between
forgeries on banks, and in betting-books, and the unjust acquisition of
Spendall Lodge, Howel was found guilty of forgeries to the amount of
some fifty or sixty thousand pounds, and sentenced to transportation for
fourteen years. So much general villainy transpired amongst the set in
which these crimes were committed, and the prosecutors themselves were
so weak and dissipated, that the sentence was supposed to be less severe
than it might have been under other circumstances.

The nefarious conduct of Mr Deep as Howel's attorney, and the enormous
interest he was found to have received, caused him to be struck off the
rolls, and very little evidence was wanting to prove him an accomplice
in Howel's villainy. However, it was not forthcoming, and so Howel
suffered alone.

It was generally rumoured that Howel had forged his mother's name, at
various times, to a very large amount; but, as she vigorously denied the
fact, and acknowledged every signature as her own, the case was, of
course, not brought forward.

In spite of her manifold exertions in his favour, in spite of all
Rowland's efforts, Howel positively refused to see either of them before
the trial took place. He declared to his mother, through his attorney,
that if he saw her, she would take away some of that nerve and courage
so necessary to establish his innocence; and to Rowland, he politely
hinted that he did not wish to see him at all.

As the trial was a