ising money, contrived to find
supporters, and carried on the case. Maintaining his father's
truthfulness, he declared that his ancestor, the Hon. James Lindsay
Crawfurd, had settled in Ireland, and that he had died there between
1765 and 1770, leaving a family, of which he was the chief
representative. On the other hand, Lord Glasgow, who had succeeded by
this time to the estates, insisted that the scion of the family who
was supposed to have gone to Ireland, and from whom the pretender
traced his descent, had in reality died in London in 1745, and had
been buried in the churchyard of St. Martin's-in-the-Fields. It was
finally proved that a record remained of the death of James Lindsay
Crawfurd in London, as stated, and 120 genuine letters were produced
in his handwriting bearing a later date than that year. The decision
of the House of Lords was--"That from the facts now before us we are
satisfied that any further inquiry is hopeless and unnecessary." This
opinion was given in 1839, and since that time no further steps have
been taken to advance the claim. Strange to say, Lord Glasgow allowed
the body of the original claimant to be interred in the family
mausoleum; and it has been more than suggested that if John Lindsay
Crawfurd was not the man that he represented himself to be, he was at
least an illegitimate offshoot of the same noble house, and that had
he been less pertinacious in advancing his claims to the earldom, he
might have ended his days more happily.

JOHN NICHOLS THOM, _ALIAS_ SIR WILLIAM COURTENAY.

In 1830 or 1831 a Cornishman, named John Nichols Thom, suddenly left
his home, and made his appearance in Kent as Sir William Courtenay,
knight of Malta. He was a man of tall and commanding appearance, had
ready eloquence, and contrived to persuade many of the Kentish people
that he was entitled to some of the fairest estates in the county, and
that when he inherited his property they should live on it rent free.
This pleasant arrangement agreeing with the views of a large
proportion of the agriculturists, they entertained him hospitably, and
made no secret of their impatience for the arrival of the happy time
of which he spoke. Unfortunately Thom became involved in some
smuggling transaction, and having been found guilty of perjury in
connection with it, was sentenced to six years' transportation. After
his condemnation it was discovered that he was insane, and his
sentence was not carried out, b