it is not useless to put this matter on record;
for just such formulas are believed in now by many people. Even in this
city there are "witches" who humbug the more foolish part of the
community out of their money by means just as foolish as these.

VIII. ADVENTURERS.

CHAPTER XXXIX.

THE PRINCESS CARIBOO; OR, THE QUEEN OF THE ISLES.

Bristol was, in 1812, the second commercial city of Great Britain,
having in particular an extensive East India trade. Among its
inhabitants were merchants, reckoned remarkably shrewd, and many of them
very wealthy; and quite a number of aristocratic families, who were
looked up to with the abject toad-eating kind of civility that follows
"the nobility." On the whole, Bristol was a very fashionable, rich,
cultivated, and intelligent place--considering.

One fine evening in the winter of 1812-13, the White Lion hotel, a
leading inn at Bristol, was thrown into a wonderful flutter by the
announcement that a very beautiful and fabulously wealthy lady, the
Princess Cariboo, had just arrived by ship from an oriental port. Her
agent, a swarthy and wizened little Asiatic, who spoke imperfect
English, gave this information, and ordered the most sumptuous suite of
rooms in the house. Of course, there was great activity in all manner of
preparations; and the mysterious character of this lovely but high-born
stranger caused a wonderful flutter of excitement, which grew and grew
until the fair stranger at length deigned to arrive. She came at about
ten o'clock, in great state, and with two or three coaches packed with
servants and luggage--the former of singularly dingy complexion and
fantastic vestments, and the latter of the most curious forms and
material imaginable. The eager anticipations of hosts and guests alike
were not only fully justified but even exceeded by the rare beauty of
the unknown, the oriental style and magnificence of her attire and that
of her attendants, and the enormous bulk of her baggage--a circumstance
that has no less weight at an English inn than any where else. The
stranger, too, was most liberal with her fees to the servants, which
were always in gold.

It was quickly discovered that her ladyship spoke not one word of
English, and even her agent--a dark, wild, queer little fellow,--got
along with it but indifferently, preferring all his requests in very
"broken China" indeed. The landlord thought it a splendid opportunity to
create a long bill, and g