is the period at which all men are called upon, rich or not rich, to act for themselves. You will therefore forgive me, I hope, if I say something on the occasion. You, my dear William, will not be encumbered with riches or a great income to manage, but you have, in my opinion, fully as great a task before you, and that is to maintain the good character you have already obtained by your early entrance into life. You have been endowed by the Almighty with a greater facility of apprehension and a greater desire of improvement than falls to the share of most young men of your age. You must therefore naturally feel a superiority in that respect which is very pardonable; but as you value your fame, never allow these sensations to carry you away. Self-conceit and assurance disfigure the most transcendent merit, and are odious in every rank. It is as unbecoming to a prince as it is in any other situation of life. Modest merit is always amiable; and people will always be more ready to acknowledge eminent qualities in those that do not put them forward themselves, and their excellence will be beloved as much as admired.

There is, beside, another though more trifling subject on which you and every military man should be put on his guard, and that is with respect to manners. Living much with men makes people boisterous, noisy, and inattentive to what they say and do. Situated as young men are in the army, nothing but the most scrupulous attention on this score can prevent their contracting these habits, and as you will most probably live still more with men than ever, I cannot help giving you this caution. I am anxious to see you good and great, and I wish that, in addition to all these qualities, your manners may have the polish those of a gentleman ought to have. Alas! human nature is so prone to contract bad habits, and especially the habits of those we are sometimes forced to live with, that the safest is to be upon our guard at every age, and never to relax on that point.

6

Upon a more essential subject than any I have yet mentioned, I flatter myself your principles are fixed. Yet I can

not help beseeching you to be on your guard

against the

wretched casuistry and the levity you may meet with at home and abroad. For that reason never enter into jokes upon religious subjects; nobody can tell how far a joke may carry one. You cannot pretend to reform the unprincipled men that may fall in your way; but you may show them you do not like to listen to them. I say this more for what you may meet with abroad than in England; for, thank God! irreligion is not the vice of the age with us, but I am afraid you will find that it is so on the Continent.

As this is not written to reproach you with any defects you may have, my dear William, but to warn you from catching the many errors you will find floating in society, I hope you will not take it as a reproof, but as the advice of one who has lived much longer than you in the world, and who is most anxious about you. May the Almighty bless you and preserve you from the many faults human nature is subject to, is, and will be, my constant prayer. Do not answer this letter, but let your whole life be a proof that you have attended to these injunctions, and I cannot experience a greater satisfaction; and believe me ever, my dear William,

This letter, which he evidently prized highly, is found carefully stored among his papers, put into a separate cover and docketed by him. His reply was unusually brief, being merely a sentence in a note written the following day about a projected visit to his aunt at Windsor.

'MY DEAREST AUNT,-I received yesterday morning your letter. You have pointed out to me the manner in which you would have it answered. I think you will believe me sincere when I promise you I have read it more than once, and that if I am ever fortunate enough in the least to resemble the model it presents me with, I shall have attained the first ambition of my soul. With my best love to Sophia, and kindest

remembrances to Miss Goldsworthy, believe me, my dear Ever gratefully and affectionately yours, 'W. M. GOMM.'

aunt,

That these were no idle promises is best shown by William Gomm's whole after-life. His good aunt, at his entry into it, warned him against three things-viz. arrogance, rough manners, and irreligion; and all who knew him most readily admit that for nothing was the old Field-Marshal more noted than for his singular modesty, his pure-minded and old-fashioned courtesy, while his deep religious principles pervaded and influenced his whole life. Seldom have precept and promise been so closely and fully covered by action.

CHAPTER IV.

1805-1808.

EXPEDITION TO BREMEN-RETURNS TO STAFF COLLEGE-PASSES EXAMINATION-EXPEDITION TO STRALSUND-BOMBARDMENT OF COPENHAGEN -ARMY RECEIVES THANKS OF PARLIAMENT.

TOWARDS the end of the year 1805 William Gomm's studies at the Military College were broken in upon by a call to arms. He had heard that his regiment was under orders for India, and was to embark almost immediately. He therefore hurried up to London and saw General Brownrigg, the Adjutant- General; but as the destination of the regiment was so uncertain, he was divided between his anxiety to effect an exchange so as to avoid going to India, and his extreme desire not to exchange if there was a chance of his regiment being ordered on active service in Europe.

'London: November 21, 1805.

It is impossible, my dear aunt, for anything to have been more kind than General Brownrigg's behaviour to me this morning., . . To cut the matter short, I must tell you plump that I am neither going to India nor going with the Guards; but I hope I am going to the Mediterranean. Before I go any further I must tell you a good thing, which is, that I have positively let General Brownrigg into the secret of the regiment being destined for India. Who would ever have thought that Captain William Gomm should have been beforehand with the Quartermaster-General in news about his own regiment? I shall tell this as a triumph some time hence; but, unfortunately, when it would go down so much better, it is probably more prudent that I should be tongue-tied upon the subject. But, to proceed. As I was going to say, he pro

tested to me that he knew nothing of the regiment being destined for India. At the same time, he thought it a very likely thing that the Duke of York, out of kindness to him, would take such a measure, as it was always considered advantageous to the colonel; and from what his Royal Highness had mentioned to Princess Mary, there could be no doubt of his intentions. I then begged of him to consider that my only wish was to avoid going to India in making an exchange, and that as I was convinced the regiment was not destined for that quarter immediately, being at present under orders for embarkation, it might possibly be intended for more active service. In this case I begged of him, for God's sake, not to suffer me to take any steps towards a removal from the regiment till it was released from any engagement of this sort. He told me they had certainly been destined for the Mediterranean, but that so many changes had lately taken place (and he mentioned the situation of Portugal) that, upon his honour, he knew not at this moment their destination. Until I know more, I shall have nothing but golden dreams when I sleep. I hope you will not construe this unworthily into any allusion to prize money. Then we came more immediately to the subject of exchange. He said it would be the height of madness to think of it. I was a little surprised at his telling me I had better have asked the Duke to give me a majority, instead of leave to exchange. I should as soon have thought of asking for the Gold Stick when it became vacant. He then made another proposal to me, which I confess I should have been afraid to have made to him, which was to apply for leave of absence, and by that means to remain with the 2nd battalion, and he thought no reflection would attach to me for this mode of proceeding; but I confess that much as I respect his sanction for any step I may take, I had rather go any other way to work than this. The fact is, he sees the exchange with the same eyes that Doctor Johnson did the enlisting a boy into the navy-viz. nobody would go there who had interest to get into Newgate. This other plan I have great hopes of getting accomplished. There is now only one captain above me who,