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darkncis ne thus whiie he Hood enveloped i;i {"s he law, ftanding before him, by the brigntneis of the moon Iitrht, a body or'men all armed,and ot thole who were in t.ne van or tne g ant*, lie obferved that a few were blackened. Armed only with this cafe knife, & aided only by a dauntlefs heaft, he took his itation by the fide of the door, and in a moment after, one of the villains entered from the parlour into the darkroom. Inftantly upon advan¬ cing, Sir John plunged the knife at him, the point of which entered under the risht arm, and in a line with the nipple, and fa home was the blow feut, that the knife palled into the robber's body, until Sir John's handftopt its. further prog-* ress. Upon receiving this thruft, the villain reeled back into the par¬ lour, crying out blafphemouiiy that he was killed, and ihortly af¬ ter another advanced, who was re¬ ceived in a iimilar manner, U who With his udger, and found that the of the pureft humanity withjnf- blade of it had bent near the point- tice. Ho commended with due As he lay ftruggling on the ground approbation the bravery and pref¬ ix endeavored^ bu^ unfucccisfullys cnee of mind difplayed through a to ftraiejitcn the curvature in tin conflict fo unequal and fo bloody by Sir John Purcell. The Jury, after a few minutes, returned their alfo flaggefed back into the par* lour, crying out that he was woun¬ ded. V voice from the out fide save orders to fire into the dark room, upon which a man ftcpt forward with a fliort crur-in his hand, which had the butt broken oi-r at the fmall, & which had a piece of card tied round the barrel and flock near the fweil. As this fellow Hood in the act to fire, Sir John had the amazing coolncfs to look at his in* tended murderer, and without be-- traying any audible emotion what¬ ever, that might point cut the ex¬ act fpot which he was flanding in, he calmly calculated Irs own fafety, from the {hot which was prepar¬ ing for him. lie faw that the con¬ tents of the piece were likely to pais clofe to his bread without mena¬ cing him with at lcaft any fcriou? wound, and in tin- p-\t- n[ /•;; wound, and n\ tins ftate or him and manlv expectation, he flood upon fearching, he found conceal- without flinching until the piece ed under his bed the identical ihort was fired, and its contents harm- lefsly lodged in the wall. It was loaded with a brace of bullets and knife, but while one hand was em¬ ployed in this attempt, he perceiv¬ ed that the grafp of his adverfary was loiincr its conftrai.ut and prei fare, and in a moment or two al¬ ter lie found himfelf Ihortly releai ed from it—the limbs of the rob ber were in fact by this time un¬ nerved by death* Sir John found that this fellow had a fword in his hand, and this he immediately fei zed, and gave leveral blows with it, his knife being no Ion ere r ier- viceable ; at length the robbers fin- ding fo many of their party had been killed or wounded, employed tnemfelvcs in removing the boo!- ies, and Sir John took this oppor¬ tunity of retiring into a place a lit- tie apart from the houfe, where he remained for a ihort tune. They dragged their companions into the parlour, and having placed chairs with the backs upwards, by mean ofthofe they lifted the bodies out of the windows, and afterwards took them away. When the rob- 4 bers retired, Sir John returned to his houfe, and called up a man Ser¬ vant from his bed, who during this long and bloody conflict had not appeared, and had confequently re¬ ceived from his mailer warm and loud upbraiding for his cowardice. Sir John then placed his daughter- in-law and grand child, who wer his only inmates, in places of fafe¬ ty, afid took inch precautions as circumilances pointed out till the day light appeared. The next day the alarm having been given, fearch was made after the robbers, and Sir John having gone to the houfe verdict—Guilty. MISCELLANY. For the Kingston Gazette. n 1 n g. RECKONER-----No. 49. TO THE RECKONER. I REACHED London on my twentieth birthday, & found with furprife k delight that my father had arrived on the preceding eve- Our meeting railed a tu- mult of emotions in my bread dif¬ ferent from anv that I had ever 4 felt before. He was now far ad¬ vanced in iife, and had fomethinir peculiarly venerable in his afpect, and that fecming coldneft and re- ierve, which repuifed my childifli endearment:}, were exchanged for tendcrnefs and affection. I was Li, I o - -........, M-AiMce Aoohaa, ic pnionei cm t hree Hugs. As foon as the robber Jired, Sir John made a oafs at him- with the knife, and wounded him Inthearm, which he repeated again in a moment, with Iimilar eflecl, and as the others had done, the villain, upon being wounded, reti¬ red, exclaiming that he was woun- ded. The robbers immediately rufhed forwards from the parlour into the dark room, and then it was that Sir John's mind recogni¬ zed the decpeil fenfe of danger, not to be opprelled by it, however, but to iurmount it. He thought that all chance of preferving his life was over, and he refolvcd to fell that life itill dearer to his intended mur¬ derers, than even what they had already paid for the attempt to de¬ prive him of it. He did not lofe a- inoment after the villains had en¬ tered the room, to act with the de¬ termination he had adopted ; he ilruck at the fourth fellow with his knife, and wounded him, and at the fame inftant he received a blow on the head, and found him¬ felf grappled with. He fhortened his hold of the knife, k ftabbed re¬ peatedly at the fellow with whom he found himfelf engaged*. The floor being fiippery from the blood of the wounded man Sir John and 3iis adverfary both fell, and while they were on the ground, Sir John thinking that his thrufts with the knife, though made with all his force did not feem to produce the dcaflve effect which they had' in the beginning ofthe conflict, hecx- rrained the point of his weapon gun with which one of the rob- bers had fired at hi:n. Noonan was immediately iccurcd, and fent to gaol, and upon being vihtcd by Sir John Purcell, he acknowledged that Sir John " had like to do for him," & was proceeding to Ihow, until Sir John prevented him, th» wounds he had received from the knife in his arm.- r V I J An accomplice of the name of f. D. Sullivan was produced, who depofed, that he \i as one of the party that met at Noonan's houfe to rob Highfort houfe, that they ■were nine in number and. had arms —that the prifoner was one of the number, <5c that he carried a fmall gun. Upon the gun (which was in Court) being produced, with which Sir John Purcell had been fired at, the witnefs laid it was that with which the nrifoner was arm- x ed the night of the attack. Wit- nels faid he did not p;o into Mr. Purcell's houfe—that two men were killed & three feverely woun¬ ded, out of the nine of which the party confided.. He faid he was induced to come forward and give evidence, upon hearing that two men of the names of Cuming, who were innocent, were accufed of be¬ ing of the party that attacked Sir John PurcelPs houfe. He faid he did not hear that informations, had been fworn againft him before he delivered himfelf into cuitody. The prifoner made no defence, and Judge Maync then proceeded to charge the Jury in a manner the moll copious and perfpicuous, and at the iame time earnestly ex¬ acting for the prifoner whatever could be expected from a junction exceedingly anxious to pleafe him, and for the iirft time fecretly la¬ mented the little progrefs which I had made in rny education* My father foon difcovered my great ignorance, for I could give him lit- tie or no afnfcance in his buiinefsy fid he prevailed upon me to re¬ late how I had fnent my time in Scotland. After allowing me to fmifh my narrative without inter¬ ruption, he burft into tears. A- las ! James, what will become of you ; the loweft fervant in this Hotel is better educated. As I had always been accuftomed to confidcr learning as very ufelefs to ■1 man of fortune, this remark gave me very great offence. He inqui¬ red if I knew where my good Tu~ ; no information. His name was inferred i» all the Newipapcrs, but in vain. A worthy Clergy¬ man was induced to take charge of mv education, for my lather proteftedthat I ihouki not appear in Granada, till I had made a com- petent progrefs, Having finiflied his buSncls in London, and made the neceflary preparations for re¬ turning to the Weil-Indies, he ad- dreffed me in his ciofet as follows: u My dear fon, my life is bound up in yours, I promiied myfeltthe greatefi joy from your fociety, the itaffof my age, my companion & friend. 1 could not forbear com¬ ing to England that I might taftc the plcafure of your converiation and prefence the fooner, & during mv vovajre I pleafed myfelf with the thoughts that I had hitherto difcharged the duty of an affection¬ ate father, in riving you the heft education which Europe could af¬ ford, and from your Grandmoth¬ er's letters and many of your own, which I find had been written by fome other perfon, I anticipated the moil rapturous meeting—A fon every way accompliihed, pof- feffing extcniive information, the mott honorable principles, & the moft engaging manners & addrefs. I have been cruelly deceived, but the blame is not yours, and it is not yet too late to become what I willi you to be—Let me entreat you to make up for loft time—I return with a forrowfui heart, k Hull tafte no joy till you join me worthy of yourfelf and of me. I had longcheriihed the hope of be¬ ing able to retire from l.ufmeis, k to ipend 1 he remainder of my life in my native country, but the ra¬ vages efwir have fo much dimin, iCied my fortune, as to place the accomplishment of that hope at a great diftancc."—We parted in tears. My father's advice made a momentary imprefiion, but not ha¬ ving correct ideas of morals, I had no iteadinefs of principle, and foon relapfed into my former bad hab¬ its. In a few months a letter from his Ovcrfcer announced my fa¬ ther's death ; his diiappointment in me preyed upon his fpirits, & brought him to an.untimely grave, I am aihamed to confefs that this intelligence afflicted me very little, which was the more extraordina¬ ry, as I feemed to myfelf to have the greateft veneration for my fa¬ ther, and did not appear to be def- titute of feeling* But it will al- ways be found that pure affection never dwells in a fellifh breail. I had been accuftomed to look only to my own gratification, & alt ho* I might experience tranilent erno- tions of pity & forrow, they were aimoft immediately extinguished. By my father's will I found my¬ felf in pojleiiion of a large elbte, but yery much encumbered by re¬ cent loffes. My filler was left £$00c, which had been placed in the funds, and a particular friend of mv father in London appointed her guardian* I left the houfe of the Clergyman, who had lone- been ddagreeabie to me, from his anxi¬ ety to do his duty. 1 have iince learned to appreciate his virtues & to be grateful.—The Overfeer of rny eftate opprelled me with mel¬ ancholy letters that every thing was going wrong, and that nr/ prefence was absolutely neceflary. To thefe remonltrances 1 feldoin deigned to return any anfwer, but in the. moft ' extravagant manner, I need noc fpend the the different deceptions which are practiled on young & foolifli heirs in this, metropolis—it is fufficient to fay, that 1 acquired a pallion for iraminp- was well known at New- Market, and kept open houfe for all my friends. This could not continue Jong—I had mortgaged rny eftate for as much as it was n-ved worth, and a laiee remittance of produce, which my Overfeer neg¬ lected to infure, was taken bv the enemy, and completed my ruin. My creditors getting alarmed, fei- zed my moveables, and threatened me with 1 jail.. My funimer friends, as is ufual on fuch occa- &>nSj forfook or infulred me, up¬ braided me with my extravagance, and prompted my creditors to de¬ prive me of my liberty. Terrified at the thoughts of a prifon, J fled from London and fkulked about the country till my money was fp ent and my drefs had become fliabby—Hunger now flared mc in the face—To infult 1 had be¬ come familiar, but the cravings of appetite were horrible, and in or-. dcrto cfcape them I cnlifted in a regiment, which was embarking.at Portfmouih for the Kail Indies." I was now earelefs and of a fullen difpofnion,. I found myfelf aa outcalt from iociety—No perfon on earth regarded me, and , :ccpt my filter, for whom a hgh often- derneis fometimes aroie in my bi-eall, I could have feen without emotion the whole human race deftroyed. After leaving the Cape of Good J lore. I cau'ihi a dancer- * v l ' . ■' pus lever, and beinir sreneraUv du- liked on account of my renuUfvc earriaffc,! was very much neidec- ted, but i difdained to eom.Jain, and iaw tlcath appro:;\u:-y wi'h I