the papers of the Rev. Mr. Lumley, fell into the hands of a nephew, who
inherited his uncle's antiquarian tastes, and clerical profession. In
looking over the MSS., he came to the life of Otway, and was struck
with the letter given there, never having met with it in print; there
was also a note appended to it with an account of the manner in which
it had been discovered by the editor, in the library of Lord G----, and
affirming that it was still in his own possession. The younger Lumley
immediately set to work to discover the original letter, but his search
was fruitless; it was not to be found either among the papers of his
uncle, or those of his father. It was gone. He was himself a tutor at
Cambridge at the time, and returning to the university, he carried with
him his uncle's life of Otway, in MS. Some little curiosity was at
first excited among his immediate companions by these facts, but it
soon settled down into an opinion unfavorable to the veracity of the
late Mr. Lumley.--This nettled the nephew; and as Lord G----, was still
living, a gouty bloated roue, he at length wrote to inquire if his
lordship knew any thing of the matter. His lordship was too busy, or
too idle, to answer the inquiry. Some time later, however, the younger
Lumley, then a chaplain in the family of a relative of Lord G----'s,
accidentally met his uncle's former pupil, and being of a persevering
disposition, he ventured to make a personal application on the subject.

"Now you recall the matter to me, Mr. Lumley, I do recollect something
of the kind. I remember one day, giving my tutor some musty old letter
he found in the library at G----; and by the bye he came near cracking
my skull on the same occasion!"

Mr. Lumley was not a little pleased by this confirmation of the story,
though he found that Lord G---- had not even read the letter, nor did
he know any thing of its subsequent fate; he only remembered looking at
the signature. Not long after the meeting at which this explanation had
taken place, Mr. Lumley received a visit from a stranger, requesting to
see the MS. Life of Otway in his possession. It was handed to him; he
examined it, and was very particular in his inquiries on the subject,
giving the chaplain to understand that he was the agent of a third
person who wished to purchase either the original letter if possible,
or if that could not be found, the MS. containing the copy. Mr. Lumley
always believed that the employer of this