r
heartfelt delight and thankfulness when she saw him notice and
laugh at the ludicrous incident of a neighbour's tame magpie
hopping upon his bed. The effect of this fever was to alter the
contour of his features permanently, to a longer shape, giving him
a more striking resemblance to his mother's family than to mine.
His utterance, also, which had been voluble, became slow and
slightly hesitating.

For some time after this he resided at home, under my own tuition.
Our intercourse, even at this early age, was that of friendly
companionship. Instructing him was no task; his natural diligence
relieved me from all trouble in fixing his attention. We were both
fond of history. From what I recollect, he took more interest in
that of Rome than of Greece or England. Virgil and Pope were his
favourite poets. He was very earnest with his mother in studying
the principles of the Christian religion. More than once my wife
remarked, "that boy astonishes me by the shrewdness with which he
puts questions on different points of doctrine." In his readings
with me he was never satisfied with bare statements unaccompanied
by reasons. He was always for arguing the matter before taking
either side. One question, when very young, he would again and
again recur to, as a matter on which the truth should be elicited.
This was a saying of our old servant, above named, when she broke
either glass or earthenware: that "it was good for trade." His
ideas of political economy would not permit him to allow that this
axiom was a sound one for the benefit of the state; and on this
point, I think, Adam Smith and Malthus would scarcely disagree.

The pleasure I enjoyed in my son's society when a boy, was greater
than that which intercourse with many grown men contributed; for I
may strictly repeat, as I have already said, that he was never a
child in intellect although juvenile enough in habits and manners.
He never made foolish remarks, although not in the slightest degree
uncomfortably precocious or pragmatical. I had no fear of trusting
him with anything, and was often reproved for allowing so young a
child to handle a gun, which he was accustomed to do as early as
eleven years of age. His first practice was on some young rooks
which he brought down with unerring aim, from a rookery on the
grounds at our country residence. He was so particular in his
general demeanour that I designated him Gentleman John, and my
Royal Boy. His brothers, all youn