a degree of refinement, less of the brute, more of
the devil; he did not err from impulse, but when opportunity presented
itself, he considered whether the pleasure were worth the sinning, and
if he thought it was, he sinned. He was more admired than liked among
his young companions; and those in authority over him were quite
uncertain whether he would turn out a hero or a villain.

From Eton he went to Oxford, there took to dissipation and
extravagance, neglected all rules and application, wore out the
patience of the authorities, and the liberality of his uncle, and,
after about a year's trial, was withdrawn from the University to save
him from retiring by compulsion. He was then sent to travel for a year
under the prudent care of his elder brother. It will be unnecessary to
track them through their wanderings; suffice it to say, that they did
what young gentlemen travelling usually do, and visited the places
that every body visits, but with this difference, with regard to Henry
Meynell, that he acquired the principal European languages as he went
along, and travelled with his eyes open; what was gained with great
labour by others seemed to be as a gift to him. He had also begun to
consider that he might at last provoke his uncle too much, and injure
his prospects; so that he conducted himself with caution and tolerable
steadiness during his time of travel. To finish this apparent
reformation, a commission was obtained for him in an infantry regiment
under a martinet colonel, and a moderate allowance provided for his
support. Having given this sketch of his appearance, family,
character, and antecedents, he is now fairly entitled to take his seat
at the mess-table.

His corps was what the young warriors of the present day, call "rather
slow," it had, indeed, been very much distinguished in the Peninsula,
but since then a severe course of Jamaica and Demerara had excluded
from it all wealthy and aristocratic elements; and the tablets it left
behind in the West Indies were only raised to the memory of Smiths and
Joneses, whose respective vacancies had since been filled up with
Joneses and Smiths. In those days the rotation system had not been yet
adopted, and the young gentlemen in "crack regiments," only knew of
yellow fevers and land-crabs, through reading of them in books; and
even through that channel, it would, perhaps, be unsafe to assert that
they were much informed on these subjects, or indeed on any other.