The first effect of these tidings was sufficient to take away the breath. No lawyer under the sun had ever before been so good as to write to me announcing a legacy; and to those who like me have never previously felt the sensation of such an announcement, I can state now, from experience, that the symptoms are what we physicians would call "essentially pathognomonic." form-I was made aware that no joke had been perpetrated. At half-past eleven of the 1st of April, within three hours after the letter had reached me, a remarkably intelligent" gentleman of the press" sent in wishing to see me. He had heard of my "great fortune," and had called to get the first information. He tried to pull out of his breast-pocket an oblong book of incredible length, with But next to this came another fact not a large clasp which caught in the linings less astounding. Here was I, a teeto- of his coat, and was not extricated withtaler of the most pronounced type, sud- out considerable skill and management. denly involved in the possession of a Then between the leaves he placed sevceller of wine-one of the most noted eral layers of flimsy, and after pointing cellars in the whole of the kingdom. To his pencils and finding a firm place for add to the difficulties came the third and writing, he asked me for the fullest parlast part of the bequest, that the wine ticulars as to the nature of the bequest. was to be applied to scientific purposes. He was almost incredulous when I told The considerate reader will not fail to him how little I knew of the matter mysympathize with me when I relate that, self-in fact, that I knew no more than after a few minutes of reflection, a feel- he did, and wondered how he had become ing of intense relief came over me on re- informed on the subject at so early a mocalling the day of the month and the ment. I fear he went away sadly disapmonth of the year. It was the first of pointed, for he had got a good notion, as April. No doubt what it all meant. I afterward found, of what the public Some pitiless wag had made up his mind wanted to know, and which ran someto make me an April fool. It was a what in the following vein of inquiry: club-room joke-one of the fair returns of the "devil in solution" for my giving to him that now familiar sobriquet. At the moment a retired proctor came to see me, and he, a total abstainer also to the backbone, listened with astonishment to the narrative. The effect on his mind was to send him away precipitately, bothered. He had heard that all the wine at Wallington had been disposed of years ago, and then upon him came the same reflection as upon me-the day of the month. An hour later the postman brought me a letter from the learned proctor, written in the most thoughtful and kind manner, warning me to be cautious as to the manner of answering the missive. "This," he said, "is meant for a hoax; remember the day." I did remember. I got a legal directory, and found that the name of my Newcastle correspondent was all right; but as he had given me no address beyond Newcastle, I wrote to him a note which nobody could turn to account, as far as I could see. I asked simply that the parcel and key referred to might be sent in a registered letter. Long before that key arrived-for it did arrive, by return of post, in all proper Where is Wallington? What kinds of wine are in the cellars? How old is the wine? What, within a thousand or two, is its value? How long had I known that it was going to be left to me? Would it be sold at Christie and Manson's? Had any of it come from the Royal George? Within a hundred dozens or so, how much was there of it? Was there a great variety? Was the wine in good condition? Why did Sir Walter Trevelyan leave it to me? If I sold it what should I do with the money? If I didn't sell it what should I do with it? Should I have any objection to submitting a bottle or two of the choicest specimens to a fine judge of wine? Would I be good enough to explain the state of the corks, and how the bottles had been laid down? Was it true that the bottles were all walled up with brickwork? Had I any copies of the songs that had been written about the wines of Wallington? Other questions than these soon began to spring up, though these, as far as I remember, were the principal. But to return to my narrative. In due course of post the packet from Newcastle arrived. It was a large packet containing the key of the cellars of Wallington. It was sealed and signed by the late Sir Walter Trevelyan, and it contained an instruction that on his decease it was to be delivered to me at my address in London. It also contained, on three pages of very old-fashioned and very faded paper, a list of wines. The list had been made out evidently many years ago, for the ink was much faded. I should infer that it was a part of an old cellar book from which many leaves had at some time been torn. The leaves that remained were inclosed in thin paper covers. The news of the bequest spread very quickly, and few subjects during last London season gave rise to greater variety of conversation, speculation, and amusement. All kinds of extraordinary rumors were circulated respecting the value of the bequest. It ranged, in estimated value, from a hundred pounds to four thousand, and I could appear nowhere without being cross-questioned upon it. It became, in fact, after a time, rather a wearisome task to answer so many inquiring minds, and, worst of all, never to be able to answer any of them to their entire and pleasant satisfaction. Why it should have created so singularly curious an interest it is difficult to divine. The interest has not yet worn away, and therefore I propose now to the best of my ability to appease it by answering certain of the questions that have been asked, and which were related above. I do not think it is of much importance where I begin, so the first question on the list may as well come first. Where is Wallington? Wallington, the Northern seat of the late Sir Walter Trevelyan, and now of Sir Charles Trevelyan, Bart., K.C.B., is a fine old mansion, near to Cambo in Northumberland. On the railway map Scot's Gap will show the nearest station to it. One of the best short descriptions that can be found of it was rendered at a meeting of the Royal Institute of British Architects, held on December 2d, 1867, when a paper was read by W. B. Scott, Esq., on mural decorations at the mansion. At that meeting Sir Charles Trevelyan explained that the house at Wallington affords a good illustration of the progress of our domestic architecture. "The germ of the building," he said, with the estate by Sir John Fenwick a few years before he was beheaded in the reign of William the Third. It was purchased by the Blackett family of Newcastle, by whom the present house was built. The old tower was built into the modern house, the lower portions forming forming a part of the present cellars. Sir Walter Trevelyan added greatly to the beauty of the mansion in his time by throwing a glass roof over an inner court, and converting the court into a central hall, the passages connecting the rooms on the upper and lower stories opening into it in the form of arcades. This central hall is decorated in the most classical and beautiful style, the subjects having reference to Border history. Eight panels were fitted by Mr. Scott with a series of pictures, the subjects of which begin with the Roman Wall-an ancient fortified barrier not very far off-and end with the Industry of the Tyne. Four ancient and four modern incidents in history are thus depicted: 1. The building of the Roman wall. 2. King Egfrid offering the Bishopric of Hexham to Cuthbert, hermit on Farne Island. 3. A descent of the Danes on the coast. 4. Death of the Venerable Bede. 5. The Spur in the Dish-the sign to the moss-trooper that the larder was empty. 6. Bernard Gilpin taking down the gage of battle in Rothbury Church. 7. Grace Darling and her father saving the shipwrecked crew. 8. Iron and coal-the industry of the Tyne. The pictures named-four of which are on one side of the hall, four on the other -are splendidly lighted, and, to complete the decoration, the spandrils of the arches are illustrated with scenes from Chevy Chase, giving the history of a day and night, from sunrise to sunset. The pictures are painted on prepared linen, and as they progress they run with the Border ballad. There is the departure, seen from the battlements; Earl Percy parting from his wife; the knight's retainers trotting away; the footmen and the bowmen with their dogs in leash; the sight of the deer; the hunting with the leader of the herd, a stag of ten; the battue-the archers posted for shooting; the rear of the herd, the drivers following; the brattling of the deer-cutting up the dead animals; the battle-the chief waiting, and the tidings of the approach of the Scots; the English bowmen advancing "a Percy! a Percy!" the Scottish spearmen closing-" a Douglas! a Douglas!" the Douglas dying by an arrow, the Percy by a spear; the death of Witherington and the end of the battle; the next night and morning-a leech extracting an arrow; women looking out for their husbands and brothers; the Percy's body found by his wife; the return to Alnwick with the dead. The In addition to these, in other parts are some medallion portraits by Lady Trevelyan, the first wife of Sir Walter, and groups of flowers by Mr. Ruskin, and other friends. In the centre of the grand hall is a marble group by Mr. Woolner, the subject being in character with the rest of the adornments for illustrating the progress of civilization. A mother is teaching her child to say the Lord's prayer. The two figures form the chief subject, but around the pedestal are three bas-reliefs. A mother of an ancient race, in savage love, is feeding her child with flesh from the point of a sword. Druids are offering to the gods, in a wicker cage, their enemies taken in battle. A warrior in battle is driving his chariot and cutting down his foes with the scythed wheels of the chariot. The supremacy, the victory of the Christian civilization, surmounting them all, is exquisitely told. In design as in execution the whole is, in fact, perfect. It is intended, as the great English sculptor who produced it tells me, to illustrate, by contrast, that civilization is due to the result of effort for the subjugation of passion. The child in the principal group turns to kiss the mother, feeling her face so near; the Christian mother checks it with her hand until the "Our Father" is repeated. The savage mother on the contrary feeds her child with raw flesh on the point of his father's sword while praying that he may become ferocious and destroy all his foes. The grand hall is the most striking feature within the mansion. The mansion itself, possessing little of external decoration, is set in lovely grounds, which the present distinguished owner is making still more beautiful. The cellars at Wallington, in which my famous wine was stored, are the remains of the foundation of the old tower to which Sir Charles Trevelyan referred when he spoke of the ancient tower sold NEW SERIES.-VOL. XXXI., No. 3. by Sir John Fenwick. This tower was probably once part of a castle, for it is common in Northumberland for persons to speak of Wallington as Wallington Castle. The cellars are very large in size, and if they ever were filled with wine there is every reason for believing that a great many songs were written about them, and a great many songs sung too, which had their inspiration, good or bad, from that dark sphere of enchantment. The cellars have stony walls, stony arched doors, and well-protected windows. Once in them, it is said, was a chariot way, and a place where horses could be stabled. The mention of the cellars leads me naturally to the wine that was kept in them. The wine was never built up, as some have assumed it to have been. Sir Walter came into possession of Wallington on the death of his father in 1846, and I believe that a part of the wine at that time in the cellars was sold. The choicest specimens were kept, and occasionally Sir Walter himself, though he never touched wine, would take visitors down to the cellars and show them what precious old vinous stuff was there stowed away. When Mr. Woolner was at the mansion, in 1857, Sir Walter took him and a number of other friends into the cellars and gave them a most learned antiquarian account of the contents in the bins, showing them specially some very ancient malmsey-sack. A bottle of this rare and ancient cordial" was tried by the company afterward, at dinner, and was pronounced "perfect." The list of wines which Sir Walter inclosed in his packet to me is marked, "Wallington wines, Mar"-without any further date. The list included specimens of St. Peray, of the date of 1834; sherry of 1837; Madeira of 1803–1818;. and old; sherry, old; sundries; claret, and four hock magnums in cellar before 1777; sack and Tokay; St. George ; hock; port; Constantine; French; Sauterne; sundries-whiskey; hollands;: brandy; rum or kersh before 1777; Cyprus, 1762; port, 1820; port, (no date); cider, perry; and a great number of other sundries the names of which are not supplied. To the list a note is added that the Tokay and St. George were bought of Mr. Edward Wortley in 1752. The wine remained in its old restingplace until October last, when, at the 19 kind invitation of Sir Charles Trevelyan, ing date 1784, of the Port of 1820, of the I paid him and Lady Trevelyan a visit at Sherry-Sack of date unknown, of MaWallington, and made a personal inspec- deira 1803, of Tokay 1752, and of Malmtion of my vinous possessions. The in- sey-Sack of date unknown, were tasted in spection of the cellar led to the discovery due order. They were declared by the of a greater variety of wine than is stated learned connoisseurs to be in the most in the list. The wine was stowed away splendid condition. in the most careful manner, and in many considered, by no less an authority than The Cyprus was instances was almost buried in fungus. his Excellency the Greek Minister (and In most cases the bottles were laid down he surely ought to know all about Cyin the manner that is common in these prus) to be "superb!" the Malmsey was days; but in a few samples the bottles held to be fit for a second Duke of Clarwere placed upright. Whoever last ar- ence to drown himself in; the Sherryranged them had done his work with the Sack was thought to be enough to call up skill of a practised hand, and such care Jack Falstaff in propria persona; and the had been taken with certain of the speci- Port was declared of such a character that mens that the labels were stamped in every one, I believe, would have been metal with the name of the wine, the ready to divide it with me on the spot if name of the wine merchant and the date. my heart had not been as hard as a nether In other instances the names were painted millstone. A bottle, marked with a on labels of wood, the wood itself so rot- special leaden label as ten that the writing could not be made packed with several more similar in kind, Arrack," and out. In other instances again the names contained a singularly aromatic fluid, were distinguishable on the wood. Al- having something of the odor of brandy, together we discovered twenty or twenty- and a rich golden color. A little of it, one specimens of wines and spirits, tasted lately by one who thought he ought namely: Port, Claret, Cyprus, Hock, to know the right thing, gave rise to a French, White Port, Pruniac, St. new song on the Wallington wine, which George, Sack-Tokay, Malmsey-Sack, would hardly have been permitted when Frontignac, Placentine, Madeira, Sherry- Arrack crowned the board Sack, a white wine not named, a dark wine not named, Arrack, Brandy, Gin, bottles containing Beer, a few bottles of Champagne. On entering carefully into the condition of these specimens, it turned out, as might be supposed, that in very many cases the bottles were half empty and the corks destroyed. I have not as yet determined the full extent to which this destruction, from time, has taken place, but I believe that some sixty dozen may be considered in a state of preservation. Some of the more ancient specimens are well preserved. The Hock Magnums, which were noted as having been in the cellar before 1777, were found in their place, and some of them entire. One had given way at the cork, but the bottle still contained a full pint of a light fluid, which was of aromatic odor, but owing to exposure to the air, acidified. From the curiosity of the experiment, my kind host, Sir Charles Trevelyan, wished to taste, at table, the more remarkable specimens of these old wines, and accordingly one bottle each of the ancient Cyprus, of 1762, of the Port hav "Arrack, alack! Your bottle I crack Which never grows old, Arrack, alack! When your brother, the Sack Arrack, alack! You reprobate quack! What cheeks you set glowing, "Arrack, alack! For you and your pack! As I look over what I have just written I begin to think that, for a teetotaler, I must have been getting rather too near the verge of enthusiasm over this ancient wine, and there is about it, no doubt, an antiquarian flavor which is apt to excite admiration. The admiration is quite pardonable, for in truth the value of the bequest is that which is wrapt up in its history. The contents of the cellar at Wallington give us a good insight into the kind of life our forefathers led at the wine-table from about the year 1750 to our time full a century and a quarter of the immediate past. We have in the Wallington cellar the model of a cellar charged for the so-called best of occasions, when a man could get "as drunk as a lord" and a lord as drunk as he pleased on the most orthodox intoxicating delicacies. The cellar reads like a book, and corresponds well with the accounts which the best book written toward the close of the last century gives respecting the wines of the table. Just a hundred years ago the chemical works of Casper Neumann, the distinguished professor of chemistry at Berlin, were the standard of their day, and the English translation of them by Dr. William Lewis, F.R.S., had long a prominent and deservedly prominent place in the libraries of the learned. Neumann describes wine at great length, and explains what were the kinds in use in his day, with sundry remarks on their qualities, which are worth knowing as matters of history. He places the wines of the Madeira Islands and of Palma, one of the Canaries, first. These yield two kinds, Madeira Sec and Canary or Palm Sec, the latter being the richest and best of the two. The name Sec, corruptly written Sack, signifies dry, these wines being made from half-dried grapes. There is, he says, another sort of Sec prepared about Xeres in Spain, and hence called, according to our orthography, Sherris or Sherry. This wine is considered inferior to both the foregoing, Madeira Sec and Palm Sec. The wines of Candia and of Greece, particularly of the latter, are of common use, he tells us, in Italy. Malmsey was formerly the produce of those parts only, but was now brought chiefly from Spain. It was a sweet wine of golden or brownish color. The Italians call it "manna alla bocca, balsamo al cervello." Manna to the mouth, and balsam to the brain. In Portugal, he says, there was plenty of red port, a cheap but not a very excellent wine, and this wine he explains was drunk very largely in England, not I should suppose because of its cheapness, but because for some reason or other it suited the English palate, being sweet and having what is called "body. To the present day, I believe, notwithstanding all that lovers of wine choose to say against port-wine, and all that we, its opponents, say against it, and notwithstanding all the acknowledged and easily proved evils originating in the use of port-wine, there is no wine that the Englishman clings to like port. It is almost an infatuation, and it is none the less so because of the present idea of vulgarity which attaches to the act of drinking it. In the fight against strong drink in this country among the upper and upper middle classes, there is nothing so hard to combat as the hereditary taste for old port; I mean, of course, among those who have attained to middle age. Port is considered to be a tonic; port is considered to be a maker of blood; port, which has produced more gout, rheumatism, and neuralgia than any other agent in the world perchance, and which has made these painful affections as hereditary as the taste for it, has over and over again been accredited as a remedy for all these ailments, and espe cially for neuralgia. The famous winecellar bequeathed to me affords good historical evidence of the inbred English taste for old port. The cellar was famous for this luxury, and it remained best supplied with it to the last. Neumann seems to treat the sherries as of little moment, and this was clearly the view held respecting them at Wallington, for they form a very poor item in the wine list there. Sherry must have come into general use as a rival of port almost in the present century. It is remarkable that Neumann says nothing about Cyprus, and in a long list of wines of which he furnishes an analysis in order to show their spirituous strength, he leaves Cyprus out altogether. Hock he refers to as a Rhenish wine made in Hochheim, and he calls it the "prince of the wines of Germany." That it was thought to be a treasure in the Wallington cellar is proved by the special note that was made in respect to it. The Cyprus seems also to have been considered as of particular value, perhaps because of its rarity. To |