XI. BLACK MONDAY.

IF, ninety years ago, somebody had inquired at the Exchange, or the Bank of England, who was the most successful man of the day, the unfailing answer would have been, " Alexander Fordyce." His success in life, indeed, bordered on the marvellous; it was a sort of poetry of success-up to a certain time, for the prose followed soon after. There is much prose, unfortunately, at the bottom of all poetry, in life as well as in banking. Alexander Fordyce was bred a hosier, at Aberdeen; but finding this place too narrow for his abilities, he came to London, and after a short while succeeded in obtaining employment as an out-door clerk in the banking-house of Boldero and Co. A handsome, dashing man, possessed of considerable energy of character, with a great flow of natural eloquence, and much suavity of manner, he soon attracted the attention not only of his masters, but of other gentlemen, and before long ob

tained an introduction to the family circle of Messrs. Roffey and Neale, formerly brewers, and subsequently heads of the banking firm of Roffey, Neale, and James. At the private residence of these gentlemen, the young Aberdeen draper captivated all hearts, particularly the supposed soft ones of the fair sex; and the upshot of these conquests was, that Mr. Fordyce was offered a partnership in the banking-house of Roffey, Neale, and Co., in Threadneedle Street; which offer, it is needless to say, was accepted. Mr. Alexander Fordyce had no sooner been thus comfortably established, when he began to speculate in the public funds, hazarding large sums upon conjectural gains. Fortune, which is said to favour the bold-the proverb, like most proverbs, is of doubtful truth-smiled upon Alexander, showering the golden guineas into his lap by thousands and tens of thousands. His courage rose with his good luck, and his stakes doubled day after day. At last, in 1766, he had a great stroke of good luck in a speculation in East India Stock. He calculated upon a slight rise, and had no sooner invested histhat is his partners'-fortune, when there took place an extraordinary upward movement, leaving him in the possession of profits amounting to

near a hundred thousand pounds. Mr. Alexander Fordyce now started fairly in the great race of life. He purchased a large estate, with splendid mansion, at Roehampton, and entered upon a series of fêtes, banquets, and entertainments, which threw those of royalty in the shade. To show his zeal for religion, he built a church adjoining his mansion, supporting it by himself, and "worshipping" on a sort of velvet throne, surrounded by a glittering posse of tall footmen and bedizened lackeys. Alexander Fordyce next started as candidate for a seat in Parliament, which attempt, though he was not returned, cost him fourteen thousand pounds. To secure his future election, he erected a hospital, and established other charities at the borough of his choice, leaving no means untried to become a senator, and openly avowing his hope to die a peer. As a beginning to this great end, he married a peeress, the Lady Margaret Lindsay, a daughter of the Earl of Balcarras, and sister of that Lady Anne Barnard whose name is so well-known as writer of " Auld Robin Gray." This was the highest stroke of good fortune that befell the handsome draper of Aberdeen.

Contemporary writers can scarcely find words

to praise the beauty and grace of Lady Margaret. Always sweet, always entertaining, always instructive," wrote Sheridan; while another added, "Her eloquence was remarkable, and her singing frequently left the whole room in tears." No wonder that, to please such a wife, as far above him by birth as by accomplishments, Alexander Fordyce redoubled speed in his wild career of extravagance. He purchased estates in Scotland at a fancy value, opened his mansion to the élite of rank and wealth, whom he entertained at sumptuous festivals, and grew insolent almost in the possession of his newlyacquired wealth. But the fatal period now approached when there came a turn in this tide. of his success. Several speculations turned out badly, and his first losses brought a whole host of visible and invisible enemies against him. "The stocks have got wind of this secret," said Horace Walpole, "and their heart is fallen into. their breeches-where the heart of the stocks is apt to lie." Then came the affair of Falkland Island, which drove the funds down rapidly, leaving Mr. Fordyce, who had speculated on a rise, a loser to the extent of about a hundred thousand pounds. To supply his deficiencies, he now had recourse to his partners' private

funds. Discovery followed in the wake of this step, and the alarmed banker-brewers, as suddenly downcast as they had previously been elated, threatened exposure and punishment. Messrs. Roffey, Neale, and Co. had freely partaken. of Mr. Fordyce's extreme good luck, and had rejoiced in the far ken which had attained them the services of so clever a person; but when they saw that the chances were going against him, they remonstrated with all the energy of men whose fortunes lay on the success of their remonstrances. Probably, they felt, with the preternatural suspicion" of some of the heroes of the French Revolution, that the "Millennium was struggling on the threshold, and yet not so much as groceries could be had-owing to traitors." With what impetus will not men strike traitors in such a case!

Alexander Fordyce showed himself a great genius even in adversity. He treated the remonstrance of his partners with the most mortifying contempt, telling them that he was quite willing to leave a concern which they themselves were utterly incompetent to manage. At the same time, he showed them a thick pile of bank notes, which he had borrowed for the purpose; and the rustle of the bank notes, coupled with