the regiment was established, and our houfhold decamped with bag and baggage for Dublin-within a month of our arrival, my father left us, being ordered to Exeter, where, in a fad winter, my mother and her two children followed him, travelling from Liverpool by land to Plymouth. (Melancholy defcription of this journey not neceffary to be transmitted here.) In twelve months we were all fent back to Dublin. My mother, with three of us (for the laid in at Plymouth of a boy, Joram), took fhip at Bristol, for Ireland, and had a narrow escape from being caft away, by a leak springing up in the veffel. At length, after many perils and struggles, we got to Dublin. There my father took a large house, furnished it, and in a year and a half's time fpent a great deal of money. In the year one thousand seven hundred and nineteen, all unhing'd again; the regiment was ordered,with many others, to the Isle of Wight, in order to embark for Spain, in the Vigo expedition. We accompanied the regiment, and were driven into Milford Haven, but landed at Bristol, from thence by land to Plymouth again, and to the Isle of Wight-where I remember we stayed encamped fome time before the embarkation of the troops-(in this expedition from Bristol to Hampshire we

loft

loft poor Joram-a pretty boy, four years old, of the fmall-pox), my mother, fifter, and myself, remained at the Isle of Wight during the Vigo expedition, and until the regiment had got back to Wicklow in Ireland, from whence my father fent for

us.

We had poor Joram's lofs fupplied during our flay in the Isle of Wight, by the birth of a girl, Anne, born September the twenty-third, one thousand feven hundred and nineteen.-This pretty bloffom fell at the age of three years, in the barracks of Dublin-fhe was, as I well remember, of a fine delicate frame, not made to last long, as were moft of my father's babes. We embarked for Dublin, and had all been caft away by a most violent ftorm, but, through the interceffions of my mother, the captain was prevailed upon to turn back into Wales, where we stayed a month, and at length got into Dublin, and travelled by land to Wicklow, where my father had for fome weeks given us over for loft.-We lived in the barracks at Wicklow one year (one thousand feven hundred and twenty), when Devijeher (fo called after Colonel Devijeher) was born; from thence we decamped to stay half a year with Mr. Featherfion, a clergyman, about feven miles from Wicklow, who being a relation of my mother's,

invited

invited us to his parfonage, at Animo.-It was in this parith, during our ftay, that I had that wonderful efcape in falling through a mill-race whilft the mill was going, and of being taken up unhurt-the ftory is incredible, but known for truth in all that part of Ireland-where hundreds of the common people flocked to fee me.--From hence we followed the regiment to Dublin, where we lay in the barracks a year. In this year, one thousand seven hundred and twenty-one, I learned to write, &c. The regiment was ordered in twenty-two to Carrickfergus, in the north of Ireland; we all decamped, but got no further than Drogheda, thence ordered to Mullengar, forty miles weft, where by Providence we flumbled upon a kind relation, a collateral defcendant from Archbishop Sterne, who took us all to his caftle, and kindly entertained us for a year-and fent us to the regiment at Carrickfergus, loaded with kindneffes, &c.-a moft rueful and tedious journey had we all, in March, to Carrickfergus, where we arrived in fix or seven days--little Devijeher here died; he was three years old-He had been left behind at nurfe at a farm-house near Wicklow, but was fetch'd to us by my father. The fummer after-another child fent to fill his place, Sufan; this babe too left us be

hind

hind in this weary journey-The autumn of that year, or the fpring afterward (I forget which) my father got leave of his colonel to fix me at fchool-which he did near Halifax, with an able master; with whom I ftaid fome time, till by God's care of me, my coufin Sterne, of Elvington, became a father to me, and fent me to the univerfity, &c. &c. To purfue the thread of our story, my father's regiment was the year after ordered to Londonderry, where another fifter was brought forth, Catherine, ftill living, but most unhappily eftranged from me by my uncle's wickednefs, and her own folly-From this station the regiment was fent to defend Gibraltar, at the fiege, where my father was run through the body by Captain Phillips, in a duel (the quarrel began about a goose) with much difficulty he furvived-though with a partial conflitution, which was not able to withstand the hardships it was put to-for he was fent to Jamaica, where he foon fell by the country fever, which took away his fenfes first, and made a child of him, and then, in a month or two, walking about continually without complaining, till the moment he fat down in an arm chair, and breathed his laft-which was at Port Antonio, on the north of the ifland. My father was a little fmart man -active

-active to the last degree, in all exercises -moft patient of fatigue and difappointments, of which it pleafed God to give him full measure-he was in his temper fomewhat rapid and hafty-but of a kindly, fweet difpofition, void of all design; and fo innocent in his own intentions, that he fufpected no one: fo that you might have cheated him ten times in a day, if nine had not been fufficient for your purpofe-my poor father died March, 1731–

remained at Halifax till about the latter end of that year, and cannot omit mentioning this anecdote of myself, and schoolmaster-He had the cieling of the schoolroom new whitewashed-the ladder remained there-I one unlucky day mounted it, and wrote with a brush, in large capital letters, LAU. STERNE, for which the ufher feverely whipped me. My master was very much hurt at this, and said, before me, that never fhould that name be effaced, for I was a boy of genius, and he' was fure I fhould come to prefermentthis expreffion made me forget the ftripes. I had received. In the year thirty-two*

He was admitted of Jefus College, in the university of Cambridge, 6th July, 1733, under the tuition of Mr. Cannon. Matriculated 29th March, 1735.

Admitted to the degree of B. A. in January, 1736.

M. A. at the Commencement, 1749.

my