of his labours and his glory.  But in this engagement he lost his right hand, which was struck off by the blow of a yatagan.  It is impossible to help being moved with pity at the idea of the unfortunate traveller, stretched upon the sand, writing painfully with his left hand to his young wife, the mournful account of the combat.  Nothing can be so affecting as this letter, written in stiff characters, by unsteady fingers, and all soiled with dust and blood.  This misfortune was only the prelude to one far greater.  Not long afterwards, some people of Ghadames, who had formed part of the Major’s escort, arrived at Tripoli, and informed Colonel Warrington that his relation had been assassinated in the desert.  Colonel Warrington could not confine himself to giving barren tears to the memory of his son-in-law.  The interest of his glory, the honour of England, the affection of a father—­all made it his duty to seek after the authors of the murder, and endeavour to discover what had become of the papers of the victim.  An uncertain report was soon spread that the papers of Major Laing had been brought to Tripoli by people of Ghadames; and that a Turk, named Hassouna Dghies, had mysteriously received them.  This is the same Dghies whom we have seen at Marseilles, displaying so much luxury and folly, offering to the ladies his perfumes and his shawls—­ a sort of travelling Usbeck, without his philosophy and his wit.  From Marseilles he went to London, overwhelmed with debts, projecting new ones, and always accompanied by women and creditors.  Colonel Warrington was long engaged in persevering researches, and at length succeeded in finding a clue to this horrible mystery.  The Pasha, at his request, ordered the people who had made part of the Major’s escort to be brought from Ghadames.  The truth was at length on the point of being known; but this truth was too formidable to Hassouna Dghies for him to dare to await it, and he therefore took refuge in the abode of Mr. Coxe, the consul of the United States.  The Pasha sent word to Mr. Coxe, that he recognised the inviolability of the asylum granted to Hassouna; but that the evidence of the latter being necessary in the prosecution of the proceedings relative to the assassination of Major Laing, he begged him not to favour his flight.  Colonel Warrington wrote to his colleague to the same effect.  However, Hassouna Dghies left Tripoli on the 9th of August, in the night, in the disguise, it is said, of an American officer, and took refuge on board the United States corvette Fairfield, Captain Parker, which was then at anchor in the roads of Tripoli.  Doubtless, Captain Parker was deceived with respect to Hassouna, otherwise the noble flag of the United States would not have covered with its protection a man accused of being an accomplice in an assassination.

It is fully believed that this escape was ardently solicited by a French agent.  It is even said, that the proposal was first made to the captain of one of our (French) ships, but that he nobly replied, that one of the king’s officers could not favour a suspicious flight—­that he would not receive Hassouna on board his ship, except by virtue of a written order, and, at all events in open day, and without disguise.