multitude of persons who, through successive years, had disappeared from life in passing across the country had all found a tragical end in that mountain gorge, and had been swallowed up in the depth of abyss ever yawning for fresh victims near the murderer's turret. Information was obtained from the slaves, by means of an interpreter, as to the method by which the murdered remains were disposed of; and an attempt was made to search the dark, fearful-looking pit, by letting down a bundle of lighted straw. Far down, at the depth of many feet, suspended on the point of a projecting rock, was discovered the mangled putrefying body of the murdered Callendar; but the depths below had more effectually received and disposed of all the other victims. In due time Hutchinson was brought to trial for the murder of Callendar at St. Jago-de-la-Vega. After a display of hardihood and bravado seldom witnessed in a court of justice, the ruffian was convicted, and speedily suffered the last penalty of the law upon the gallows. "The enormity of his crimes," says the historian of the time, "might be exceeded by his hardened insolence before his judges; but his reckless gaze upon the instrument which was to convey him before the tribunal of his Maker finds no parallel in the history of crime or punishment; nor can the annals of human depravity equal the fact that at the foot of the seaffold he left a hundred pounds in gold to erect a monument, and to inscribe the marble with a record of his death." The document is probably still in existence at Spanish Town, written by the hand, and bearing the signature of the notorious criminal, in which he expressed this extraordinary wish, only a few moments before his wretched, blood-stained soul passed into the presence of its Creator and Judge. The record he required to be placed on the tablet in these words: "Lewis Hutchinson, hanged in Spanish Town, Jamaica, on the sixteenth morning of March, in the year of his Lord one thousand seven hundred and seventy-three. Aged forty years. 'Their sentence, pride, and malice I defy, Despise their power, and like a Roman die.'" VII. THE HELL-FIRE CLUB. These are they That strove to pull Jehovah from His throne; Glynn. HE foregoing tale of Hutchinson the assassin is properly followed by another, which serves yet more impressively to illustrate the retributive providence of God in the affairs of men. About a week after my visit to Hutchinson's Hole I had called at the house of a friend, when a gentleman residing in the neighbourhood came in. He was a planter, having the management of several large properties, and possessing a higher degree of mental culture than had fallen to the lot of many in the class he belonged to. He had become a frequent attendant upon the services at the mission sanctuary, about a mile from the plantation where his residence was beautifully situated in one of the finest localities of the island; and the truth had so far wrought upon his mind and heart as to induce him to dissever himself from one of the vicious habits fostered into general prevalence under the corrupting influences with which such a system as slavery always pervades the country wherein it is unhappily established. After the ordinary salutations had passed, and we had resumed our seats, he drew a newspaper from his pocket, and directed my attention to a brief obituary notice contained in it. On looking over it, I found that it was the announcement of the death of one who was unknown to me. He was described as a planter of middle age, who had finished his earthly course in a distant part of the island. "Your discourse on Sunday morning interested me very much," said my visitor, when I had read the notice to which he had directed my attention, " and I was greatly impressed by your remarks concerning a retributive providence and the illustrations you gave. I was well acquainted with many of the men to whom you referred, who are now no more; and with some of them I was intimate for years." "My mind was prepossessed very much with the subject," I replied, "from having, with a friend, last week, visited Edinburgh Castle, celebrated as the scene of the Hutchinson tragedies many years ago; and I was so impressed with the facts involved in that case, especially with the manner in which the wickedness of the man was brought to light, that I was induced to take the warning of Moses to the two tribes as my subject for the pulpit on Sabbath morning. God has wrought very marvellously during the few years past in breaking up and scattering that unlawful association, the Colonial Church Union; and the manner in which His hand has been laid upon its founders and leaders,—the rector and his friend, Mr. H.,—is to my mind most impressive and admonitory. I think it fitting and proper that we should, in these things, as in others, consider the works of the Lord, and regard the operations of His hand." It was God's complaint concerning His ancient people, "When My hand is lifted up, they will not see it. But they shall see." "I think with you," he said, "that we ought to recognise Divine Providence in those events which have occurred. Indeed, it is scarcely possible for any thoughtful person to do otherwise; they have been so remarkable. Even Mr. H. B., who took a leading part himself in the proceedings of the Union, acknowledged, before the accident occurred which caused his own death, when he saw first one and then another of his friends so suddenly cut off from life,‘The hand of God is in these things.' And that is a very remarkable confession in the rector's printed address to his parishioners, that 'his life had been spent in a vain effort to push God out of the world He had made.' I observed that you did not mention any names: but I understood nearly all the cases to which you referred, and knew the parties well. I have never known the doctrine of retribution so fearfully illustrated anywhere as it has been in this colony during the last few years; and I was glad you took up the subject as you did, and discussed it in a manner that could not be otherwise than instructive and admonitory to your hearers. My thoughts have dwelt largely on the subject ever since; and I was startled when I received this newspaper by the post to-day, and read the notice to which I have called your attention." "I am not aware," I remarked, "that I had any acquaintance with the person. The name is strange to me. Is. there anything remarkable associated with his history? "Only this," he said, "that he was the sole survivor of a party or club which existed some years ago, and whose history was very forcibly recalled to my mind as you were speaking about providential retribution. I knew some of the persons concerned in it personally, and have often thought that the Lord dealt with them in a very remarkable way. They were all members of what was called the 'HellFire Club,' of which you have probably heard, though it is now extinct, and has been so for some years." "I have heard it spoken of," I replied; "but I never met with any one who could give me particular information concerning the origin and design of an association bearing such a significant designation. Perhaps you may be able to do so." "I am not prepared," said he, "to gratify your curiosity to any considerable extent, though I lived for several years in the neighbourhood where it existed. It was a club established for profane and infidel purposes by some parties at Morant Bay; and I believe, though I cannot state positively, that it originated about the beginning of this century, or soon after, when opposition to the missionaries was fiercely raging. Who were the founders of the club I never heard. I suppose they had rules by which the association was to be governed; but, if so, they kept them very much to themselves. From all I ever learnt about it, I believe it was got up to oppose the spread of religion by the missionaries, and to propagate and encourage blasphemy and infidelity." "How long did it continue to exist ?" I inquired. "Between twenty and thirty years," he replied: "and then it came to an end. The last I heard of it was an occurrence associated with the name of the person whose death is reported in the newspaper I have shown to you as having taken place a few days ago at Morant Bay. It was there the club was first established; and the incidents with which he was identified were of such a character as to make a profound impression upon all who became acquainted with them. The facts were partly related to me by himself many years ago; and they were brought very vividly to my recollection while I listened to you on Sunday last. I thought it a strange coincidence that to-day, on receiving my newspaper from the post-office, the first thing my eye lighted on was the announcement of that man's death who had been for several days so much in my thoughts, and concerning whom I felt some anxiety to ascertain whether he was yet living, or had followed his former associates to the grave." "I should feel obliged," I remarked to my visitor, "if you have no objection, if you will relate to me the incidents to which you allude. I have long desired to possess myself of such particulars as can now be ascertained relative to that club, whose very name seems to express something very much like a daring defiance of God." "I shall be happy," he responded, "to give you the information as I received it, which I believe to be substantially correct, coming as it did to me chiefly from a person so deeply interested. The members of the club were in the habit of meeting at different places, both in town and country, as agreed upon among themselves. At one of the last meetings—I believe the very last—there were present ten members, mostly planters in charge of the surrounding plantations; and it took place on the estate of K |