POWER OF ATTORNEY



The undersigned hereby constitutes and appoints John E.
Bruno, Katy D. Burke and Cynthia M. Clarke, and each of them
singly as true and lawful attorneys with full power to them
and each of them, to execute, on behalf of the undersigned,
in the capacity listed below, any and all statements or
reports under Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, as amended, with respect to the beneficial ownership of
reportable securities issued by First Financial Fund, Inc.,
High Yield Plus Fund, Inc. and Partners Balanced Trust
including, without limitation, all initial statements of
beneficial ownership on Form 3, all statements of changes of
beneficial ownership on Form 4 and all annual statements of
beneficial ownership on Form 5, and any and all other
documents that may be required, from time to time, to be
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and any
exchange upon which such Fund's are listed, to execute any
and all amendments or supplements to any such statements or
forms, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and
other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities
and Exchange Commission and any exchange upon which such
Fund's are listed, granting to said attorney, full power and
authority to do so and perform each and every act and thing
requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises,
as fully to all intents and purposes as the undersigned might
or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all
that said attorneys or any of them may lawfully do or cause
to be done by virtue hereof.

	IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has set his or her
hand on this 18th day of June 2003.




__/S/Paul J. Hamel__
Name:	Paul J. Hamel
Title: Partner