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STRUGGLES 



THBOU6H 



L I F E, 

SXEMPXJFIEB 

m THE 

VARIOUS TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES 

IN . 

EUROPE, ASIA, AFRICA, and AMERICA, 

' . OF 

lieut. JOHN HARRIOTT, 

fohm^rfRoehfcrd, w£tie>; lim 43UMaiUMag^tnU of the 



<^j%7f ' ■ fV -: 



IN TWb VOLUMES. 



SECOND EDITIOT^. 

VOLUME L ..... , 

I' ' . 'i 

LONDON: 

frvuM (f<tr the JbuAor) hy J. SMn«n» RaicUffHighwmf; 
andpabluhed.bj 

LONCMAir, BU»ST« »SEf> AMp OSlfB> PATXli1f08TSK-ltOW. 

1808. 

K16 



To my affecfionate Children and Grand- 
children. .. 



Dedications, in general, are the vehitltesr 
of fulsome flattery: tkis^ however, will I 
hope be acquitted of such an imputation, 
and have * at least the recommendation of 
brevity. To you, my • sincerely - beloved 
children, I therefore dedicate these Me- 
moirs, as to those whom I love. and esteem 
more than I do any other on. earth* This 
you well know, aiid all who are, or wish to 
be thought, affectionate parents, will readily 
give me credit for my sincerity. 
V One of my strongest inducements for un- 
dertaking a work, to which I feel myself 
however but too incompetent, is to meet 
your tvishes, by recording what would other- 
wise most probably be soon forgotten. I 
A 2 



IV 

feel assured, likewise, that none will set a 
greater value upon it; and most devoutly do 
I pray, unto Almighty God, that the Me- 
moirs of my Struggles through Life, may 
prove instructive in guarding you against 
the errors and follies whidi they record, ttid 
teach you that you ou^t never to despair, 
but ^ place a firm reliance on the Providence 
of G.od and his blessing on your own exer- 
tions. 

From 

Your truly affectiopate father^ 

JOHN. HARRIOTT, 

Thamtt-rmee, Oct. 1, ISOT. 



' I .k'4.> 



PREFACE. 



When a man finds himself far advanced 
in years^ (upwards of threescore,) a review 
of his past conduct may be useful aa4 th-' 
structive; though, by tiAs^ it, is not meant 
that such a review ought not to l)aye takea 
plaoe at the .^tfliest periods*. Jhe leBult of 
such investigation, fairly and candidly niade> 
(and wiKre is th^ use of a qaan's deceiving 
himself?), will necessarily tJU to make the 
lemainder of his days siirene wd comfort* 
able, if, npen the whc^e^ he i& conscious of 
having spent his timer to a good purpose^ 
A3' 



VI 



and lived a useful member of society. 
Should if prove otherwise, he ought to lose 
no time m reforming his principles and 
amending his manners; and certainly much 
may be accomplished by making all the 
Reparation .in: his power for the injuries he 
has done, and much by sincere contrition, 
and a subsequent amendment of conduct 

Shpuld the following sheets yield either 
instruction or amusement, the Author's 
trouble will be amply recom|)ensed; but, 
should tiiey sink into oblivion, his motifs 
wflil afford him consolation. He has launched 
his bark iQto a sea to wjiiich hje is a stranger, 
and without the requisite tackle for the voy* 
age : he .has directed his QOW%e by ptain 
^ailmgy and has not attempted to work 
traverse by the classics, of which he is but 
a huipble adifter: having had but little 
acquaintance with* them when you^g, !ic 
should expose himself by preteliding to an 
intimacy now that he Is old* 



Vtt 

In tbe Mowing pages, the Reader is 
notio ex^jiect romantic feats of gailantqr* 
There is no dying from excess of iov^ 
though there is lore in dimndance - Ant one 
man; if one fatourite dies, in gpod tijPEie 
another succeeds, and another: the a£fec- 
tions of ^e fieait not faaing so rl^dly con- 
tmed, but thstt, irith aq open geqerous 
love for the whole sex, the Ai^or^ in spite 
of severe individual lossei^ was fortonatt* 
enough to find an ample sufficiency, among 
th| amiable part of society, to rekindle, his 
aifettions, and procure him the enjoymeiA 
of social and domestic comfort. * . 
' The Author professes himsdf to be a 
mere mortal, subject to the comm^m pas^ 
sioos 6f hb kind: amidst tiie singulw oc« 
cunrences of an adventurous, life^ possibly 
he may be allowed to. have possessed a 
stiong undaunted spirit when opposed to 
4ang«rj^ and an alacrity to meet it half 
way, lA tht surest means of ovjercoming 



ym 

difficuldes^; and he trusts tbat.tiie tenor of 
his life wiU be found to etine^ that his 
inain pursuits have not been so selfish, but 
timt, in endeavouring to' benefit himself 
the community^ by his success, w^re also 
likely to be benefited.^ 

Consideied separately, the events of his 
life may not appear OKtraordinary ; imt,^ 
from hij various travels and adventures, 
fortunate and unfortunate, \vithout the ad- 
ventitious aid of family, friends, fortune, 
or classical education, this useful maxim 
may be deduced, that firm and steady per- 
severance, aided by resignation to the will 
of Erovidence, are the means best calcu- 
ktefi for a safe voyage through the peri- 
lous dccsui of life. 

la miting &esie Memoiri^ it wss not the 
Author's eriginal design to publish them 
during his Hfe; drcunistances and argu* 
mentS}*^ however, having induced him to send i 
them to the press^ their speedy -|tossa|^ I 



IX 

through a fim Edition, together with the 
liberal reports i>f the Work made by respec-' 
table Reviewers^ have stamped a value 
exceeding the Author's expectation, and 
encoaraged him to enter on a second Edition, 
with the liveliest sense of gratitude and 
satisfiurtion. 



INTRODUCTION. 



STRuanLEs through Life! are they real or fic- 
titious? Ceirtq^inly the Author lias it in his power 
to declare and must himself know whether they 
are true or fabulous; yet> should he daringly- 
advance and avow the whale to he strictly true, 
wouT4 be not be liable to much unpleasant 
aoimad version ? He. must therefore be content 
with ob^erving^ that being ao extensively km^wn 
it would be the most daring of all his adventures, 
to lay himself open to exposure, by fallacious 
Tepfeacntations, without a prospect of tbesmfJlest 
benefit^ and while there are so many living, who 
are well acquainted with most of the pdncipal 
transactions of his life.. 

Mankind beM^e or disbelieve according to 
their habits; that> which appeafs impossible to 
one, creates wonder that any doubt can be enter* 
tmned of it by another. The most extravagant 
flights of imagination would find credit sooner 



' xif 

. than a very common operation ^f nature, when 
related t9 some millions of iDhal>itants of various 
parts of this glohe; who, judging from their own 
habits and confined in their means of information 
and experience, conceive itto he utterly impos- 
sible; while as many, or more, are as much asto- 
nished at its being doubted. The circumstance 
mlluded to is/rosif, which, to n^illioiM of inhabitants 
of the torrid £one, in Asia> ^frica^ and America, 
is 80 completely unknown, that it would require 
much" ingenuity t<9 invent a tale whkh they | 
would have more difficult ip believing, than that I 
of :fater, or large livers, becoming ^ §olid as to I 
admit of men and beasts to travel iipon the 
surface without sinking or even wetting their 
feet. By way of illustrating t^is ipsurt, permit me, i 
courteous Reader^^ to tell yon a 8ailor*s story. * 

A sailor, who had been many yeaif .. absent j 
ftois his mother, wko lived in an inland. couAtj^ 
returned to his native village, after a variety of 
voyages, to different parts of the globe, and was 
heartily wtlpomed home by the good old vrmbsLn, 
who had long considered him as lost. JSoon after 
his arrivaV the old lady became inquisitive and 
desirous to le^ what 8tra$^e things her son Joha 
had seen japon the mighty dmjf* Amongst a 
variety of thin^ that Jack recollected, he men- 
tioned his having frequently seen fiying Jtsh. 
^' Stop, Johny," «ays his mother^ " don-t try to 
impose sucl^ monstrous impcissil^liti^ oA me. 



XUl 

child; for^ in good trath^ I could as soon be- 
lieve you had seenjlying com; for cows, you 
know, John, can live out of water. Therefore, 
tell me honestly what you have seen in reality, 
but no more falsehoods, Johny/* 

Jack felt himself affronted; and, turning his 
quid about, when pressed for more curious infor* 
mation, he said, prefacing it with an oath, 
" Mayhap, mother, you won't believe me, when 
I tell you, that, casting our anchor once in the 
Red Sea, it was with difficulty we hove.it up 
again; which was occasioned, do you see, mo- 
ther, by a large wheel hanging on one of die 
flakes of the anchor. It appeared astrang<^old 
Grecian to look at ; so we hoisted it in, and our 
captain, do ye mind me, being a scholar, over- 
hauled hina and discovered it was one of Pha- 
roah's chariot-wheels, when he was capsized in 
the Red Sea/' This suited the meridian of the 
old lady's understanding: '* Ay, ay, Johuy, 
cried she, '^ I can believe this, for we read of it 
in the bible ; t)ut nevet talk to me of flying fish/* 

The truth is, that those who have seen much 
of the world are placed in rather an awkward si- 
tuation. If, on being questioned, they relate 
all they have seen or known, though with the 
strictest attention to truth, they are almost cer- 
tain of being reckoned travellers, a term pretty 
. well, understood as synonymous to lying: on 
the other hand, if, to avoid such odium, they 

TOL. I B 



XIV 

decline ^viDg aa- account of what tbey have 
^en, their good-natured neighbours set theox 
down as foobf for not h^kving noticed something 
abroad more wonderful than they have seen at 
hornet 

To steer clear, therefore^ of such imputation as 
much, a^ is in the Author's povtrer, he will neither 
j^ert nor deny the truth of what h herein related^ 
but leave it tQ the free exercise of the Reader's 
credence. If, as an uninformed inhabitant of 
the torrid zone, he could believe the tale of 
- ii^ater becoming a solid bpdj', there will be no- 
thing more difficult to believe in this history; but, 
shoiidd his faith, like the old lady's, be confined to 
his own bible, he is welcome to believe or 
idiibelieve as little or as much as he pleases. 



^x. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER h 



The hisUfry commenea wUk tehoU-meedota t 

CHAPTER II. 

Voyagt to Nem York, to Baiifax^ back to Ntm Torkf rttkm^ » 
trmuport-girl • • • 

CHAPTER III. 
Smlfor Naf<mndlantt r danger cftMpvrock ; arrival at St^Jokn'tf ft- 
sult(ifmyQtiijcote4ikepur€has€ 1^ 

CHAPTER IV. 

Snlfor GUraUttTi fall in with Admiral Botcaam / a smart engagement, 
capture qf a French frigate : arrive at GibraUar • . C5 

CHAPTER V. 
Cruising up the Mediterranean ....•.•• ff 

CHAPTER VT. 

£» loees masquerades s the plague and eon$equenca; dispute tdth the 
Turkish Bashaa at St, Jean sFAere and taUh the French shipe 
there . 98 



xvi 



\^ CHAPTER VII. 

Sail /hm «. Jam eCAcre ; fcOl in with and capture one qf the Frtneh 
•hips , .... 44 

CHAPTER VIII. 
Anecdatet qf Captain Patrick 45 

CHAPTER IX 
The Idand qf Lampadoda . . M 

CHAPTER X. 
Adventure in Conioa MS 

CHAPTER XI. 
Ta^atebeffueonourpauageto QHraU(vr . . . . . . 64 

CHAPTER XH. 
Earthquake qf^ Litban . . . • 4 • • < . • ^ 

CHAPTER XIII. 
Shipmtck • . . • • • 70 

CHAPTER XlV. 
ZMnd at Plymauth ; decline a prominng good offer to Uoe on shore; to 
sea again; at the attack qf tha Savannah and r&taking qf Nea- 
foundland .'.*.,. . . • . . . 86 

CHAFFER XV. 
Employed on a shiptgreck w 8$ 

CHAPTER XVI. 
A trip up the ^Itic; a present from Sir Georgt Macartney to Lord 
^oUand; a pleasant frolic at HoUand-houae , * , ^ 

CHAPTER XVII. 
Voyages in the meTGhant'ecrvkei a duel . « . . # lOQ 



km 



CKARVR ZVm. f 

Jbee mUh my ddtkipmaU} carry a ehaXtmgtfnm Umtohk fmm 
commander; abligtd to jLy; overtakm mnd eooped tip *• ilp«cr> . 
CofC/e , HO 

CHAPTER XUr. 
AvisUtothe39oagain.NortkJblt€riM^0 • • • . • 1«6 

CHAFIZR XX. ' 

Pcaceahle timet jdisbtmded tem-qficert dt a bm mhai to daj fky rtlMkm 
mtiutaeert with Cmmt Orlow; aeeept m wdittmy tpptHmimmiMJ^' 
India, commence toidier;. the King qf Denmark at the Ibttcr/ m- 
cramded theatre . •. • 4 iU 

CHAPTER XXI. 
B^Amrh^fitr India: m^eid ^OpmattB^-'^fMammyraeMmtDaidtie' 



€m the ftiirtffM eerwieeipamtitCitetke CdpC'^f 



CHAPTER XXII. 



At the Cape, unpUatantiituation en tht TaUe-MMmt; eoHi/^Hable mmI- 
cheap tMni 189« 

CHAPTER XXIII. 

ArrwaH at Medrat; tMk Genirai 3mu% dt the tieteifthe war wOk 
SpderdUy ; Colmul Campbett getlant ngkrta attack Byder e^tha 
Meunt; baehftUineu qf the gournor, 4c^- etdMeal tketek qf Ite 

tm 



CHAPTER XXIV. 
OiHerml Smithy hit qffiabmiy,Aie'rMi^crFii9gtrdid,mmmdlwU 29f- 

CHAPTER XXV". 

VU army nemiditdpHned; Mi0or PUtgeratd^t frkndly prttent; my 
Genteo^$ervantthk t^gWngi •• IS^* 



XVllt 



CfiTAFTBR XXVI. 

Jbrhai di UaauUpatam; Lieutenant BameaalTi Uberal qfer t9 m 
itrangerj oburvations on tke superior UbcraUty qf tM fast, and 
eonkequent toant of caution on retumxng to Europe i Mrs, IT-— ^ 
and hor European ieroant iS0 

CHAFTER XXVII. 

AfHve at JEUonj flattering reception^ again new disdpUning the 
ssrmy ............ l«ft 

CHAPTER XXVm. 

^ Jfypoinied judg^adnocatt ; volunteer to if0cUcte as chaplUdnt hp marr^ 
ingt christeningfburying, 4c » 14& 

CHAFTER XXIX. 
yhe Ea^^JMia Ccmpan^s $nUitary sertieept^krahk. to oOinrsi a eoneiso 
aecdunt qjt the Sepoys, as qfficered by Europeans; condition and 
advantages qf such qificars ....... 14» 

CHAPTER XXX. 

SJuntghts on the mode of settling thejemilnmda tekich the rajahs pay to 
the Company t avid consequenees qf mUmanagement ; the death qf€S 
Ti^ah, by his rebelUng or refusing topay ; severely wounded M 

CHAFTER XXXX. 

Variom anecdotes, viz, fish faUing in a thoner qf rain; deer bounding 
over uOdiera heads in a line qf march i a young woman carried.off 
by a tiger in sight qf the army IM 

CHAFTER XXXII. 

Anecdotes continued; Captain PouePs recovery /^rom a Gingee fsoer by 
drinking qf claret j our Pay-Master DanieVs rtcooeryfrom aflsix by 
drinking milk ; observations therton ..... ififf 



XIX 



CHAFTBR XXXni. 

Jkttk qf an qfiper who was ratted porter in m fever, and agretmeni 
entered into In eonteguence, by aeoeral officers, to adminUter rtliitf 
to each e€ker if demanded; peacockt and Hgen found in the urnte 
wUd. hmunte; CondepiUee, or the BUU qf Tigres, abounding wUh 
monkeyst green'pigeontt and paroquets ; men's nests in trees, f^om 
which the natives shoot tigers iCO 

CHAFIER XXXIV. 

Po ia os n s u snaka diffieuU to distingtdthfivm the branehei the^Hevponi 
the imrge mountoinonakes n nairroes escape from m Coora MmniU, 
whooebUtie certain death KSS 

CHAFTSR ZXXV. 

jBrCrMTififiHary Hem of a thsmder-etorm when eftOngf^ aioee ii, wOh m 
detcr^Mon ofthefort where U happened; its c^Mi on the Author, 
msd hie obeenationo U» 

■ CSAPTER XXXVI. 

A royai tiger destroying a large Hrfalo; anoOur royal Hger, hie d^ 
maanour, withthe ^jBPtet on a horse and rider • . • l<f9 

GHAFT£R XXXVU. 
AiarmeintrandUngthrouglkawoodinaetormifdgJil i. • 1X9 

CaAETSR XXXVni. 
BassUSngi Hger-thooting by Europeans ; hunting the wild ho&r .. ITfl 

CHAPTER X2CXIX.. 
isdiass, eor^unort • •- . ^ . ^ •. • ; • 179 

CHAPTER XIi. 
JhtUhhotfitamy: Sree-Wufmry ....«•. IM 

CHAPTER XU. 
ila(r«iVetM^; mctlM<2r«A<Miinf tAemoitatMlacjfMff • • les 



XX 



CHApnKXUh 

breminii perf&rni amiracte ...••<••• 119 
ClIAFTEIl XLIH. 

StxMne tttUing at Madras as a lawyer; embark on hoard a country skip 
for the Island qf Sumatra ;. toater»spouts . . • • 105 ' 

CHAPTER XUV. 

JrHee mt Ackem: introdsusd to tkosuitan; kargt ttamms halft^MikiM 
the — rgfc, m Uene s qfgroitter strength ftnmerliifi ast ewnmomgws 
oscr thcgatem^qfthepalhce • . , \ • 109 

GHAPTSE ZLV. 

tMoitpyn lshme nt$; prt e muti^ m noetssarif togaaard agsdsui syrpriseJVotm 
MaU^ pirsda; rutming a muekj Jealousif asid soiomge rtoengej 
sUtgutarordealo/ Malayt accused qf adfMo r y • • r fl03 

CHAnXR ZLVI. 

4l^crlimgy» PUdang, T^fi^anetOif ; mouMtoiinmr'abenrigvmett their re- 
puted cannaJbilismessQosmtedfar i deeHnt their invitmtiesi to aceosn- 
pany them to their mountains ; their report qf an Englishman then 
residing stith them 809 

CHAraKB. XLVn.. 

Uaco Moco; visit the old oMasifdsTioe^BtneoolertihospiiaUtyqf 'the 
settlement; scarcity qfevUnary vegetabUs where vegetation is eo 
ttrong;.Jirc produced by bamboo-friction ; grass too tirong/krr 
horses to penetrate, its fierce burning Sll 

CHAPTER XI.VIII. 

Estrt^tgudket} vAdUnt iUnest mnd rash cure ; haUt qfmomis^ eHuHane, 
and sitting al JtetoQ in thchot land winds} m new omrtf^ tkt 



XXI 



CHAPTER 2LIX. 

Wild dtphants mnd bt^ffaloea ; an unexpected metting; inttOigenm «f 
Lleutaumt Ihtgdalt burning the TurkUhfititt: a ihort aeemint qf 
my old tk^mate's advisnturet 829 

CHAPTER L. 

Passage from Sumatra to the Cape qf Good Hope; datructioe effHte ^ 
the settMttrtty ; a whUt squall qff the Cape; ticklyand weak ttate 
qf our ship's crew ; their rapid recootry by drinking nai ome 288 

CHAPTER LI. ^ 

JmkdtoVtxib at the Cape; observatiom and suggtifiont relative to Us 
improoement as an English colony ,jU5 

CHAPTER UI. 

Jiniu at St. Helena ; singular courtship ; Me qf Ascension ; catching qf 
turtle; short account, qf the interior, /brmed by a sub^nariue 
voUano; the island inhabited by' sea-J^ml, wild goats, and raUs 
instinct qf the young turtle, its many enesHies; an opinion respecting 
thdrfood 844 

CHAPTER UII. 

Lend at Plymouth ; my salutation ; B continua with the ship ; tho 

smdl qf tallow candles very qfftnsioe qfter a long absence; intentione 
Ttspeettssg my xpounded leg; Surgeon Sharp's candid advice 859 

CHAPTER UV. 
Cvriout adventure qf Bym with the ctkbrated Miss Kennedy . 857 

• CHAPTER LV. 

SeconcOe my old ship-mate B to his family; my reception at tha 

secretary qfstate*s qfflce S69 

CIIAPTER lYI. 
Bgppily mtmried ; irreparable loss qf wift tmdchild within a year 873 



xxu 



CHAPTER LVir. 

UrueUkd; commence undfrwriter at LloycTs; no loues, yet give it up; 
marry agtnn ; eng^ige largely informing, and in an ejctenrive liquor- 
bunness; mi^Qrtunes <(ffpy wife's father .... 27* 

CHAPTER LVIII. 
Arrested for 12002. by a man Ineoer saw nor heard of . . 277 

CHAPTER LIX. 

Threatened to be arrested far 45001. my fath€r-in4aw's debts; serious 
altematict qf sacrificirig a considerable property or hanging ham 880 

CHAPTER LX. 

Quit mercantile concerns; retire solely to farming; difference 9f living 
in the country within the lait fifty years . * • .286 

CHAPTER LXI. 

• Aneedotts of worthy clergymen; poetical order for wine; suitable 
answer ••• 290 

CHAPTER LXII. 

Pleasant and useful public me^ngs promoted ; anecdotes qf a rich man ; 
improvements easily made, ^undertaken properly; people in the 
country as profiigate in principle as they are in cities . £97 

CHAPTER LXllI. 

A country duel; ingratitude; a London duel, with its huppy con- 
clusion .30$ 

CHAPTER LXIV. 

Purchase an itlnnd, ove'fiowed by the sea seven feet deep in spring- 
tides ; build a wall, nearly three miles in circumference, to enclose 
it from the sea, with suitaUe buildings ftnr a farm;, nature of the 
soU,^. . . . ' 310 



XXIU 

CHAPTER UCV . 
Tkecom:factor8 amUH with thtfarmcrss origin iirtkecam.JiKton 519 
. CHAPTER LXVr. 

^'^Tmqfvegetaiianonlandfirsttaken/i'amthe sea; gold medai /yon 
^ Society far Encouragement qf Arts, Sfc, . . . 3«5 

CHAPTER LXVII. 
^f^mUy reteuedfrom deep distress •••.... Mr 

CHAFTElIt LXVIir. 
^^^'"^inthe suds at midnight ••,..., 335 1 

CHAPTER LXIX. 

^«w a XDidower; marry again; act as a magistrate; etntnirv 
^"itches - . , ^^ , 

• • • • • 338 

CHAPTER LXX. 

^^ to France; premium far a roairharrmo; publish tablesjbrthe 
praenation qf estates; observations on maintaining tkejioor 344 

CHAPTER LXXI. 

'^i'^mdimprooes in value; sink t^rtt wells fbrf^esh witer.but am 
^inppointed; discover a surface qf the earth, at the depth qf 
*«>Ofty two feet 35^ 

CHAPTER LXXII. 

^ ^rtadfulfire; house and offices aU burnt ; save myfmmUyfrmn the 
^»»dows,inthe dead of the night S5« 

CHAPTER LXXIU. 

^d atteioion qTftdghbours ; rebuild my house: favourabU prospect qf 
myiUand • . . . 359 



XXIV 



CHAPTER LXXIV. 
f . 

Inundation ; eompttte ruin ; meeting of credUort i generous tonduct q^ 

frienda .."....•..... 368 
CHAPTER LXXV. 

Soothing and liberal -courtesy iff noblemen, ladies, and the public ; their 
benevolence • . 366 

CHAPTER LXXVr. 

Having recovered mp island, find the crops destroyed and the vegetative 
powers thrown back by the superabundant salts; the prospect of 
restoration dangerous and tedious . . • • • 373 



TB1I0I70H 

L I F E, 4c. 



CHAPTER L. 
The history c<mmenc€s with jchool^necdotes* 



I BEiiiBY £ it is generally expected of the hum- 
blest historian togive some account of his origin. 
My parents I much revered and might truly be 
proud of» though without rank or riches. to dis* 
tinguish them* My father had served in the 
navy, and afterwards was^ roaster of a merchant* 
ship : my grandfather was the last of the family 
that was born at Brigstock, in Northamptonshire, 
where the family bad lived for several centuries; 
and the end of the town, where they resided as*" 
tanners, went by their name. When the estate 
wa9 sold to the Duke of M ^ part ol it being 

▼ OL. I. B. 



copy-hold, the title-deedg were traced back in 
the family as far m WHliam Rufos. iThia is all 
which I have to boast of concerning ancestry. 

In the course of a plain useful education, (the 
only fortune our father had to give his many- 
Children,) until just turned thirteen, probably 
I witnessed and played as many school-pranks 
as others: yet I shall relate but two adventures, 
and those merely to shew early propensities and 
the effect which they may produce, contrary to 
that which I believe is generally supposed. . 

The robbing of orchards- and gardens by 
school-boys is not thought much of by those 
who do not suffer: an old gardener in our neigh* 
bourhood thought differently, as his livelihood 
depended on the produce* A patty of six or 
seven of us, taking what we conceived to be a 
good opportunity, when we heard he was from 
home, broke into his orchard ai^d climbed a tree 
of beautiful looking apples. I was busy shaking 
them down, when the old man put us ail to flight 
by rising up, at a small distance, from some 
pease-haum, where he was hid behind a large 
mawkin, or scare-crow: 1 was down in an in- 
stant, and too nimble to be caught. 

We thought ourselves safe ; but the old man 
had marked two- of us, and heard the names of 
one or two more when calling to each other. In 
the evening, be came and made his complaint* 
Domiiie ordered us all into dose conlBnement^ 



with nothing but bread and water^f rem Saturday 
night until Monday mpmii^» wtaea we had out 
usual breakfast, out of mere piity, as he said, tot 
tile fate that awaited us, and which he had ed* 
deavoured . to save usf rom, but in vain \ for Ihe 
oldgardenetbadinade^his complaint toa magia^ 
trate, before whom we were then to be taken » 
tied together like felons* A coiMtable attended, 
and we were marched along the turnpike-road, 
for a mile and a half, to his worship's house: he 
was a clergyman^ and reckoned very severe* 
The charge being made, we were asked what we 
bad to say before we we're committed to prison : 
the ignominy of the trial, the consequent pu- 
nishment, the distress of our parents, &c. were 
forcibly laid down. I had been stubborn, or, as 
I reckoned it, firm, during the whole, until my 
parents, &e. were mentioned ; I then cried like 
a child, and in most piteous terms prayed to be 
forgiven: his reverence got up and hurried out 
of the room, taking Domine with him. Never, 
surely, was a pten of the kind better contrived, 
and carried on to produce a proper effect : it 
mfide a wholesome impression on my mind, ne- 
ver to be effaced. The gardener was scut for, 
and, soon after, they all returned ; when the 
justice informed us, that our master had, witii 
some difficulty, prevailed on the gardener to^ 
forgive us, on account of our parents, upon our 
promising, before th^^^magistrate, not to offeud 
B S 



•gain. This we v«ry earnestly did ; and most 
truly did I l^eep my promise, although it was not 
many days before we learned that the whole was 
a contrivance between hisWorship and Domine. 

The other adventure is so mixed up with 
lEnavery and falsehood, that I wduld rather con- 
.ceal than expose, if it were not for the good 
effect I am confident it produced on me the 
wholeof my life. 

Several of us were playing together, when one 
of the boys tossed up a shilling : it wsis caught by 
another, chucked by htm to a third, and bandied 
about a good deal, until it dropped between me 
and another boy, and could not be found again 
after the strictest search we could make: nor did I 
know more of it than any other, at that time ; but, 
an hour or two after, as I was swinging on the 
bough of an oak tree^ I saw something glitter 
as it fell from the cuff of my coat*sleeve ; pick- 
ing it up, I found it was a shilling, and I confess 
I had no doubt of its being the same shilling 
that had been so strangely lost. I soon felt 
strongly tempted to keep it, nor was I. deficient 
in argument, to persuade myself I had a kind of 
right, by so finding the shilling at a considerable 
distance from the place where one had been lost. 
Honesty and roguery battled it for some time» 
until the latter got the mastery, by leading me 
to the chandler's shop, where I changed it to 
purchase something for Hie tooth. It was soon 



kiioiirn that I had money tto spend, and I was 
challenged about the shilling* I could truly say 
I knew nothing about the shilling when lost, 
acknowleged I had found one under the oak, but 
concealed the circumstance of seeing it fall from 
my cuff. I obtained no credit for any thing 
which I said concerning the oak, and those, who 
were not afraid of being thrashed, charged me 
with stealing it while at play together. 

God knows whether I had a stronger propen- 
sity to pilfering than others, I never discovered 
it' before; and I felt so punished, whenever 
it occurred to my memory, that I would 
have given worlds to have had it undone. 
This I knew was impossible,: dishonesty and ly- 
ing I found were inseparable; and personifying 
them in idea, they appeared as hideous and ter- 
rifying as the head of Medusa. I was equally 
sensible of the loss which I had sustained in my 
own feelingsi I fflt abashed, ashamed, and 
afraid that honesty and truth had left me and 
were irrecoverable. I never had set half the 
value upon them before: I figured them as beau- 
tifulvirgins, whom I loved and sought to reco- 
ver for the peace and happiness I possessed be- 
fore I parted from them; attd, comparing it with 
the misery I had suffered 'since, I vowed,' as 
religiously and solemnly as was in my power, 
never again to allow a moment^ hesitation in 
cleaving to trat!h andAonesty ; and 1 can trufy * 
B3 



^6 

say I have loved tben) since for their own 
aakes. ^. 

Let others, at my age op any age, confess 
their errors as freely, with the operation it has 
had on their minds when young, that they may 
serve as beacons to save youth from being lost 
on such quicksands; or, if just touching, to 
warn them of their danger, if not resolutely at- 
tended to by heaving their little vessel into clear 
water with all possible dispatch^ and keeping a 
better watch in future. It is the remaining in- 
dolent and indifferent about it, until settled ever 
so little in the quicksand, that increases the# 
difficulties a hundred fold, and soon renders it 
nearly impossible to save the vessel, much less 
any of the cargo. On the other hand, if speed- 
ily recovered, the remembrance of such danger 
may be highly beneficial through the whole of 
their voyage. 

I declare, openly and candidly, that, in vari- 
ous trying and critical situations of my life» a 
momentary recollection of this before-mentioned 
baseness while a school-boy, with the self-con« 
victed punishment that followed, proved of infi- 
nite service in guarding and checking me againsi!; 
temptation to do vrrong. A consciousness of 
acting uprightly has enabled me to face and 
overcome dMgers and difficulties, which other- 
wise I must have sunk under. A chearful, open, 
countenagce, a naturair^flow of spiritSi and a 



never-hesitating firm step, accompany such in- ' 
ternal sense of doing right, which a contrary 
conduct never can acquire, although aided by 
the greatest arts of hypocrisy and dissimulation. 

On this topic, I speak feelingly and most se* 
riously, as a .father and grandfather to many 
children, who have long been pressing me, to* 
gether with other friends, to give them a written 
account of my life. 

I aim not at dull preaching; gaietj of heart 
and cheerful social pleasures have ever been my 
favourites, and I mean to encourage them to 
the latest period of my life. I do not like those 
gloomy-hearted and cloudy-headed mortis, who 
conceive, that, to be religious and good, they 
must appear with sour, crabbed, countenances ; 
relinquishing the many innocent pleasures of so- 
ciety, as inimical to religion and repugnant to 
the will of the Deity. Nor do I admire those, 
who, having spent their own hey-day of youth, 
look with envy on those who succeed them; mo- 
rosely exclaiming against their ei\ioym£nt of 
recreations and pastimes which they no longer 
are capable of themselves. To me, it appears 
mxe consistent and grateful to ei\joy, with 
cheerfulness, all that it has ploased the Divine 
Providence to bless us with : what I cannot en- 
joy myself, I r^oice to hear others capable of, 
and can laugh heartily to see and liear them 
laugh. . . 



CHAPTER IL 

Voyage to New^York^ to Halifax, hack to New* 
York; redeem a transport-girh 



1 TOOK my first bias for travelling, or going 
to pea, from reading Robinson Crusoe; and, 
when i was little more than thirteen, sailed as a 
midshipman on-board a ship of war, bound with 
a convoy of merchant-vessels for New-York, in 
company with another frigate, bound to the 
West Indies, with a similar convoy; having or- 
ders to keep together until we arrived at a cer- 
tain latitude, this was early in 1759. 

The first night, after sailing from Spithead, 
and before one half of the merchant-ships were 
prepared, by stowittg away the lumber they had 
on deck, securely lashing their boafe and spars, 
&c. a violent gale of wind, or rather a hurri- 
cane, came on so suddenly as to put the best 
ships in the fleet in danger. Dismal, indeed, 
was this early introduction to a seafaring life. 
Having laid some months at Portsmouth, and 
from activity formed an intimacy with every 
mast-head and yard-arm in the ship, I conceited 
myself half a sailor ;i> but,, obliged as Iv^as to 



mount aloft in a dark stormy nigUt; to assist in 
taking in the sails, my conceit vanished. 

Our main and fore top-sails, being dose 
reefed, were, with the mizen, all the sails we 
left siet ; the rest were furled with such dispatch 
as none but British seamen, well commanded, 
could have used* The danger from the storm 
alone, terrific as that appeared to so young a 
sailor, was comparatively small, to the greater 
danger of the ships running foul of each other. 
The continual firing of signaUguns of distress, 
from many of the merchant-ships in various 
parts of the fleet» without a possibility of our 
rendering them any assistance before day«light, 
added much to the -horrors of the night. The , 
ship whichlwasinreoeived no material damage, 
but day-light discovered the fleet scattered in all 
directions: five completely disinasted ; several 
with the loss of top-masts ; many, that had run 
foul of each Other, muctv damaged and very 
leaky; and two, still more unfortunate, that 
were run foul of, had foundered, with the loss of 
several lives. Affording all the aid in our power 
to those that needed it, and seeing the crippled 
vessels well into a port in the Channel, we pro- 
ceeded with the rest on our voyage. 

I havesince often wondered at my having no 
sickness during this short, but heavy, gale; yet, 
in less than a fortnight after, meeting with ano- 
ther gale, nothing like so severe, I suffered all 



10 

that well can be suffered from sea-sicknes, for 
the time it lasted. 

Some of my brother-midshipmen, who were 
already seasoned, played their tricks with me 
and another youth, as raw as myself at sea, or 
riither worse, although some years older. This 
. early suffering together drew us closely into the 
bonds of a long and firm friendship, that may 
have been etjualled, but in sonie respects not 
easily exceeded. I recovered much sooner than 
he did, and then administered to him: which of 
the two was more gratified, I know not ; myself 
in giving or be in receiving such aid as was ini 
my power to bestow, for three or four days that 
he continued ill 4fter I had worked round again ; 
and this amidst the^okes and jeers of our mess- 
mates, Which only served to make our regard for 
each other so much the stronger. 

As I shall have occasion, in the course of these 
Memoirs, to speak again of this youth, I will 
attempt an outline of his character, as an eccen- 
tric one. — His education was far beyond that 
which I biad received, of which I was very sensi- 
ble. He was volatile and impetuous, strong in 
bis affections, severe and relentless in his animo- 
etties,*and eager and resolute, beyond the bounds 
of prudent bravery, in new undertakings: but he 
did not always possess that firmness and perse- 
verance to, encounter continued difficulties, so 
essentially necessary for ultimately succeeding in 



11 

great enterprizes. Liberal to pyofi^sioD tt tiintfs^ 
yetsubject to some unaccountable iittleneMes: a 
scrupuloua regard to Iruth^ on.pointsof honour, 
in all military concerns; but rather careless in 
relating matters for amusement: proud and 
haughty to those whom he did not well accord 
with, yet affable and complying, allnost to sub- 
missivcness, with those whom he esteemed; but 
they were not many. The dislike he had taken 
to all our messmates, for their bantering during 
his long sea-sickness, he never attempted to con- 
quer; and, conscious of his future independence,, 
he thought himself slighted by the captain and 
officers, from their little attention to hin^ during 
his illness. He was certainly a strange .cpm- 
pound of strong natural parts, poisoned^by early 
indulgences and bad habits as he grew up. . 

Our friendship was formed ds I have. men- 
tioned, and grew with our growth. Nptifith- 
standing he had such advantage of- years, » 
education, and command of property, ap mig^t 
in some degree have accounted for, if not war- 
ranted, bis' assuming a little, yet aqy stranger, 
to have judged of us by pur coqdu^ct to each 
other, might have concluded that^. I rather as- . 
fiumed the superiority. In fact, he almost court- 
ed me so to do, and never seemed better pleased 
than when be could get me to shine, as he used 
to term it; treating nie, in all reapects, as a 
favourite younger brother. 






I had been fecicnnmended to Captain R 

by arelation, wha had formerly been hi^ ship- 
mate: the captain put me under the care of 
Lieutenant Lindsey, to make a seaman of tne, 
and he soon taught me how to take care of my- 
self. On the captain or any of the superior 
ofiicers shewing me any kindness, instead of my 
friend being any way jealous, as some of my 
brother*midshipmen were, he would express 
himself highly pleased ; observing, that he could 
half forgive their slights to him for the notice 
tbey took of me. 

It is not my intention to relate the common 
occurrences outboard a ship, although many of 
them might be entertaining to people on-shore: 
they would appear very flat from my pen,' after 
reading Smollett, and will, therefore, form no 
part of my plan, unless I am particularly inte- 
rested in any of them, or the singularity of the 
circumstance seenls to warrant it 

Nothing material happened during our passage 
'^to New-York, except a smart brush with two 
stout french privateers, who kept hovering 
round our convoy a few days after we parted 
company with the West India convoy. .Our 
ship was French-built; and, as sailors say, sailed 
like the wind. Our captain, fim^ng no other 
means of clearing the convoy from them, gave 
necessaiy instructions to the captain of a well 
armed and fast-sailing light ship in the fleet, to 



keep the c6py^ tog^Ht^f;' ahd ihe folfowing 
morning, by break of day, having previoasly 
dropped a-stemaiid to leeward of our convoy, 
gave chace to the privateers. They bore away, 
keeping together for support : we did not tire a 
gun until nearly alongside the sternmost of the 
two, when we gave him a broadside ttom our 
starboard guns in exchange for his, without 
shortening- sail, and of course shot a-head of 
him. They bad both been firing at us with 
their stem chasers for a long time, without any 
ii^u^ ^u^ ^^ ^ur sails: after our broadside, the 
sternmost vessel did not Are another gun. The 
stoutest ship was a^head, Rnd shifted her course : 
a short time brought us upon her quarter, >vhen 
she yawed to give iis her broadside, which did 
mHchief enough to our sails and rigging, so as to 
give her hopes of escape, which she tried by 
bauiing-her wind to the west^Hard, while the other 
hauled hers to the eastwards In about twenty 
minutes, however, we wete along side : she had . 
the temerity to try another broadside, in the 
hope of carrying away a mast or yard, and then 
struck, but not without paying dearly for such 
temerity. She was crowded with men, and our 
fire did severe execution among ihem: the cap- 
tain of the privateer lost an arm. Had it not 
been for our convoy, we should, certainly have 
taken the other also ; but, being nearly out of 
sight of our own fleet, we durst not chace 
TOL. u C 



u 

her. We had fi\^ ineii aad fr boy wounded, one 
of whom died. 

In the afternobn 'vre jc»ned onrileet with the 
prisse; she mounted four and twenty guns and 
had one hundred and forty men on board, eight- 
een of whom ^\ere killed or wounded. Having 
been out a long time, their water ran very short: 
our passage was likewise ivery tediotts, which, 
together with so many prisiHiers, brought us to 
a short allowance of water ; ^,an4« for three. days 
. before we g6t in^ having a foul wind, each man 
was reduced to one pint a day, which, in the 
month of August, on the American coast, gave 
me a true knowledge, not easily forgotten, of 
the value of fresh water. 

We arrived at Sandy-Hook, with our fleet all 
safe, landed the prisoners, and took in water and 
> fresh stock ; on which duty being constantly em- 
ployed, I had a l^ger share of refreshment aad 
recreation on shore than any on board, except- 
ing the captain and purser. 

From New- York, we sailed for Halifax, in 
Nova .Scotia. The French privateers, from the 
Gulph of St. Lawrence, had been so very busy 
and successful in taking vessels bound . with 
provisions for Newfoundland, as to create an 
alarm for the island being distressed in th^ en- 
suing winter, if not provided for in time. We 
were ordered back, therefore, to N^w-Y^rk, to 
procure vessels, Ipad them with provisions, and 
convoy them to Newfoundland. 



On our return to New- York, and while lying 
there for these vessels, 1 was again fortunate, iot 
being much on shore to attend the captain, as ^ 
well as make short excursions to Long-Isltnd, 
which, abounding in. fruit, together with the 
pressing hospitality of the people, appeared a 
paradise. 

At this time, a brig arrived from Ireland, fbll 
of passengers, most of whom were to be sold as 
servants for a number of years, to pay for their 
passage. A market for selling men , women, and 
children, appeared so strange a thing as to in- 
duce my friend B and myself to go on board 

and view the scene. From breakfast, or eight 
o'clock, until noon, on each side of the vessel. 
there was a row of these self-transported people, 
made as clean and trdy as circumstances per* 
iftitted, with tbcir faces towarHs those who came 
(ra beard mw«ot of servants. The price was 
feced by the captain, the servants bargaining 
as weltas th<^ could/ for kss-than seven years, 
with their hftended toaster or mistress; and 
those, who were not thought worth the price 
demanded for seven years, the captain was ulti* 
matdy obliged to sell for the highest sum any 
person would give for that time. The greatest ' 
fear entertained by the purchasers (many of 
whom had emigiated in the same way) was of 
these servants running away from them when 
they beoamea little aoquaiuted with the country. 
' C2 



16 

It sometimes happened that* an old settler^ in 
search of a servant, and enquiring of the party 
what part of Ireland they came from* would meet 
with a relation; when, if females, they would set 
up such a lamentable howl, with others that 
were in no way interested joining them, that the 
market was disturbed and seidom any business 
done until these dear relatives had agreed oh 
terms ; yet both parties strove to make as good 
a bargain as they could, and the old settler com- 
^nonly had the advantage. 

Having repeated our visits until we became 
knowii as officers of such a ship, we were rather 
startled one day at a nice black-eyed girl, whom 
^e had joked with the day before, dropping on 
her knees when we came to her, and taking hold 
of both our coats. With tears in her eyes, she 
implored us, for the love of God, to release her 
from the situation she was in and take hereto 
, her mother. I believe Vre both looked very fool- 
ish, and concluded she was cra^« However^ 
she soon unriddled it, by saying her mother kept 
a Arge tavern at St.. John's* in Newfoundland, 
. whither she had learnt that our ship was bound; 
assuring us, that, if we would pay the captain 
"h'is demand for her passage, frotn Irelaiid and 
take her home, her mother would gladly repay 
the whole thrice over* if required* I was q 
good deal affected, and felt unusual sensations, 
my friend nearly the same^ We wexe re- 



Kei^ed'by the master of the brig coming tip and 
inTtting u» mta his cabin, where he told us all he 
knew of her^ that she came to him at Belfast 
in gr^at distress, though decently dressed; 
praying hina to take her to any pcwt in America, 
to save her from destruction. She told him the 
same story about her mother, and that, though 
she had been very wicked to run away from her, 
she wdl knew, as soon as she could inform 
her where shewa^ her mother would gladly re- 
purchase her only child of him. We promised 
to see her within a day or two. 

I felt a very Don Quixote in the business of 
relieving this distressed damsel, and B in- 
clined the same way, but remarked the difficulty 
of obtaining our ciaptain's permission, of whom 
he was determined not to ask the smallest' favour. 
At last, we agreed to undertake her release as 
cb^partuers, provided the captain, whose per- 
mission I was to solicit, consented to her being 
taken on board. 

On applying to Captain R— , he laughed 
pretty heartly at my credulity, well satisfied the 
girl was a jilt; and added, that, as to allowing 
her passage in the ship, be neither could nor 
%ould. Our ship-mates, likewise, getting hold 
of the tale, roasted us both without mercy. 

Notwithstanding all this, I was determined to 
accomplish her relief and convey her to her 
mother, if possible. . Making inquiry among the 
C3 



18' 

vessels then taking^ i& proviaions-for St. Jl>hn^sv 
I fouad a master of one of the schooners, that 
knew h«r mother to be» as she had described 
her, a tavern-)ceeper. I took him with pe oa 
board the brig» . and, from farther conversatioa 
with the girl, was more satisfied and more deter- 
mined. 

The master of the schooner agreed to take her 
for a few dollars, and I acquainted niy friend 
B-^ — how far I haii succeeded ; but, whether it 
was the bantering of our ship-mates, or some 
other cause, (for I was too much vexe^ to re- 
q^uirQ a particular explanation,)^ he declined 
having any thing farther to do in the business, 
t told him it was very well, I would take the risk 
myself; but« as I had not the necessary cash, he 
must advance^ a^ a loan, what I wanted. This 
be did, and I released. my damsel; and never, 
f urely, did a poor creature shew more grateful 
<«nd more rejoiced. The master of the schooner 
was with me, and we took her immediately on 
board his vessel, iying in one of the slips near 
ihe Fly-Market and neaily loaded. 

I believe B was angry with himself, that 

be h^d retracted; for, as often as our mesa-matea 
began to jeer me, be fought my battles, declare 
, ing that I bad more gallantry and generosity 
iban himself and all the rest of them put toge- 
ther. They, howjBver, still maintained that I. 
should be duped* 



l» 



CHAPTER ra. 



Sml for Newfoundland^ danger of shiptereck, 
arrival at St. John*s, result of my Quixote4ike 
purchase. 



I HAD very little time to spare, after this, be- 
fore we sailed with our little fleet; nor was I 
qaite certain of my lass being on board the 
schooner, until tlie fourth or fifth day after salt 
ing, when, being becalmed and on the Banks, 
in a thick fog, two of our boats were ordered 
out, in different directions, to look after our 
little convey and give fresh instructions. I went 
with Lieutenant Xiindsay in one, and had the sa» 
tisfaction to find my lass, safe on board her ves^ 
seL My friend Lindsay, having thus seen and 
conversed with her, became a convert himself, 
and, on our return to the ship, converted others. 

For several days we were thus becalmed, in a 
thick fog, and without an observation of the 
sun: our decks, however, were covered with 
cod-fish every day. The calm was succeeded by 
a hard gale, which sprung up right in our teeth, 
and continued, together with the fog, severjil 



days; the sun seldom'making itis appearance* and 
never sufficiently for us to take an observation 
to be depended on. 

We had lost sight of every vessel in the con- 
voy, when a change of wind came in our favour 
and blew fresh i witK this, we expected, by our 
dead-reckoning, U> arrive at SC John*d in three 
days, and made sail accordingly. 

We had been running all the following night 
pnder whole top-saild, with the wind upon our 
quarter, when, just at the peep of day^ the 
quarter-master at the eund sang out, " Breakers 
right a-head, by God ! " The lieutenant of the 
watch, instantly convinced of the lamentable 
truth, ordered the topnsail halyards to be let ran 
and the helm put down to bring ber head to wind 
as quick as possible, though at considerable risk 
of carrying away our masts. We were running 
so fast through the water, that in a few minutes 
more, the ship must have been dashed to atoms 
on a hard iron-bound shore of perpendicular 
rocks* 

It was my watch below at the time; but, so 
loud and quick was the alarm, that we were all 
upon deck in an instant, and I believe not one 
on board appeared in a single garment more 
than he laid down in. I had drawers on, which 
was more than many bad ; and in this condition 
we mounted aloft to close reef the top-sails, ctir 
courses set and close hauled, though doubtful 



21 

whether any of our masts had reeeiriEsd injury .by 
throwing her in the wind so suddenly. Fortu^ 
nately, they had not; so that we were able to 
carry a press of sail, with a view to weather a 
point of land which we discbvered at day-break; 
as the only probable means of escaping ship* 
wreck. We did weather it, but so very nicely 
that we almost gasped for breath as we passed 
it, expecting every moment the ship to strike 
and her whole company to perish witk her. 

We soon found that we were completely ladid* 
locked, unable to clear the land on either tack, 
whilst the wind increased to a strong gale, so as 
to render it dangerous under other circumstan* 
ces, to have carried top-sails. We continued still 
on the same tack» every eye in the ship on the 
stretch to 'descry any nook or opening for the 
chance of shelter* oriit least some kind of beach, 
where, in cs^e of unavoidable shipwreck, there 
might be some chance^ though ever so small, 
ofaavingour lives. 

For more than three hours .were we thus look- 
ing in vain, and nearly hopeless. During this 
interval, the boatswain and part of the crew were 
employed in bending all the cables in readiness, 
ivhen, on our lee-beam, we discovered an inlet, 
which, as we opened,. appeared to run far in4 
Though still lin^ertain of our fate» we hailed it 
with joyful acclamations. 



at 

After a short' c6i»ultatnm vtifa InB affit:er9» 
9ttr captain cEetcnmned to enter, as the only 
probable cbance of iiDciing anchorage. With 
our courses Gtewad up, we bore away^aaid en- 
tered what proved to be a deep baijnr: v^e again 
hauled oor wind^ trading to and frara» across the 
bayoaQder-oar topsails, and sounding ail the way 
as^ W4S thus drifted up. Finding a clean bottom 
, and strong aneboring^ground, Cafytaia R ■ ■ » 
thought i4t more prudent to ti^iist to out anehora 
aad cabtos, though very much exposed to the 
wind that blow, than run the risk of going high- 
er up in the boy m si&rcb* ot better shelter. The 
gate increased to a perfect storm and continued 
for three daya; with difficulty we rode it out^ 
with three anchors and ciaUes a-head, and our 
masts and yards struck. 

On the return of moderate weather, we were 
favoured w]4rh a good observation of site suw, by 
^ which we pretty clearly ii^ade out our situation 
to be that of Shoulder-of-Mutton Bay» in New* 
foundtand ; and eould only account for the great 
mistake in the ship's reckoning, by an uncommon 
strength and set of the Gulph^stream during the 
calm and subsequent gate while on the Banks, 
together with our being so teng without an ob- 
servation. 

On the wind moderating and shifting a little, 
we worked out; and clearing the land, bore 
away for St. John's, where we anchored in safety 



9S 

on ih^, ei^eoii^ sof the ftitlowiag' ddy« '^iost of 
oureonvoy were m before u6; two had put into 
the Bay of Bulls, and ooe sloop, we learned 
JoonEft^, was i^recked Tery-neiar to the place 
where we bad almost Met *a stmilar fate. 

Before rtlie ship was fairly moored and the 
decks cleared, &c.. a boat cama along sidfe, iif- 
quiring for me. A large basket was handed in, 
contaiuiDg vegetables, milk, and €Tanberry*pie8j 
accompanied by a>note irom my i>Iack-^ed lass, 
expressing her own and her mother's grateful 
acknowledgements for what I had done, and «i 
hope of soon wekomingme^oashore^ Oaptain 
. R was gone on shore to wait on the gover- 
nor, or I should bavereJ9i«od to pay hini'a side-* 
wind compliment, by an ofier of part ^of 'the 
firstfruksof my adventure. Lieutenant Lindsay 
pleasantly accepted a part, and the nest K^ofder- 
eddown to our mess-room. 

The tables were now turned ; the laisgii'begsn 
to be on my side, amd I was by no means 

sparing. B joined me,, bantering himadf 

. and the rest ; observing bow queerly they sboold 
all look, if introduced by me to the n*iot^er and 
daughter as particularly goo<l friends, who had 
80 well encouraged my undertaking. Then, ac- 
knowledging himself a repentant sinner, thought 
be was entitled to partake of the fatted calf, 
which he meant to do freely, but doubted whe- 
ther tk^y could relish any of it Sailors, how- 



ever» are not over acrupnU^s on sacbroccastous, 
nor easily bantered from enjoying good things 
when set before tbeni. 

A fter the recent roc^h buffelings^ eyery article 
was doubly welconae: we laughed, joked, and. 
enjoyed ourselves; and the health of my black- 
eyed Susan, as they called her, was drunk in a 
bumper. 

X Ongoing a-shore the following day, I took 
the first opportunity of calling: it was the only 
tolerable tavern in the placK My damsel flew 
to embrace me, and the old woman, without 
waiting for any introduction, clasping her haiids 
about my neck, almost smothered me. She 
sang out a kind of Irish pillaHlleloo; then, 
clapping her hands and applying them directly 
to my cheeks, held me as it were at arms length ; 
and, looking stedfastly in my face^ called out, 
••Och! to be sure I shan't love the dear crature 
as long as I live.'' 

She repaid the money which I had^idvanced 
for her daughter, and wished to pay more; but 
at no rate. whatever would she permit me to pay 
for any thing I had at her house during the time 
we remaine<l at St. John's; and at our departure 
sent a quantity of good things? on board for the 
^mess, which at such a place we should have been 
at a loss to obtain by an\ o^her means. 

It may be necessary to ex| lain here the cause 
of this young lady's absence from her mother 



25 

and being found in so disagreeable a pligbt. She 
had becfn tempted, by an officer, to leave her. 
home and accompany him to England, where he 
forsook her. Friendless and unknown, prostitu- 
tion seemed her only resource; until, reopUecting 
to have heard her mother talk of relations at 
Belfast, in. Ireland, she determined to seek 
them; and, in the hereof assistance from them, 
to get back to her. ^e took her passage for 
that place in one of £be London traders; but her 
inquiries were inetiectual, she could find neither 
relations nor friends. In this distress, hearing 
of a vessel taking passengers for New Yorki, she 
concerted the plan which I have described. 



CHAPTER IV, 

Sail for Gibraltar, fall in with Admiral Bosc&toen, 
a smart engagement,capture of a French frigate, 
arrive at Gibraltar. * 



All on board were much pleased to learn that 
our captain had received instructions to sail, 
with all possible dispatch, for Gibraltar. It was 
l^e in the year, add the place was getting ex- 

VOL, I. D 



96 

tremely im<7lytn{ortable from the intense cbldness 
of the weather^ although the .wind was from the 
south^easty which detained^ us so long that we 
became apprehensive, lest, when the wind shift* 
ed to the northward, we should be frozen in for 
• the winter before we could clear the harbour. 

During this delay, we were busily employed in 

cutting and fetching spruce-fir on board, and in 

. brewing as much spruce-beer .as.possible, for the 

use of the whole ship^s company; the captain^ 

officers, and all, drinking it in common* 

The Newfoundiand harvest, or fishery, being 
over, we shipped a number of Irishmen : they 
stiled themselves Holy Ghosters, and terribly 
wicked mutinous dogs they were; nothing short 
of extreme severity in discipline, and unremitted 
vigilance, could keep them in any kind of 
subordinatipn. 

On the wind chopping suddenly round, we 
sailed, getting opt of the harbour just at dusk in 
the evening; by the morning, in all probability 
we should have been frozen in, as the wind, 
settling at north-west, blew a complete freezer, 
and brought us next day to the goose wings of 
our fore-sail, and at night to our bare poles. 
For several days we continued thus, depending 
much on the maii at the helm to guard against 
the ship's broaching-to. 

This was the quickest passage I ever made. 
On the thirteenth day after leaving the harbour 



of St. Jobo^ w^ were off Citpe St. Vi««ent s the 
nextdaj we fell iti with Admiral Boscawen* who 
bad esgaged and beat the Fnench fl^t, and was 
tbto pursuing the flyifig enemy » who were run* 
aing for C«di«^ 

Joining the chace, our superior sailing enabled 
as to ran ecmaiderably a-he^^ aad c^v^rhaul the 
three aternmoM ahipa of the enemy ; one a large 
Iwo^ecker, seemingly oiuch crippled, with two 
frigates to attend hen Thie frigates dropped a- 
stern to el^gage us, seeing the dibtanoe we were 
from the other chactng sbipsb We ran' close 
ston^ side the ieewardmost ship, and gate her an 
English salute; thea^ throwing the ship athwart 
ber weather-bow, cpqupletely stayed her proceed- 
mg, as it was evidently intended by both to con* 
tinue a running fight, two to one, while at such 
a distance from other support, or compel us to 
drop the chase. But Monsieur was mistaken, 
our captain was determined to fight them both 
if lie could not make sure of one. 

Eor a short time, we sustained both their fires; 
but, aa the antagonist we had grappled with, and 
our ship had lost their way through the water, 
his coiqjpanion unavoidably shot a-head ; and» 
before h^ could regain a situation to annoy us, 
our chacing ship) were approaching too fast for 
his venturing to aid his partner any longer; he, 
therefore, boldly ran away and left him in the 
lurch. The Frenchmen attempted to board ua 
P2 



2g 

knci cut away, by which they lost several mehJ . 
it is due to them to say they fought most gal- 
lantly., Finding, at length, they could not dis* 
engage their ship, and that one of our seventy- 
fours was drawing near, the enemy struck his 
white flag and surrendered. 

Old Boscawen complimented our captain for 
Ms conduct. R — answered by observing, that, 
having formerly sailed under his command as a 
midshipman, he bad profited by his constant 
practice and orders, never tp waste or burn pow* 
der until near enough to singe the enemy's whis- 
kers with the priming of his guns. Rough as 
the old admiral was, this was a compliment that 
could not be otherwise than flattering. 

We were now so near to Cadiz, that all farther 
pursuit was useless: gathering the ships toge-* 
ther, we made for Gibraltar. 

In this engagement We had six men killed and 
several wounded ;, myself^mong the latter, by 
splinters that tore the outside of my left leg sef 
unmercifully, as to make the surgeons doubtful 
of efFecting a cure without amputation; 4)ut, a 
good constitution and good spirits aiding their 
operations, (which, in extraxjting some^ of the 
splinters, were frequently very severe,) I .reco- 
vered sooner than was expected. . 



CHAPTER T. 
Qruising up the Mediterranean. 



After lying at ^^raltar a short time to refit 
and refresh,, ^nd e:^hanging spruce-beer for 
wifie, we had the adtrifrars orders to proceed up 
the Mediterranean, as several Fretich privateers, 
from their fast sailing, escaped our cruisers and 
gri^atly annoyed the Leghorn and Smyrna trade. 
This was exactly to all our wishes. 

We sailed with arovingcommission,butmet 
with nothing in our passage to Leghorn, where 
we put in for intelligence ; we made a short stay, 
procured better wines, with abundance of fresh 
stores, and then proceeded to sea, eager to fall 
in with some of the rich French Levanters, 

It would be tiresome and useless to give a re* 
gular detail of the ship's various, courses and the 
ports which we visited for a few hours or days, 
as it happened, in' the course of three separate 
long cruises which we fitted out for. biciiy, 
Smyrifa, Zant, Cyprij^ Alexandria, and St. Jtan 
tfAcre, we repeatedly visited; the little island of 
Lampadocia, likewise, served extremely well to 
lie by in. 

D9 



Upon the whole, we were fortutiaie enough to 
pick up several French polacres ; some valuable^ 
others only worth ranaonitng fer what little sum 
the captains or snper-cargoes of them would 
agree to. 

Such circumstances as appeat worth relating^ 
during more than sixteen months cruising in 
alniost every part of the Mediterranean, I insert 
here, though not at all connected in point of 
time. 

We had but one smart skirmish in all the 
three cruises; this was with a privateer, off Cape 
Bona. She sailed incomparably well, beat us ia 
light airs, and rather out-rowed us with her 
sweeps in a calm ; our boats were therefore all 
manned to board her, and we must have had a 
tight contest, had it not been for a breeze 
springing up when we w^ere nearly within hail,, 
while she was firing from ^her stern chasers, swi- 
vels, and small arms. Finding that she drew 
from us, and our ship catching the breeze, we 
returned on board ; and, the wind freshening, at 
laat began to overhaul her, and, after several 
hours chac«, from day-light until evening, cap* 
tured her just before she could reach Malta, 
whither she was flying for refuge. 

At another time, we had a narrow escape. 
Having laid the ship to, most of the night, at 
break of day three vessels were discovered about 
a league to leeward, but at some distance apart 



^>2 



from each o\h^^, We bor^ down on ibe largreet^ 
in the centrej v^ho^j^ging away considerably 
from the course she wfis fifTst steering^ and the 
other two ships continuing under the aame easy 
sail, we concluded her to be a Frencbnaan, aad 
a prize of course: but, day-light opening fast, 
we discovered she had a double row of teeth; 
and, thie headmost ship then tacking, we deemed 
it prudent to haul our wind and mqjce out what 
they were, before we proceeded to farther inti* 
4nacy, 

We were not long in'suspense: having fired a 
gun to leeward and hoisted our English colours^ 
our salute was returned, and all three displayed 
the white flag. Signals, also, passed between 
theDttj which showed they were in cornpany. 
Putting the best face upon things, we fired a 
shot in defiance; and, making all possible speedy 
they immediately crowded sail after us. They 
consisted of two frigates and a fifty-gun ship : 
oneof the frigates kept our way, and we doubt- 
ed whether she could not have come up with us; 
hut, as her companions dropped fast a-istern, 
sh^ seemed a little bashful. 

Having increased our distance sufirciently 
from the others, we bantered our neighbour by 
firing a gun and hoisting a small coil of rope at 
our mizen peak, signifying we would give him a 
tow, and soon after shortened sail, to let him mr^ 
up along side if he chose it; "when, findiYig we 



#«TC to retf cWn, he hoVe to, jSb if to wai€ for 
fertber instrtictians from htt commodore, and We 
proceeded oo our cruise. 

We were also hummed out of a siriall priz^ 
by the master of a' polacre, who declared he had 
the plague on hoard and earnestly requested ui 
to take him aiidthd Frenchmen out of his v'€^ 
fel, and give her up to several Turks he had- Oof 
board, passengers from Alexandria to Constanti- 
nople. An officer, however, was sent on boatd 
to examine cautiously. I suppose he was ovef 
«atatiouft2 his report confirmed the Frenchman's 
assertion, and we declined farther idterdourse 
with him. 

He was met With by the Fame, pfivateer, a 
few days after, who, not being so credulous, 
captured and bfougbt him into Zante while we 
were. lying there. 



CHAPTER VI. 

In Iove,ma$querad€s^ the plagu^and come^uences^ 
dispute with the Turkish Bashaw at St. Jean 
d^Acre, and with the French ships there^ 



At Leghem, during the Carnival season, I 
became intimsite with a yoQth about my -own 



S3 

age, whose father and mother were flrench, but 
settled long enough at Leghorn to make my 
friend and his sister Italians* He was very 
desirous of making a short trip to sea, and 
I obtained permission of Captain R — —to in* 
dulge him with a cruise; but a master of one of 
ouir prizes, proving to be a relation of his father's, 
dissuaded bim from his project. 

On our return to^eghom, in the richest prize 
we bad taken, under Eieutenant Lindsay, as prize 
master, I was continually solicited by his family 
to be there as often as I could obtain permission 
to go on shore; nor did I require much press*- 
ing, for his sister was more beautiful than Ian* 
guage can express. .She was constantly chal* 
lengittg me to dance ortedch her English ; I was " 
soon over head and eare in love, and Signora 
did not appear much behind band. 

What the old people could contemplate by 
t^ncouraging our being so much together, I ne* 
ver could discover, unless their object was to 
make me a convert to the Roman Catholic reli- 
pioD. I honestly confess, had they not taken 
the measures whicli they did, my passion th^n, 
was 60 strong for the beautiful object, that they^ 
or rather m^ belle Signora ipight have moulded 
me into any form. 

We were both very young and very foolish 5 
but, as we grew older, our wisdom increased. 
She possessed a noble, bold, commanding, coun- 



34 

t^nknte, with a eanriage and vafkiacr sailed to 
9m imfierial diadeiki. 

On my return from our third and last cruiae, 
I was received by ttie whole famtly with increased 
partiality. In the course of the first eveiiing» 
she took the earliest opportunity that offered, to 
converse apart/ by inviting me ti>. a walk in the 
garden, where, without the smallest drcumlocu* 
lion, »iie said she had to ask me a question or 
two, to which she depaided on my honour, as 
an English Cavalier, for direct and distinct an- 
swers. " I do not ask if you love me," said she, 
•'* I know yott do ; but, tell me candidly aud 
Iruiy^ does your sense of honour to your eounlry 
and religion permit you to relinquish both, smd, 
by marrying me, to accept of mine?*' The sud- 
denness and surprise of this double question 
petrified mie, and for the moment drove away 
all considerations but those of my country, 
friends, aiidicomiexioas. . I soon recovered, and 
i^as beginning to pour out the ardent honest 
affection of my heart, when she stop|)ed me, 
saying, " We have no time to spare: 1 under* 
stand your emotion as wetl as if you had been 
hours in explaining. Strong as I acknowledge 
my passion for you, Cavalier, I could not have 
made such a sacrifice myself, and therefore have 
no right to «xact or expect it from you. I do 
not love the less, though 1 lament the cause; but 
the past must be forgotten. Tou must, howe- 



▼er» eoiitioae tbe 8ame>.^tefitiQn« to mf , er I 
cannot aas wer for tkyt coasequc^aees t<> your^Ul 
I am oider tliaii yoa/' 9lie cotUiii«»^t '' and 
know the danger of awakening any JQalowy 
among my relations here better than you do. Kt 
may be difficult to both to maintain the appfi^oy 
iBce, yet refrain from, the smallest exce8«» of 
love; but^ it must be done. Be easy on my acr 
count : if we do not betray burse(ve$» there will 
be no danger to either. We will new go la, 
band in hand, and tell them we are goipg to 
favour them with a minuet: I will then cballeogir 
yoQ to sing an Italian song, after my attempttog 
one in English ; and» if you' do not recover your 
usual spirits suiSciently to stay longer with eswe» 
make the best excuse you can for leaving 
us." 

Language cannot convey an adequate idea of 
her manner while uttering this: none but an all- 
commanding beauty could have so enforced sub- 
mission to all she said, without an attempt, on 
ray pjtft, to resist. 

Oq entering the room, sbe observed, '* that, 
as the poor Cavalier complained of a bead-ache^ 
she would not let me stay out longer in the open 
air; and, as a reward for my compliance, she 
bad promised to sing me a song." With heir 
assistance, I came off better than I expected. I 
would fain have been jealous, but could find no 
object 



36 

At the next interview, she convinced me she 
was fight. •• Since your last departure for sea/' 
she observed, " I have weighed atid considered 
every thing concerning us. My mind was dis* 
tressed by. a train of uneasy apprehensions, but 
these being now past. I determined, by an exa* 
mination of my heart, to learn at once whether 
it were possible to love, live, and be happy to* 
gether. I found ray love to be of so extrava- 
gant a cast^ that, though satisfied of your sin- 
cere love for me, I should grow jealous, ani we 
should both be made miserable, if I ever dis-* 
covered the sigji of regret for your native coun- 
try or a lingering wish to return to it. I am, 
therefore^ more reconciled now, and feel con- 
vinced, tMt, ha4 you answered me according 
to my wishes and without the agitation I wit- 
'nessed, althoiigU it would have gratified my love 
and pride for the time, I should not have bteen 
able to preseTiVe the high opinion I entertain of 
you asan^officer in the service of your country. 
Let us endeavour, therefore, to reconcile our- 
selves to that which appears irremedible, since 
neither of us can, with propriety and honour, 
give up country, religion, and connections." 

There appeared &o much truth and sound rea- 
son in all she said, that I did not attiempt to 
combat it. It was agreed that I should continue 
my assiduities as usu^U in which tliere was no 
difficulty : when by ourselves, however, I found 



87 

much trouble in submitting to the dictates «f 
reason and propriety ; but a single glance from 
ber ehastening eye produced its effect. 

To her brother I had long actcnowledged the 
fervency o^ my love for his sister, and I believe 
the whole family considered it as a settled thing, 
.that would happen when we were a little older. 

On our ship being ordered home, L told lier 
brother that I felt myself too young to profess 
and apply seriously to his parents, until I had 
seen my own; that it would likewise require my 
obtaining leave, from the government of my * 
country, i^; relinquish that service,' with per- 
mission to M^ter the navy of the Grand Duke of 
Tuscany, (a't^ibject that had often been dis- 
cussed by us and pressed much upon me) ; and 
that, as soon as these matters could be ascer- 
tained and settled, 1 would write to him and 
his sister. 

Being much in attendance upon the captain 
on shore, from the fluency I had obtained in the 
Italian language, I spent much of my time with 
these kind friends ; but it was accompanied 
with deep regret on my part, from an anticipa- 
tion of the result ; and, had I not been convinced 
that her resolution was irrecoverably fixed, I 
know not how I might have acted. 

The carnival season in Italy is so well known 
and described by abler pens than mine, that, 
however highly I enjoyed it myself, I conceive it 
VOL. u E 



S8 ^ 

Hbuld be fruitless to attempt j^ny .tbiftg noveJ 
on the sii^ect. I entered mQ3t completely intQ 
the spirit of it; and, possessing a con&iderable 
sharfe of vivacity, strength, and agility, I passed 
muster among the frolicsome youths tolerably 
well. At that time, an English naval uniform 
was a sure and pleasant passport into all good 
company, in every part of Italy : many of the 
natives, therefore, assumed the character under 
a mask, and I took no small pleasure in expos- 
ing their false colours, though it was sometimes 
attended with smart scuffles ; but my little oaken 
towel, which I could handle pretty briskly when 
necessary, always carried nae through. 

While lying at anchor in the island of Cyprus^ 
a Greek of some note, undei*standing we meant 
.to sail for St Jean d'Acre, solicited, through the 
niedium of the English resident at Cyprus, to 
be permitted to go with us. At this time, the 
plague wos raging in most parts of the Levant, 
and his request would not have been listened to 
had he not been travelling to Jerusalem, whither 
our captain had a strong wish to accompany 
him, thinking, the Greek's perfect^ knowledge 
of the country a good protection. 

However, it was deemed a proper precaution 

* to make him undergo a quarantine. His bed 

and bedding were accordingly placed *on the 

ballast in the hold, where (excepting two hours 

each day that he w^ allowed to take air on the 



S9 ■ • 

poop) lie cenf {nued the four dajrs we were on tll§ 
passage. We came to an anchor atSt Jean d*Acre 
m the evening, and early the next morning the 
poorGreek was found dead, withoat having given 
the slightest intimation of hid being indisposedw 

No doubt was entertained thathedte^of the 
plague, and no time was^^^ in getting a rope ' 
joundhim and his bedding, 4>y which be wa9 
hoisted tip the main hatchway with the stay- 
taclrle, and thetl boused over the ship's aide by 
another tackle from the yard-arm, and qnt adrift, 
with a weight to sink him^ 

The alarm ariidCiconsternation, in the whole 
ship's crew, were far beyond what an enemy 
tver so superior to ourselves could have pro- 
ducedr A consultation v^n held in the captain's 
cabm, to consider the best means of preventing 
the evil from spreading farther: Iron pots and 
tubswtfre placed securely on the ballast in th« 
hold, in which every strong smelling combusti- 
ble or ingredient in the ship was set iire to, and 
all hands readily submitted to be shutdown un- 
der the, hatches ; the captain, two first lieu- 
tenants) and the doqtor remaining on deck. 

It was not long before some of us that were 
below, and at length all, began to complain^ 
exclaiming to those above, *< that we should he 
suffocated." This not being attended to, some 
began to be outrageous, but their strength soon 
failed them, and numbers sunk down exhausted. 
E2 



Wy fri^d 9—— nhd I had, at the eommeDce* 
meiit of the fumigation, gone down and turned 
in upon^our beds ; and, as soon as I began to 
fisei the effects, which from the burning of to* 
bacco appeared the most insufferable, I turned 
my fhce down on my pillow, scarcely allowing 
'myself any other air t^n that which X drew 
, from it This it was, I believe, which enabled 
me to support it better than others ; for, on the 
llfltch^(mys being opened, I was the first to get 
on dMk, though I had farther to travel than 
most of them. Many w^e obliged to be hauled 
, up, being incapable of helping themselves ; and 
poor B-^ — was not much better, (for I had to 
go down again and assist him,) which I attri- 
buted to the. fre<£}uent o^pening of his mouth, 
when complaining do much-of the suffocating 
effect On my laughing afterwards'at some of 
Aho^ that suffered considerably, they swore 
that I must have been born in the lower re- 
gions, and might consequently bid the devil 
defiance* 

It was our turn next to give the captain, lieu- 
tenants, and doctor, their dose ; which was done 
v^ery liberally, the dead-lights, ports, &c« being 
-first well closed. They were confined the same 
length of time ;-and, when set at liberty, came 
out, gasping for breath, in a pitiable state, which 
^reconcrled those of the crew that had suffered so 
>much below. 



41 

'For a long time after this, fires were made in 
the day-time in the hold, to burn pitch, tar, 
turpentine, rosin, vinegar, tobacco, &c. finish- 
ing, towards evening, with such aromatic gums 
and herbs as the doctor procured for the pur- 
pose. , The decks were likewise freely washed 
with vinegar, and all adviced to smoke tobacco 
and keep a bit of the leaf in their mouth and 
nostrils : the latter I found was not in my power, 
therefore T substituted in its place a little freah 
oakum. 

Notwithstanding all this, we had three foreign 
sailors who died of the plague^ and in so short a 
time as to persuade us they must have had the 
disorder before the Greek died. Two of them 
were on the sick list at the time of the fumiga^ 
tion, and the other followed a few hours after. . 
Contrary to the accounts we had heard at Cy^ 
prus, we found the plague raging at St. Jean 
d'Acre and along tlie whole coast q{ Syria, with 
the greatest violence. We made no longer sti^, 
therefore, than we could help; but long enough 
to have a lil^tle dispute, with the Turkish govern-* 
nor, or bashaw, arising from five French mer-t 
ohant-vesseln thnt were lying there, most of 
whom had takjen in cargQes ot cotton .and were 
ready tos^il;. ' . 

Throuirh the French resident, they had applied 
to the bashaw, who v, :. simple enough to. send 
an order. on board om sbip« with directions not 
E3 



ito sail for twA days after ihgse^reni^hYfterchdnt- 
vessels had left the pdrt. ' ^ 

It is right, howerer, to remark, that the 
French, at that time carrying on a considerable 
traftic at St. Jaan (TAcre, were well kaown and 
the English very little, whicjb might induce the 
bashaw to treat us so cavalierly. Captain R—— 
sent b^ck, by the same Jjpat, a very spirited 
answer J and, there being no English resident to 
ensure its being faithfully delivered and trans- 
lated, he read it aloud before he delivered it, 
making one of our Greek sailors interpret its 
full meaning to.theTurkishoflScer who came off 
with the order, that he might relate its contents 
to the bashaw. The substance was, that, unless 
we were mctlested, all due deference should be 
paid to the neutral port we were in, (which, by 
the bye, is a wide open roadsted); that, if 
any of the French vessels should leave the port 
before we were under weigh, he would allow the 
u^lial time by the law ^^f nations before he sailed 
after them ; but, if our ship got unde^ sail firat- 
and the bashaw ordered any guns to be fired at 
him from the fort, he would knock bis old castle 
abx>«t his ears xmd take or diestroy every French 
vessel then lying there. 

The Turk in the boat stroked his wfaiskers, 
looked very fierce, and seemed to swear most 
irehementlj^ by Mahomet : on wkieb, our tars 
g^vetl>ree chirrs aiid otti C9ft%m «fdeied a aa- 



luM to he fired« Tte whole together operated 
Blifficiently to Convince the bashaw that we were 
nol to be frightened ; aad^ in the evening, the 
bdat ctaieoffagaisi toacquaiat our captain that 
the ffovernor was satisfied with hia intention 
fespecting the Frenchmen. Bat. not 90 the 
Freitch tfa^nseivea; they were fearful we meanit 
to cut them otil in the night, aad therefore 
haal^d all their t^sseh as clbse in shore as postH 
bit, and unbont tt^ir satllSi 

From the celebrity which this pUce has ob« 
tained since, in its defence by the gallant Sir 
Sydney Smith, with a handful of Englishmen^ 
against the reputed altsubduing, but in truth 
the most cruel, unprincipled, marauder that has 
been permitted to harass this gld[>e| I cannot 
refrain from observing, that, at the time weao 
defied the power of the bashaw, we really con- 
ceived^ from the towering. Babel-like, ruinous, 
appearance of the place, that we could have 
executed what we threatened : but I now con- 
clude we must have been greatly mistaken, 
which may, in some measure, be accounted 
for by tbeconiined view we had of its strength, 
fbe effects d the plague on board as well as on 
shore, preventing any close observation. End 
I been called to give an opinion of its capability 
#f defence> against apy regular army, by a 
strong garrisdn* I should haVe^answered» that 
I deemed it nntenablei 



44 

It wiH not appear surprising that a youthful 
mind should at first look with a kind of reverent 
tial awe on places so nauch noted in Holy Writ 
as many that we then saw daily : Mount I^ba* 
non, so famous for its cedarsy of which produce 
it scarcely appeared' to retain a vestige; St Jean 
d*Acre, the antient Akron, where David is said 
to have played the fool before the king of Moab^; 
so celebrated, besides, in the Crusades. These 
places, with Mount Garmel and others of infe- 
rior note, became at last so familiar to the eye as 
-to produce a complete indiiference about them« 

Dreadful as- the whole of this coast was»from 
the ravages of the plague^ I quitted it with a 
kind of regret,, at not being able to visit Jerusa* 
lem, which I fully expected if .Captain R,— — 
had gone thither,. 



CHAPTER VII; 



Sail from Si. J^and^Acre, fallin loith and capture 
one of the French ships^. 



About ten days after leaving St. Jean d'Acre, 
cr]ui*ing along the cpast of Egypt, we fell ia 
with ope of the largest aijd richegt of our Fre4.cli 



4a 

friends whom we had left behind^ and captured 
hinu He had lost several of his men by the 
plague, while .taking in his cargo ; nevertheless, 
after a tedious quarantine, we .thought him a 
good prize, and so he proved. 

The prize beiBg sent for Leghorn, with roy 
friend B—— on board, be had the captain's 
permission to ^it her aft^r seeing' her safe in 
port, if he could gSeton board any British cruiser 
bound up the Levant, for the chance of foiling 
in with our ship» f^the several prizes we had 
taken had reduced 'tiypr number of officers: fo 
reign seamen we coxiitget in most ports. 

It wiis several mcntl^ however » before we saw 
him again, when he gave the following account 
of his adventures* \ 






CHAPTER VIIL 
^ Anecdotes of Captain Patrick. 



TH&Rfi was a iamous English privateer, at 
that time well known all over the Mediteranean; 
tbe^ Fame, of Bristol, commanded by Captain 
Patrick* She was lying in Leghorn-roads at the 



46 

time B went in, and was near sailing* Pa- 

trick was seldom oat of quartotine, staying no 
where longer than to get water, provisions, or 
.men, if wanted, ' 

On being applied to, he gladly accepted 

B ^'s proposal of doing daty as an officer, 

until they fell in with our ship. He was to go 
on board the Fame soon after dark in the even« 
ing, and the next morning they were to sail. 

Patrick was a terror wherever he went, being 
little better than a madman, regardless of the 
lawsof quarantine or thecountry he was in; there 
were but few places, therefore, at which he could 
latterly go on shore without apprehension* 

Previous to B — ^ going with him, he had 
«hot one of his guardas (a kind of revenne-offlcer 
put on board ships under quarantine} dead, for 
talcing away the ship's jolly-boat to row himself 
to the quai-antiae-^house, wbere'be meant to com- 
plain against Captain Patrick for some ill usage. 
When Patrick was informed of his thus taking 
the boat, he ran on deck and snatched up a 
loaded musket, swearing at the guarda, that, if 
he did not instantly return with the boat, he 
would^fire at him: the guarda persevering, he 
fired and killed the man. 

Captain Patrick, being accountable for every 
one on board his ship leaving her under .quaran* 
tine, would have been enabled to make a better 
defence for this,, than for various other comr 



47 

plaints against him.. He did not chuse, however, 
to take the chance, by surrendering for trial, ad 
required. And as, from what he could learn, 
the magistrates did not seem to admit of such 
pleds, it is probable enough he was privy to the 
following outrage committed by his second lieu- 
tenant on the night previous to their sailing. 

The Fame had a felucca-tender to accompany 
lier when cruising, which, in calms and light 
viads, could be manned with fifty hands for row- 
ing and boarding. As soon As the evening was 
seliu, his second lieutenant, with about fifty of 
his men, took the felucca and rowed a shore, a few 
miles to the westward of Leghorn. Passing fur 
thecrew of another English ship then lyii)g in 
the roads, not in quarantine, they were well re- 
ceived at a village, where they spent their timi 
freely until midnight, when nothin .; would sa- 
tisfy the tars, but they must have a lass each ; 
and, as these lasses were at Leghorn- and cpuld 
not come to them, ihey determined on going to 
the lasses, as Mahomet did to a mountain. 

Between twelve and one, they reached, the 
city gates, desired the officer on guard to let 
them in, and on his refusal threatened to force 
th^ir way. Ii appeared, afterwards, that the 
commissioned ofticer, who had the command at 
the gate, and should have been with his guard, 
had left it to the care of a non-commissioned 
officer for an hour or tt<^o, not suspecting any 



4S 

thing could occur to disturb his post, the gates 
of the city being shut at night more on the score 
of civil police than of military exigencies. 

The sergeant demanding their motive, they 
plainly told him what they wanted, and promised 
if he would let them pass peaceably, they would 
return as soon as they had saluted their girls, 
and would give the guard something handsome 
to drink. The sergeant, fearful of a disturbance 
while his officer wa^ absent, and thinking it an 
innocent kind of sailor-like frolic, admitted therr. 
But the English lieutenant of the Fame, being 
apprehensive I hut he and his men might le 
caught in a trap, and finding himself more than 
thrice. as strong as the guard, took possession of 
the gate by making the guard prisoners for the 
time. , ,One half of them then went and had their 
ramble, returning soon to relieve the rest, and 
brought wifie and cordials to treat the guard. 
The last party who went on this frolic behaved 
ill ; for, not content with visiting the ladies, who 
are licensed and live in a part of the town allotted 
to them, called, by the English sailors, Love^ 
lane and Scratch^alhy^ they drank cordials until 
they were half crazy ; and, forcing some of the 
girls with them to the large square, called the 
Place, they gave such repeated English cheers 
as to awaken and alarm the whole neighbour- 
hood. Before any kn(iwledge could be had of 
the cause or any measufe taken to apprehend 



49 

them, they retired to their companion, 
gate; and, settipg the guard at liberty, retrt 
with all haste to the felucca, and got on boarc - 
the Fame. 

Boats were sent off to all the ships in the 
roads, before day-light, to inquire for the au-. 
thors: Captain Patrick,.having learned the par- 
ticulars, sent a note to the governor, owning 
they were his people, but that it was done with- 
out his privity, adding, that 'he had no control 
over his people while in their port and under 
quarantine, as they debarred his using force to 
prevent his boats leaving the ship. This was 
well enough for him to say, but all who knew 
Captain Patrick, knew better. 

At day-break, as the Fame was getting under 
weigh, another boat was sent oif, ordering him 
to remain at anchor ; but, knowing he had nQW 
completely sold Leghorn, he disregarded the 
order and set "sail. The fort was then ordered 
to fire at him, which he paid no more attention to 
thaathe order; and^on a shot passing through 
one of his sails, he hove the ship a little to, re- 
turned the salute by firing three shot at the fort, 
and, with a brisk wind off shore, was soon out 
of their ireach. 

Complaints were sent to England, and the 
commanders of all the king's ships were ordered 
to tak^him out of his ship where ever they met 
with him; his letter of marque, authorising him 

^L. I. ' F 



50' . 

., . aptures, was declared void,andinstruc<> 

c ^i were given to the British consuls ia the 

_^ «i:s of the Mertiterranean, to eeize all the prizes 

he might send in, and, if he went on shore, to 

have him arrested and sent, home a prisoner. 

Two or three valuable prizes Were thus seized 
in different ports he had sent them to ; and, be- 
fore any of our ships of war fell in with him, 
after receiving such orders, he had the good 
luck to be informed of his dagger by the master 
of an English brig, who told him he had been 
boarded about three houis before by a ^loop of 
war, under colours of the Duke of Tuscany, in 
company with another sloop of war and a two- 
decker, under the same colours, who aaid they 
were cruising for the Fame, in hope of making 
Captain Patrick a prisoner. The master of the 
brig acquainted him with the various instruc- 
tions sent from England, and ^dded» that the 
officer who boarded him was ^ dirty scoundrel, 
having plundered him of hb best c^unpass ^d 
other articles, promising; to pay hi^n wh^n he 
met him in port. 

Two of the captains of these Tusdan men-of« 
war were Britishjr and had had such repeated 
quarrels with Patricks when on shore at Leghorn, 
that an inveterate hatred subsisted between theiD: 
they rejoiced;^ therefore, when* they received 
such orders. But Patrick laqghed at them while 
be had sea^ioonor^ knowing that the {"ame would 



"51 

sail round them all, nor would he have hesitated 
at fi^htiiigthe tWo sloops, though each of them 
equal in metal and numbers to the Fame. • 

Patrick inquired their Course; and learning 
ttey were under an easy sail, he pursued their 
track and made for them before night-fall suf- 
ficiently near to ascertain who they were. He 
continued overhauling them, iind^r an easy sail, 
until between eleven and twelve, when, passing 
the sternmost; to windward, he just hailed him 
in French, so as to receive an answer in the same 
language, and ran close up ott the weather-quar- 
ter of the two^ecker, the cajytain of which was 
hrs mortal antagonist. 

Tuscany not being at war* at the time^ihe 
^ips were net in • perfitet * readiness* Oaptatn 
Patrick had hauled up his courses, and vvas every 
way prepared; hailing this ship also in French, 
he received a like answer; when, damning their 
French souisi he- ordered them to strike to the 
Fsime, Captain Patrick, and immediately poured 
abroadside intobim. At the same time, putting 
the ship about, before either ofthe vessels could 
recover from so unexpected an attack, he re- 
passed the stern most; and, with the same sum* 
mous to surrender, he fired his other broadside 
into her, then making sail, was out of sight be- 
fore they well knew what was the matter. 

Patrick was av^are he had a desperate gauntlet 
to run through the British cruisers^ but he like^ 
Fi3, 



52 . 

incise knew.that few ships could sail faster. Keep- 
ing a wary distance: therefore, from all ships of 
size, he cruised until he took a rich polacre, 
which he unloaded at sea of most of her cargo on 
board the Fame; and, in his way with her to 
Tunis, he captured another, and took them both 
into Tunis with him. He there sold both their 
^cargoes, and the Fame he sold to the Dey. To 
his officer^ and crew he gave up the two vessels 
that were brought in, to convey them where 
they liked, fitting them well out. . He made 
presents to his ofiicei:s apd told them he would 
make over to them and the crew all his share of 
the many valuable prizes they had taken aad 
sent into different pprts for sale, both before and 
during this cruize, in lieu of which, he appro- 
priated to himself the two cargoes brought in 
and sold at Tunis. And thus he settled all far* 
ther trouble about being caughtand punished* 

It was afterwards reported that he turned Ma- 
hometan ; and, by another account, that he sent 
to E.ome, and made sufficient interest to get the 
Pope's pardon by turning Roman Catholic. He 
must have made a worthy proselyte to ei,ther. 

My friend B crossed over the Mediter- 
ranean, in one of those polacre prize®, to Zant, 
^vhere the polacre and another of the Fame's 
prizes .were seized by the British consul; nor 
was it thought that the men or officiers of the 
Fame would ever be benefited by any .more of 



53 

tk^tnany prizes she had taken, than whM hid 
already been distributed and paid. 

B — y making himself known to the British 
consul at iant, Wste kiftdly entertained by Iflm, 
until we arrived about three weeki after, Hi^ 
iiHtetition was io get on board the first English v^ 
ship of war that arrived, which luckily proved 
to &e the ship he belonged to. He was truly 
happy at rejoining us, observing he was cured of . 
privatfeering, though Captain^atrick had treated 
Mm much better than he did his own oi&cers. " 

What has been here related is confined toth€?' 
ecceiitriti ehamcter and conduct of Captain Fa- 
twcR; but, therig were many, other anecdotes ■' 
tdld by B— — that amused iis at the time. A- 
moifg' fllem wag the following, which he declared 
to be tfue; I have frequently related it, and have 
teafdit repeated by others, in the course of 
hafff a century, the dri^n may now possibly be 
dispofed. 1 only aver the having heard it, as thus 
sMtKd: — Thefame had avery smart engagement 
with a French privateer of greater force, in the 
Gulph of Lyons. They were known to each othfer 
b;^ repttte^tftoAbad mutiwiUy tbreaiened to figbt» . 
if they should meet. But it is not the interest of . 
piivateers. to fight tor victoiy only ; when» there- . 
fore^tbey did thw^MlM together, W unavoid- 
able brush took place,* and several ;.were killad 
and wounded oii> \)olh sidea. They . separated 
aad lay-to to refit, neither tunning away nor in 



54 

a hurry to renew the fight r and, a calm coming 
on while at a respectable distance, they con- 
tinued so until night, when each steered bis 
own course and claimed the victory. It v(diS 
during this suspense that the surgeon of the 
Pame went round to examine the killed and 
wounded, with a few seamen to attend him,, in 
order, to remove the latter down to the cockpit, 
and throw the former overboard. It happened,^ 
in his haste, that he imagined one who lay se- 
verely wounded and insensible, to be dead, and 
ordered him to be thrown overboard. Two of 
his attendants were about executing thcJ order, 
and were moving him along for that purpose. 
One of them observing, " here's lying Dick 
gone at last!** The motion and voice of his ship* 
mate brought^him to a little, and he faintly ex- 
claimed, *^ Jack,, don't launch me overboard, I 
a'ni dead." " Why^ you lying son of a b— b,'* 
says Jack, " who, doyou think, knows best, the 
doctor or you ?" And perhaps it was fortunate 
for Dick that the doctor, not being out of hear* 
iilg, returned and sent him to the cockpit* 



CHAPTER IX. 

The Island of Lampadociar 
1 ovGHT not to conceal a strange romantic 
conceit I entertained at one time to leave the 



55 

ship and turn hermit This was at one of our 
visits t9 the Island of Lampadocia* There were ^ 
no more than three inhahitants that we could* 
find upon the island^ two of them pretty au*^ 
tient. They stiled themselves- Mahometan Re* 
ligiosos, living there as hermet8» but abounding 
with the good things they reared andcuUivated. 
Their situation, ftiU hal£ a mile from the shore, 
was beautifully romantie ; and their habitation' 
was formed by a rude front, built up near the 
entrance of a cavern, and appeared to have 
other apartments besides th^ one which they 
only permitted us to enter. At a small distance 
opposite, they had another[place similar to it, but 
less, which was called their mosque, or chapel; 
in the middle of which was a laisge coffin, ele- 
vated firom the ground, with lamps burning, 
and where they said on€ of them continually 
watched and prayed. 

Doubts arose in some of our minds whether 
th^ were really Turks, and whether there were 
not more inhabitants, and we strongly suspect- 
ed them to hare females concealed* Captain 
Rr— , however, gave strict, orders that they 
should be in no way molested, and what poultry 
and fruit they could spare was paid for. They 
h^ a few patches of ground, ineloaed by walls 
built with loose stonei, where they grew corn 
aad kept a few sheep that were in good condi- 
tion% 



S6 - . 

All the^ ktend besides wjtt a wilderness; with 
sbtmdance of sbeerp, wiH sis motintain-goats. 
These were reckoned ftftf game to dhoot or run 
dofrn, in which ^ort our clotlies and skins were 
wefl torn, and manjr langhable iiteidents oc- 
eiuted with the sailors^ We got plenty of the 
sheep, but tbey were only lit to raake^ broth of, 
bsving scarcely a mdrsel ol llerit upon their 
bonesv 



CHAPtER X. 



WiiBirordered homs^ to Engladidy mOtfrof us 
ci^itted the Meditorranean seas. Where w« hariE 
been cruising so* knig,* with V9sgttk*i 

On filing fromLeglK^mihe4a«(;tifde^ weraftt ^ 
close i» wiih C<)r9ica,^^.and werer- id loBtg be^ 
cid'ined> ias to heist our boat ; out aofd sendf i^ -. 
ashore for the eban<H^ of procvnrmg liver stb^k^ > 
«^gvwtne^ and- fruity ftboagb but few &ous«ft ^ 
were tisible#-. 

I was-one ofthepsirty. We landed lif^^^tttfaft 
cove ; and, leaving two h«ids to take care of the* 



57 

boat, ascended a long sloping hill, at the top of 
which was a high stone wall, over which hung 
large clusters of tempting grapes. 

We went on tothe left, in hoped of finding an 
entrance or some house. There was no path- 
way, hut we walked nearly a quarter of a mile 
until we came to a large old mansion, where we 
gave a loud halloo. , Some women and children 
soon appeared ; but, on seeing such outlandish 
figures as no doubt we appeared to them,^ they 
ran iu faster than they came out. In a few mi- 
nutes, however, two male animals made their 
appearance, in a dress nearly resembling What 
we may picture to ourselves of Robinson Crusoe 
and his man. They were father and son, dressed 
in jackets and a kind of short trousers, made of 
goats skins, with the hair outwards, tied with 
thongs, and hanging rather loose. In a belt 
round their waist they had each a pair of large 
pistols, with a long snig-a-snee Hnife at their 
sides. The father* had large mustachoes, and 
the only things' of modern appearance were 
their Leghorn chip hats. 

As soon as the old mian saw us, he exclaimed, 
" Ah ! Signor, God dam, John Anglis !" We 
soon became acquainted* He was a goat>herd 
and swine-herd, and frequently took his goods 
to Leghorn for sale ; where, often seeing English 
sailoi:s,and having become acquainted with tbeis 
general character, he seemed no way displeased 



5d 

at oar visit, especially when he learnt our er-* 
rand. < ' 

We found we were too far off from any village 
or place to purchase wine, or any thing else but 
hogs and goats ; and, not to go back quite emp* 
ty, we went with him to bargain for a few hpgs* 
His son went out and whistled a considerable 
number of them into a large enclosure; during 
which time, he himself regaled us with a flaggon 
or rather Calabash or two of common wine, 
while every female and child in the house conti- 
nued prying and looking atus as great curiosities. 

We accompanied the herdsman, who conti- 
nued equipped just as we saw him at the first. 
The grunters appeared familiar enough with him ■ 
and hisi son, as they walked about in the nitdat 
of them, but they eyed and were as shy of us fts 
the old man^s family within doers ; both looking 
on us. no doubt,, as thestrang^st animals they 
kad ever seen. 

Having agreed 1^ the price by weight, ad they 
were, and pointed out one as about t\\e size and- 
condition that would suit best, we Were not a 
little surprised to see the old herdsman takeout 
one of hi& long pistols, and, cocking it, he in- 
stantly shot the hog dead, and his son as direct- 
ly drew his snig-a-snee and cut the animal's 
throat across, so a6 to half separate bis head 
from the body. The father, loading his pistol 
^gain, desired us to point out others, when we 



»9 

informed him we wanted to take them on board 
alive. Those which yre selected, were secured 
by a bass-rope, tying them to each other by one 
leg and by the snout. We agreed likewise to 
take the dead hog, on their conveying it to the, 
boat, and by the weight of that to pay for the 
others. Examining the hog to see how it wai 
8hot,we found the ball entered just under the ear, 
and were told that both he and his son could aa 
readily and correctly shoot any number of them. 

We inquired to whom the long high wall be- 
longed, and whether it was in our power to get 
any of those fine grapes we had seen. He saidt 
the wall enclosed large grounds, belonging to a 
great signor, who was very proud and surly, and 
doubted whether he would part with any if we 
applied; and that it was a considerable distance 
round to the mansion, the contrary way to that 
which we had come. 

As it would take up some time to get th« por- 
kers to the boat, we resolved to try and set off 
to the mansion for that purpose; but, coming 
again within sight of the luscious fruit, we 
thought, if we helped ourselves, it might save a 
deal of trouble, provided any one could be hoist- 
ed high enough to reach them. 

Being as light and active as any, I was ap- 
pointed the climber, and my ladder was formed 
thus : on the shoulders of twOj that stood on 



60 

the ground, was hoisted a third, who with his 
arms rested against the wall. Climbing upon his 
shoulders, I reached the top; and, plucking such 
bunches of the grapes as were within reach, I 
dropped them down. Could we .have been con- 
tent with gathering them thus, by removing my 
ladder, &c. in all probability we should have 
escaped unperceived with our plunder: but, 
having hold of a stout branch of the vine, I 
made a spring and climbed to the top of the 
walL The inside appeared more like a wilder- 
ness than a garden, but I could see various fruit- 
trees in all directions r such as oranges, pome- 
granates, prickly pears, figs, &c. with, a great 
quantity of grapes ; the latter appeared to be 
cultivated at a distance from the wall, and kept , 
low. Those that were against the wall, grew 
there by chance. 

Perceiving that it would not be difficult to get 
down by the vine on the inside, and up again, I 
acquainted my ship-mateg with the prospect I 
had of the land of proftiise, if any of them were 
disposed to accompany me, by fetching a rope 
from the boat, the end of which I could fasten 
to the vine for them to climb up by on the out- 
side. Two of them took what grapes I had 
thrown down, to the boati and soon returned 
with a rope. 

In the mean time, I gathered and dropped a 
tro;isiderable quantity more ; talking and laugh- 



61 

ing with my brother-officer below, of the ad- 
vantage I should have if any beautiful dulciuea 
were to make her appearance and claim the as- 
sistance of such a knight, to relieve her from 
the durance of so vile a Goth. 

The desigYi was, for three more to climb over 
the wall ; and, when we had thrown over as 
many oranges, &c. as we liked, to jeturn and 
convey all to the boat, which from the vicinity 
of the fruit-trees to the part of the wall we were 
at, and not discovering any thing likea building 
near, we concluded would soonbe accomplished. 

I had but just fastened the rope, when I heard 
a rustling kind of noise behind me. I turned 
my head, and discovered several of these Robin- 
son-Crusoe looking fellows, creeping slowly 
along, bent almost to the ground, with each of 
them a cursed snig-a-snee in their hands. Con- 
cluding they would have to climb over the wall 
after me, I slipped down the rope in a moment: 
then, telling my comrades that there was a le- 
gion of devils at our heels, just broke from the 
herd of swine, we all scampered away like brave 
thieves, both tishamed and afraid of what we 
''were doing. Hearing theni*1^hout, we turned 
our heads and were surprised to find them pur- 
suing us, before we thought they could well have 

got over the wall. It.was now the D take 

the hindmost, or every one for himself. 

VOL, !• * G 



(69 

Our boatmen, observing the chace, thought 
something must be wrong; and, while shoving 
the boat on shore to receive us, got the fire-ams 
that were in the boat in readiness* Being among 
the foremost of the runaways to Jump into the 
r boat, I snaked up a musket and fired it over 
the heads of the pursuers, who were ^drawing 
near to those a-stern of me : this very effectually 
checked their farther pursuit, and we found our- 
selves all safe in the boat. 

Had we been acting in a right- cause, we 
should not have run away until we had fairly tried 
our strength with the enemy ; as. it was, we 
plainly shewed how soon the bravest may be 
converted into cowards, by doing what cannot 
be justified. 

W6 could now, in return, have, driven them 
back and brought aw^y the stolen property ; but 
we recovered our wits with our arms, and, for- 
bearing to fire when we jcould have made fatal 
execution among them>' {though strongly called 
upon so to do by those wl^o had been closest 
pressed by them,) we convinced them, by re- 
landing, that we were not afraid. 

Soon after this^ur swine-herdsman and son 
made their appearance with the hogs; and, join- 
ing our pursuers, after a short conversation they 
came forward, and every thing was explained to 
their satisfaction as a mere sailor-like, unmean- 
ing frolic. Yet they mado'tio scruple of saying 



63 

they\|rould have slain every one whom they 
could have overtaken. 

We learned, likewise, that there was an old 
gateway in the wall, on the right hand, which 
we had not seen, by which they came so quick 
upon us. We farther understood that the disco- 
very of our being there was by a vigneron, or 
vine-dresser; who, being much frightened at 
seeing me oii the wall, talking in a strange lan- 
guage, crept away to give the alarm. Nor did 
they hesitate to say, that, had they been fortu- 
nate enough to kill one pr more such heretics as 
the Anglis were said to be, their priests (as we 
understood afterwards) would have well rewarded 
th^m. 

Making allowances for prejudice, we recon- 
ciled ourselves to intentions not executed; but, 
as we were the first aggressors, we gave the fel- 
lows a chequin, and not only had the grapes that 
were gathered, on which they placed no value, 
but received plenty of oranges, &c. from within 
the walls, which they cared as little for. The 
grapes in the vineyard were held sacred, all the 
rest their signor regarded not as to value, though 
he would punish, with death any one detected in 
gathering without his permission. Yet they un- 
derstood he was very favourably disposed to the 
Anglis, notwithstanding they were heretics. 

We paid our friendly herdsnian, and got safe 
on board with a large cargo for little money. 



64 



CHAPTER XL 

Tale a xebeque* on our passage to Gibraltar^ 



Running along the coast of Barbary, we fell 
in with two stout French xebeques ; who, not 
conceiving what we were, ran boldly down to us, 
when a Very smart action ensued. Plying the 
largest vessel closely, she was obliged to strike 
h^r colours ; and the other, hauling her wind, 
made Off. In this engagement, I received a 
flesh wound in my left arm by a inusket-ball. 

We took our prize into Gibraltar, where we 
first heard of the death of old King George. 
We made but a short stay, being under strict 
quarantine from our foul bill of health ; then set 
sail for the land of cakes and ale, after an ab- 
sence of more than two yearsf. 

• Xebeck, xebeque, or even chebeqUe, or chebeck, are names 
variously and indiffereotly wsed and given to the same kind of ves- 
sel, as they belong to the French, Spaniards, Portuguese, AlgerUies, 



CHAPTER XII. 
Etirthquake off Lisbon, in 1761. 



Wuzrs off Lisbon we had a foi*l wiad, blow- 
ing hard all night and the next forenoon, when 
it suddenly dropped to a calm, leaving a heavy 
cross popling swell. 

The people were all at dinner, ^when a general 
akrm spread quickly throughout the ship, above 
and below, occasioned by a violent tremulous 
motion of the ship, as if likely to shake to pieces. 
The guns and carriages actually rattled on the 
decks; (£nd, in our more delibeirate thoughts af« 
terwards, we could compare the agitation of the 
ship to nothing but that of a vessel driven 
violently by a very strong current, or tide, over 
a' hard gravelly bottom, which she raked all the 
way. 

The consternation in every countenance was 
stronger than language can describe, for no one 
could divine the cause, though all expected im- 
mediate destruction. A rumbling noise itccom- 
panied the agitation, arising gradually but spe- 
(lily from .the bottom upwards. Having la8t(d 
between two and three minutes, it subsided, and 
kft us as if nothing had happened. 
' ' ' G3 



The first Ihing ordered was to sound the well ; 
all was right there. The next was to try for 
sounc^ings, but none were found with more than 
two hundred fatlwms of line. During this, the 
gunner was called on the quarter-deck and ex- 
amined as to the powder ^magaziue, and when 
any one was last there. He declared that no 
person whatever had been there that day. The 
first lieutenant was ordered to go down with 
the gunner and exainine the magazine and all 
l^elow, and I was ordered to attend them. We 
found every thing as it should be. 

In the course of this search, the gunner, who 
was an old man, swore he knew what it was, and 
affirmed it to be an earthquake. This account, 
added to his being an Irishman, made us both 
laugh heartily at him, although our ermnd was 
not of a very laughable nature. 

In making his report to the captain, the lieu- 
tenant told him what the gunner said of its being 
an earthquake, which created another laugh on 
deck. However, the old gunner was called aft 
and directed to explain himself. He said he was 
on board a merchant-ship, lying at anchor in the 
port, at the time of the great earthquake at Lis- 
bon, 1755; and, from the effect it had on that 
vessel, he concluded this to have proceeded from 
a similar cause. There was no denying the justice 
of this remark, yet not an officer on board could 
be persuaded it was probable; and, from apgu- 



,67 

ing upon it/ we deemed it impossible, fiEom the 
immense body and weight of water, more than 
two hundred fathoms deep, that any thing afloat 
on thesurfece could be so violently and strangely 
affected by the concussion of the earth beneath* 

I have noticed the consternation that so 
strongly and generally affected all on board du- 
ring the shock: the rumbling noise excepted, all 
was still as death. But, the instant that orders 
were given by the captain to sound the well and 
let the top-sail haulyards run, the difference be- 
tween the British and foreign seamen on board 
was remarkably conspicuous. The former jumped 
about as alert as ever, seemingly rejoiced to be 
recovered from the panic ; while the other poor 
miserable looking dogs of Italians, and other 
Roman-Catholics, we had shipped up the Medi- 
terranean, were most of them on their knees and 
some flat on their faces, crossing themselves as 
true devotees, ^any of them were known to 
have repeatedly committed murder and every 
species of villany ; which sins, having purchased 
absolution from, they were hardened and wicked 
enough to boast of them. 

I remember one fellow in particular, who ac- 
knowledged the commission of seven murders, 
from all which he had been absolved by his 
priest. This very scoundrel, and others of the 
same stamp, as soon as tliey could open their 
mouths after the general panic ceased, roared 



m 

out mo§ft lustily to Saint Antony znd othet isnioti 
for help; nor oould any tbi<^g induce them to 
move^ until the boatswain, out of alt patience 
with the most wicked reprobates we had on 
bo^dy 9wore he had a saint would save and cure 
them soonier than Saint Antony or all the aaints 
in their calendar: this was Saint Rattan> whose 
aid be and his mates invoked so heartily as to 
recover them all in a very short time ; liberally 
and literally bestowing crosses to carry on their 
shoulders for some days* % 

We were far out of sight of land ; and, when 
the wind sprung up again, some hours after we 
had been so alarmed, it was as foul as before. 
We therefore steered for the land ; and, towards 
evening of the following day, met a Dutch dog- 
ger, the master of which informed us, that, early 
in the morning, he left the port of Lisbon, 
where, the day before, they sCxperienced a dread- 
ful earthquake, that had done considerable mis- 
chief oii shore. The particulars he had not 
heard, being anxious to get away with Ijis vessel, 
as she was loaded, and the inhabitants too much 
alarmed to attend to any thing but their own 
immediate concerns. 

On remarking the time when .they felt the 
ghock al Lisbon and we felt it at sear, our vain 
reasonings upon improbabilities and Impossibili- 
ties were obliged to yield to our old gunner's 
experience of facts. . Wonderful, indeed, must 



have been the concussion of the earth beneath 
the immense body of waters, to have caused so 
powerful an effect on our ship. It served us 
for much argument, the remainder, of our voy- 
age, whether v^hat we experienced ought to be 
called an earthquake or waterquake ; but we 
were not sufficient philosophers to decide the 
question. 

In the British Channel, we again viewed old 
England; and with such sensations as those 
only can feel who have experienced a long first 
absence from their native home. 



70 

CHAPTER XIII. 
Shipwrecks 



We were bound for Portsmouth; but, the 
wind blowing fresh down Channel, we ran into 
Tbrbay, where, no sooner was it known that we 
h^d bad the plague on board, though confiider- 
ably more than a year before, and had repeat- 
edly been under quarantine since, than the coun- 
try all around was so alarmed that no boats 
would come near us. 

The only illness we bad on board, of any note, 
was the scurvy : for this, after a tedious passage, 
the best remedy we could obtain for the people 
was vegetables and fresh provisions ; and, finding 
no likelihood of procuring such relief where we 
were, our captain determined to weigh anchor 
and bear away for Plymouth, as the wind had 
every appearance of continuing to blow hard 
from the eastward- 
Keeping pretty close in with the land, we 
were running under top-gallant sails, top-sails, 
and fore-sail ; when, just a-breast of the* Mew- 
Btone and opening the ships of war lying in Ply- 
mouth Sounds our ship^ then under an easy sail. 



71 

most unexpectedly, and to the astonishmdnt of 
all on board, struck So forcibly on a splinter of 
rock as to fiH With water almost instantly. 

All around the ship we found two or three 
fathoms of water more than was wanted, and on 
the outer, or larboard side, very deep soundings. 
Guns were immediately fired and a flag of dis- 
strcss hoisted in our main^top-mast shroud§, 
which fortunately could be seen by some of the . 
ships in the Sound. 

That the ship wo»Id be lost appeared inevi- 
table, within a few minutes after she struck. 
The consequent hurry and confusion was inde- 
scribable: the number of foreign sailors we had 
on board threw, alj into disorder, at a moment 
when self-preservation became the law that 
should supersede every other, and resign them 
to those means which prudence pointed out to 
the cool and brave. 

In vain wer6 orders given 'to hoist out the 
boat3 with Are and dispatch, as the only pro^ 
babte way by which the ship's company could be 
saved. The ship was settling fast in the water, 
and for a while it was doubtful to which side she 
would incline in sinking : the great depth of 
water to seaward created dreadful apprehensions 
of the contequence if she capsized or settled on 
her larboard beams. A few^ of the guns were 
run over to the starboard side, which possibly 
gave the turn in our favour, and afforded some 



72 

conspla^tiou in the hope that j^art of the ship 
might remain abpve water. 

The wind was now abated and the sea con- 
siderably smoother; but oui; hopes of escape, 
by means of the boats, were soon destroyed by 
Ae ungovernable ha^te of the foreign sailors, 
who acted like madmen : their violent strength, 
in attempting to launch the boats that were in 
the ship, stove and rendered them wholly unser- 
viceabJe, for they filled and sunk alongside. We 
had now only one snmll boat, which was towing 
a-stern at the time of our shipwreck, with a fad 
in. her. A boatswain's mat^, observing three 
Italians lowering themselves into this boat from 
the stern of the ship, followed and slid down by 
the boat-rope before they cast her adrift ; and, 
being a .resolute fellow, he assumed and took 
the command of the bba't. Their intention was 
to have rowed^away and landed where they could, 
regardless of those they left botrfnd. The boat-j 
swain's mate very prudently cast 4he bo^ off, 
and rowing a short distance, lay to on hf^woars, 
a-breast of the ship. 

The ship was now setting fast oyer on her 
starboard side, and our fate very uncertain. 
Ordefs were given to cut away the masts and 
endeavour to make a raft with the wreck, but] 
they were attended to by none but the oflicerd 
themselves and the beait of our English seamen 3 
for, in this short time, it was astonishing to scd 



73 

the numbers that were rapidly proceeding to a 
state of intoxication and mischief. Many had 
continued below as long as possible, breaking 
into the captain*8, ofScers', and ship's, stores, 
where there was abundance of, wirte, spirits, 
and provision. Whole chests, half chests, BXfA 
flasks innumerable, were floating about in all 
directions. 

About this time, I saw Captain R — — whiiper 
to the first and second lieuterfants; and then, 
throwing off his coat, jumped into thfe sea with 
his gold-laced hat on. Knowing his courage so 
well, I was at first arhazed to see him as it were 
desert his ship's company ; but he soon made his 
design evident, by swimming towards the boat. 
The boatswain's mate discovered who it was by 
his iron-bound hat, as the, sailors call it, and 
took him up. Taking the command and direc- 
tion of the boat on himself, he had her rowed 
near enough to the ship to declare and explain 
his intentions. . . ;' 

The main and fore masts were now cut away, 
and it appeared as if the ship had done settling, 
leaving her larboard side, from her niidships-aft, 
out ofwater. This was nearly allthedependance 
we had to save us from drowning, even those who 
could swim; I was pretty expert at this, as an 
exercise of pleasure; but, as the shortest distance 
to the Mewstone Rock appeared' nearer three 

TOL. i. ' H 



\% ■'"> 



"v. 



, 74 

than two miles, and the wind rather against, 
there was but a faint hope of any being able to 
save themselves by swimming. 

It was necessary to keep the boat far enough 
from the wreck to prevent the men from leaping 
inAo and sinking her. The raft, that was pro- 
posed to be made from the wreck of masts, 
yards, and spars, could only be considered as a 
dernier resort to save from instant drowning, 
should the ship sink much farther down, or the 
flood tide overflow the wreck before the people 
" could be conveyed to shore : for, the wind blow- 
*- * Ing rather off land, there was danger of the raft 
drifting out to sea. However, the off*-shore wind 
favoured usoneway,by affording smoother water 
and enabling the boat to carry more people. 
V* The management of this arduous task, of con- 
veying the whole ship's crew. from the wreck to 
vthe rock by repeated trips, wa^ undertaken by 
the captain. It may seem strange. th^t he should 
begin' to take those first that could swim. At 
about a ship's length from the wreck, he ordeied 
those who could swim, one at a time, as called 
for, to drop into the water, and swim to the 
boat, when they w^re taken in ; but; if any 
attempted it without being so ordered, they were 
refused and compelled to swim back to the 
ivreck. When the boat had as many as she 
could safely swim with, they rowed to the rock. 



75 

landing all but the captain and a lad, who toge- 
ther rowed off again to the wreck. 

It appeared a tedious time to those waiting 
her return, more especially to those who did not 
assist in making a raft. 

Two sloops that were coming out, seeing our 
distress, tried to work to windward to our 
assistance; but in vain, as both wind and tide 
were against them. 

While our own boat was returning from the . * 
first trip she made to the Mewstone Rock, we 2> 
&aw five boats rowing out from the harbour andir'' 
making towards us. This renovated our spirits a . 
and the captain arriving with the boat, picked 
up a flask or two of Florence wine, of which, 
there was plenty floating about, and refresheif 
himself and the lad against their arrival. 

During the timc^ that the captain made Jm 
first trip to the rock, some of those, who were 
sitting on the after part of the wreck, said they 
heard some of the captain's Canary-birds singing 
in the cabin; from this circumstance, it oc- 
curred, that it was possible to get in and save 
some of his papers, books, and other articles. 
B- — and I volunteered the attempt together: 
stripping oursdves, we swam to the stern ; and, 
forcing the cabin-window that was out of water, 
got in and handed out a fe*r light boxes, books, 
and papers, flioating about: we xtlso saved the 
He 



76 

two remaining poor Canary-birds that were toge- 
ther in one cage, which tkewater had not reached. 

On the captain being informed of this transac- 
tion, he was much-elated, and expressed great sa- 
tisfaction, as one of the boxes stnd some of the pa- 
pers were of considerable consequence. He then 
requested me to convey them to him in the boat, 
which I did, and was about returning to thewreck, 
when he told me to get in and stay with the boat. 
I observed that I was without my clothes and 

hoped he would permit me to return, as B 

and I had solemnly pledged ourselves to each 
other not to separate, but take our chance toge- 
ther. He then ordered B to the boat with me, 

but I returned to the wreck first ; when tying ci2r 
clothes up in one bundle, we lashed our little 
protegees in their cage on the top ; and, steady- 
ing the bundle a-float between us, we got to the 
boat and put our clothes on just as the headmost 
boat of the five came near enough to speak. 

It was a captain of one of the ships of war in 
his barge; who, having discerned our distress, 
had rowed off'to assist with other boats that were 
coming out: but, as soon as he learned whowe 
were, he doubted whether it was not more thau 
his commission was worth to take any of us in ; 
for the report at Plymouth, from Torbay, was, 
that more than half the ship's company had died 
of Ihe plague, and the rest were dying. 



77 

The other boats arriving, a consultation was 
bold«n within hearings but at a very respectful 
distance^ what was best to be done. The result 
was, for the officers and crew of two of their 
boats to be taken into the other, and the two 
empty boats to be turned a-drift for our use, 
promising to stay by us to see if farther help 
was necessary* 

We were still obliged to use the same precau* 
tioa in taking the people from the wreck : tfaose^ 
who could swim, swam off to the boats ; and the 
others, laying hold to the end of a boat-hook 
that was handed to them, dropped into the wa^ 
tejraad w^e hauled in. Many of the foreigners. 
nearly insensible from their state of intoxication 
and^. half^ead with fear and cold, (being the 
Midftte of March,) would have perished for want 
oi e^rtion; if left to themselves. They laid 
down in the iK>ttom of the boats, in spite of 
teing trodden upon and kicked to rouse them 
to a little exertion, bellowing out their prayers 
to the saints to preserve them, amidst curses 
on the brave fellows who were really saving 
tiiem. 

After many hours incessant tori to such 'as 
looked the danger full in the face, we succeeded 
in conveying the whole of the ship's company to 
the rock. The evening was then setting in, cold 
^ frosty J and no shelter on the rock, excepting* 
H3, 



T9 

a Teiy smalt Ifmd^f vatQh*tot» that wouM not 
contain mojre thad seven or eight people lo Ue 
down close together* 

Almost the. whole of us were completely 
soaked with sea^water^ and much exhaustedibr 
want of any other nourishment than wine since 
breakfast A few wet sails were brought on 
shore at the last trip which the boats node^ and 
this was all the covering we had for the follow* 
ing nigbjby except the hut beforennentioned. 
Some chests of wine were likewise brought on 
shore, this benefit we owed to the bad ccmduct 
of those who had broken open the store^ro<»n9 
bdow^ whence some floated to the hatchways 
and some drifted away. 

Indeed, in any other situation^ the circum* 
Bjtanceof the wine drifting away and passing 
near the boats that came oat to our assistance, 
might have afibrded much merrynent, in see- 
ing the men<-of-war's men* in thj^se boats* mak* 
ing sham kind of snatches with their handa at 
the wine as it p^^sed ^y, without daring to 
touch a flask i their oflicers in the boats giving 
the strongest orders, with a vigilant look*out» 
to prevent their falling under the same laws of 
quarantine that we were. Yet I believe that 
the sailors themselves (judging from the curses 
they vented at their hard fate in not being per- 
mitted to embrace sp inviting an opportunity) 



7» 

^oruld kAfe Mn tlMitsardto of «%Ilowliis tjkife 
pl«ig«e with tbe wine, ai|rd pomibly <soiDe ^f 
them^ven enried eur situatiofl* 

Excraciatingly aerere as our aufferinga ixr^ 
tainly were daring a sharp frolty nighty yet our 
apprehensions exceeded thettn for many ex- 
pected to he nearly, if not quite, froxen to death 
befiare naoraiDg. B— «-*-'ft clothes and mine not 
being so ir^y wet, we continiied upon oar feet, 
walking about till all thereat had laid down. 

The captain had fcirly worked his other 
clothes tolerably dry, and his coat had been 
brought to him much tbe same* Those offieerSt 
who had continued with the wreck to the last^ 
came also on shore tolerably well off. These, 
as many as could, occupied tbe hut* All thh 
rest stowed, as well as they could, under the 
wet sails when it grew dark. 

Observing a warmth to come from tbe hut, to 
which there was no door, B— • and I deter- 
mined to take our station just on the outside of 
the door-way of tbe hut, and accordingly we 
spread a stay-sail, which we had secured, with 
our feet entering the door-way. This position, 
M to our feet, we preferred, because we knew 
tbatthe North-* American Indians, when hunting 
ifl the woods, and obliged to lie down on the 
«now,* always lie with their feet to the fire which 
they make, as the surest means of keeping 
themsclyes waito when asleep; and to this 



80 

me^Mtt we mete the more incKned ffomr f^bft 
strong effluvia that accompanied the' mwm 
steam which iss«ied forth* From the general 
complaints the next morning, we had reason to 
think ours was the moat comfortable roost of 
wy, though not a bed of down. 

The captain and : officers within the hut 
were the first to stir in the morntng» and I 
believe had the worst birth of any» being half 
stifled. 

At day-light, the seene was gloomy, and 
the prospect awful. A barren iock, tenanted 
by shipwrepked sailors, lying about in different 
groups, huddled as close to one another as po»^ 
sible in order to gain heat, and covered over by 
sail cloth, from which arose a steam equal to 
any I ever noticed from a botched. The heat, 
thus f enerated by their bodies and confined by 
a thick wet sail, had brought them into a com- 
parative state of comfort to what they were in 
when first lying down, half perished with -wet 
and cold: it was altogether a strange gloomy 
sight* 

On mustering, none were found missing* The 
captain ordered all hands to kneel down and re<* 
turn thanks to God for their preservation ; men- 
tally, or aloud, as thej' liked best, and as their 
various religions taught them. I believe I may 
venture to assert, that never did a congregation 
more unanimously and fervently join in an act 



81 

of devotion^ tbaukfui for their preservation^ and 
earnest in prayer for farther aid. 

Those, who first arose, walked silently away» 
in meditation, without entering into discourse 
until the whole had risen. The captain then 
made a short address, recommending patience 
and sobriety as the surest means of assisting our- 
selves and obtaining relief from others. 

Provisions we had none, and we were doubt- 
ful whether any could be recovered from the 
wreck. Our greatest hope of this aid (for qur 
wants became urgent) was, that some vessel 
might be sent round with provisions from Ply- 
month. We knew ourselves to be in another peri- 
lous state from the exaggerated rq>orts of our bill 
of health ; and that, in attempting to escape by 
getting from the rock to the land, we should, tm 
a certainty, be treated by the CQuntry-people as 
mad dogs, and shot or knocked on the head. 

This was confirmed in the afternoon by a rovr- 
boat, sent to inform us that provisions would be 
sent and landedon a certain part of the rock the 
following day, when the captain and one person 
beside might appear there at a distance sufficient 
to conv^irse ; but that any attem{)t to leave the 
rock, excepting to the wreck and back, would 
be fa'tal. Th^ Teve^ue-officer, who came out 
with this boat, wab informedof our very cala- 
mitous situation respecting proTi8ion» which it 
seemed they did not know or f^ink of; as, ttoia 



89 

the reports of the inen*of-war*s boats of the 
iabundance of wine, they conceived we had sonne 
of the ship's provision likewise. However, we 
had not been idle frorft the earliest in the morn- 
ing, until this boat informed us what we had to 
trust to. 

One party scoured the rock to hunt for water, 
which at last was found, drizzling gently from a 
crevice in the rock, but soon lost again. The 
first substitute for a reservoir was a hat, or a 
Dutch cap, then in general ujse among sailors; 
but, before the day was out, a good sized bason 
was picked in the rock beneath* sufficient to dip 
from. This was a great relief to us, as fresh 
\iater was infinitely more valuable than the wine. 
' It was difficult to keep the men from fighting for 
f their turn to lie down and drink. li 

The boats were well manned and sent off to 
the wreck as early as possible^ to procure every 
necessary article that could be got at ; provisions 
in particular. We found the ship had parted 
near the middle, with lier head much sunk. 
Wine and oil we found in plenty, as it floated so 
readily; and every care w^s taken to guard the 
people from |naking too free with thefot'mer, on 
stomachs so completely, empty. 

We had sent the boats back to the rock one 
trip,. loaded with more sails and towing several 
yards, masts, and spars, with plenty of rope, to 
employ the people on the rock in erecting tents: 



83 

they now returned with the welcome intelligence 
of a small spring of water, and brought off a 
few flasks filled with this most delicious of all li* 
quors, the value of which is known only t,o those 
who have suffered by an entire want of it The 
quantity was too small to allow of drinking it 
J pure, though most desirable; it was thei'efore 
emptied into a tub that was floating about, (first 
rincing the tub with wine to clear it from salt 
water,) and we were obliged to add wine, to en- 
able every man at the wreck to drink nearly one 
pint, making two draughts, or rather sippings, 
which made it much more beneficial than swal- 
lowing it at one draught. How much did we 
envy those who had been on shore with the 
boats, and drank it pure at the spring-head ! 

While we were freighting the boats for the 
third trip, a cask was hauled up from the wreck 
by the boat-hooks, which, to our very great joy, 
contained Leghorn dollars, (biscuits, so called, 
up the Straits) infinitely more prized by us thaa 
if they had been Mexican, or silver, dollars. 
The head of the cask was soon knocked out; in 
fact, it was nearly burst by the swelling of the 
biscuits, which, notwithstanding their being 
completely soaked with sea-wateri were eaten 
voraciously. It was not long, however, before 
some one thought of the sweet oil we had in 
such abundance, which, being poured over the 
soaked briny biscuit, when broken to pieces in a 



S4 

wooden bo^l and stirred up, fiimished us with a 
dainty meal, which we highly ciijoyed. 

Understanding, by this time, that it would be 
nearly twenty-four hours before any provision 
would be brought to us from Plymouth, we 
dressed a proportionate part of the cask of bis- 
cuit in the same way, and sent it to those on the 
rock, where it proved equally welcome. 

Being moderate weather, we gathered toge- 
ther articles of necessity, and returned early in 
the evening to the rock; where, notwithstanding 
the great relief received from the wate4 and bis- 
cuit, many were disposed to mutiny, declaring 
they had better take the chance of being shot 
than starved, 

A kind of canvas huts,, or tents, being erected, 
sufficient to shelter us all; the old hovel was con- 
verted into a warehouse; where the wine, &c# 
was placed, and a tent, large enough for the 
captain and officers, fixed in front of the door- 
way. Fires were also made with the brush-wood 
found on the rock; and, having a kettle or two 
from .the ship, wine was heated and served out, 
together with an equal share, to every man, of a 
few boxes of sweetmeat, or preserved fruit, that 
had been taken up from the wreck. Compared 
with the past, therefore, we lived in clover, and 
f iept on a bed of down the following night. 

Very little more could be gathered from the 
wreck the next day; and, soon after mid-day. 



85 

a large Sailing-boat brought us plenty of provi- 
sion. Our troubles now appeared to cease, and 
we did nothing but cook, eat, drink, and enjoy 
ourselves; regardless of what the people of the 
provision-boat related, that not a soul of ,U8 
would be suffered to land and remain in Eng-- 
land, but a vessel was to be provided for us to 
sail back again. 

On the following day, our uncerlainties were 
put to rest by orders, from the Admiralty, that 
a large French prize-privateer should be 'sent' 
round to receive us, provided with w^at was 
necessary : on board of which vessel we were to 
perform quarantine in Yam-river, to the east- ^ 
ward of the RJewstone Rock. 

A few days after this, a gale of wind from the 
south-west most completely broke up and dis- 
persed what was left of the wreck. Some few 
of the chests, &c. that floated on her breaking 
up, drifted into Yam-river and were picked up^ 
by our boats; but more drifted on shore in our 
bight, whither,we durst. not go, though we saw 
the west-country men and women ready Jto 
plunder eyery thing they, could lay hands on, in 
spite of the plague. 

I soon received letters ftom my friends ; and, 
among them, pressing invitations from a near 
relaiti6n to quit the sea and live with him: 
having no childrea nor Ijkelihood of any, he 
wished to adopt rae for his heir, and fix me in 

VOL. I. I 



86 

a business of considerable note, on tlie River 
Thames, by which he had already made a pretty 
fortune. This was too good an offer to be re- 
fused hastily, although 1 did not muclv like to 
quit the service I was in ; I therefore answered, 
generally, that, when released from quarantine, 
I. would meet my friends and consult. . 

From the circumstances attending our ship- 
wreck, particularly having neither baggage nor 
clothes of any kind except those we had on our 
backs at the time, our quarantine was consider- 
ably shortened, and happy enough we were to 
land once more on good English ground ; thus 
finishing my first voyage, or early Struggles in 
'Life. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

Land at Plymouth, decline a promising good offer 
to live on shore, to sea again, at the attack of 
the Havannah andre-taking of Newfoundlands 



B , another young man, and myieli^ 

agreed to travel home together. Our appear^ 
ance was much against us when first entering 



87 

an inn, eur clothes being both ragged and 
shabby; and, had we not made trowsers for 
ourselves from some of the ship's sails, we 
might have been taken for heathen philoso- 
phers. All this we laughed at; and, haying 
obtained a^supply of cash from our agents, we 
determined to travel in a post-chaise to Lou- 
don as we were, with the addition of linen, 
which we soon provided. We made no haste 
nor abridged ourselves of atiy enjoyment on tlie 

road. At parting, B and I renewed assur- 

ances of friendship. 

Not long after my return home, by the advice 
ofiiw father and mother, I consented to live 
with her brother. I soon discovered that he and 
his wife did not agree very cordially ; and, aftet 
unhinging ray mind from my original pursuits, 
by an unprofitable waste of tin>e, (except gain- 
ing local knowledge of the river and port of 
London,) I determined to relinquish all the 
golden promises that were to be realised by a 
continuance in a mawkish routine of business, 
no way suited to my love of adventure. 

The frigate I was appointed to was ordered to 
the West Indies, where we joined the fleet un- 
der Admiral Pocock, at the attack of the Havan- 
nah; but, before the place fell, we were sent off 
to HMifax, in Nova Scotia, when I was removed 
tothe N-*— , under the command of Admiral 
12 



Lord C , whose first lieutenant was my near 

relation. A braver fellow or better seaman^ I 
believe, than my relation Dugdale, never stepped 
between the stem and stern of a ship, nor one 
more generally known and, beloved throughout 
the navy. I was ambitious, therefore, of serv- 
ing under him. 

We had not been long on this station, before 
we were ordered on an expedition, the re-taking 
of Newfoundland, which the French had pos- 
session of. A^ grand point to be obtained was 
the safe landing of our troops : Lieutenant Dug- 
dale had the charge and care of this duty ; I at-r 
tended him^ and tlie whole was performed with 
such celerity and good order as soon ensured 
success. 

My old landlady at St. John^s was dead and 
her daughter, married. 

Theadniir^l could do no less than report hand- 
somely of my relation'scouduct, in his dispatches 
home; but, instead of sending Dugdale with 
these (lispatclibes, an honour which he was enti- 
tled to, and from which he would have received 
promotion, a young lieutenant was sent with 
them, who had no more pretensions to it than 
myself. This and various other circumstances 
opened my eyes as to any thing that was to be 
expected Without interest 5 yet I loved tbf ser« 
vice itself, and continued in it until 'the peace 
following, when, with many more, of longer 



schrice and greater deserts than myself, I was 
again cast adrift in the world.. 



I CHAPTER XV. 

Employed on a shipwreck. 



The relation whorti I had left, was at this junc- 
ture employed, hf his brother-underwriters at 
Lloyd's, to go down to a very rich ship, the 
Bien AJih^e, lost near the buoy of the Spaniard, 
offthe Isle of Sheppy, He wished me to ac- 
company and aid him in recovering what could , 
be saved of her cargo: this suited me well. 

We went and examined the wreck. She had 
been sadlv plundered by boats of all descriptions 
froni Whitstable, F^rersbam, Queenborough, 
Shecraess, and the neighbouring places, as well . 
as by people on shore, at the Isle of Sheppy 
and wherever the packages drifted on her break- - 
ing up. 

Having been round to all these places, and ad-! 
vertifeed salvage to. be paid for all that would he 
delivered tip, 1 was left to manage as Well as I 
could. I ' inade Sheernese my head-quarters, 
where they were paying off and dismantling se- 
13 > 
4t 



90 

veral ships of war, to be laid up in ordinary: the 
place was therefore all alive, and for the time it 
lasted I like this undertakinfg well enough. 

In the progress of it, I was witness to some 
curious scenes. The outer package of ai box of 
jewellery being found on the beach, it Avas cer- 
tain the articles were in the possession of some 
person who had no intention to deliver them up : 
it was valued at three thousand pounds. Search- 
warrants were executed, and in every house that 
was searched, throughout the island, considera- 
ble quantiities of articles were found, brought 
from the wreck ; and, among others, in the cler- 
gyman's house at Minster. The information 
against him was laid by a miller, whom he had 
threshed upon the shore, for disputing the pos- 
session of a packed cask, with bottles of green 
and yellow usqvebaugh; when the parson, gain- 
ing the victory, obtained the prize with two fine 
black eyes in the bargain. 

His and many other houses were half stowed 
with liquors of every description, cheeses, hamer, 
haberdashery in great abundance^ and ^variety 
of broad cloths, linen-drapery, hardware of all 
sorts, hosiery, hats, a few common silver and 
metd watches, with articles of almost every kind, 
except the jewellery ; that was never found. 

The plunder was very great; much was reco- 
vered but much more lost. The spirit for plun- 
der seeme^ to pervade all ranks living near the 



.91 

shore, and all other labour ceased the day foU 
lowhig a gale of wind. Men, women, and chil- 
dren, were on the shore, looking out for articles, 
which they deemed their own property as soon 
as they touched or moved thenii^ and of course 
numberless quarrels and battles ensued. 

A faint idea of this all-prevailing spirit may 
be gathered from the following circumstance. 
I was riding towards the east end of the island, 
and, coming to a cross way, was uncertain of 
my road ; but, hearing some one threshing in a 
bam, I rode up and inquired of the man which 
of the roads would take me to a public-house I 
wanted, the sign ' of the " Sloop a-ground." 
Tde man stared ; an3, asking what I said, I re» 
peated that I wanted to be shewn the way to 
the « Sloop a-ground." " Ha!" said the fellow, 
'* another ship-aground!" and, jumping over 
the hatch-boards of the barn-door, ran away to 
the shore without another word. 

This employment over, I was at a loss which 
way to turn myself, when ray relation again 
tried to persuade me ta follow his business ; 
but nothing short of active adventure could, at 
that time of life, satisfy me. The rebuffs 
whieh I had already received from Fortune ra- 
ther increased than -diminished my thirst for 
travel, yet it was difficult to know what course 
to steer. 



m 



CHAPTER XVL. 



ER 



A trip up the Baltic; a present from Sir Crcorge 
Macartney to Lord Holland; a pleasant frolic 
at'Holtand'house^. 



The Russian service began to be talked of, * ^ 
us well suited f6r young men, wfao, at the clos^ I 
of the war, being discharged from the navyffce- , 
came in a manner destitute. A short summer's i 
trip up the Baltic so^i satisfied me that service 
vmould not do. It w«s not mere bread I wanted ; 
that I could have had at home with my relation. 
It was a more difTititilt appetite, whioh.naj 
growing strength, spirits, and activily, indticed 
me to think I possessed the power to gi-atify t 
the nK)re extravagant and romantic, the greater 
the temptation,^ and I considered it a heayy 
misfortune that nothing of the kind ofFerei: 

Sir George Macartaaey was then ambassador 
at PetersburgU: he sent home apresent to Lord - 
Holland of some large Russian sifeep and a car*r 
muncle tent. Being entrusted with the delivery, . 
I went with the tent one day, and a few daya 
aft^r I likewise delivered the sheep at Holland- - 
house. 



Oh my first visit with the tent, I had been so 
pleasantly entreated to dine at the second tabl.e 
with the steward, butler, cook, Mrs, House- 
keeper, my lady's geiiHev^omari, and his lord- 
ship's gentleman, that I had^ no inclination 
to refuse. It was the best served taj>le and the ^ 
best attended I had ever seen. We seemed 
mutually pleased with each other; they, in their 
inquiries after > the strange things I had seen 
abfbad, and myself in relating what I had or 
^had. not seen, according to the bent of their 
questions. Nor can I, in truth, deny that some 
of the articles were ja little embellished. 

Among other questions, I was asked what a 
carmuncle tent was? which, not to appear ig- 
norant, although I had never seen one fixed, I 
gave some extravagant account of, in terms they 
couldnot well understand; and, unfortunately, 
to a question^ if it was easy to set up, I had 
answered, " y^ ; not difficult at all to those who 
have seen them." Now this, which was said in 
innocent gaiety of heart, proved a terrible 
breeder of lies ; for, when I went again with the 
sheep, the steward was very happy to see me, 
saying his lordship would be greatly obliged to 
me to put them in a way to set up this curious 
tent, he, Mr. Steward, having informed his 
lordship I was perfectly acquainted with the 
nature of those tents, which I had described 



m 

most magnificently to him and others the day I 
delivered it. 

. I confess that, at the firsf, I was no way dis- 
pleased at the invitation, considering it as a 
pteasant adventure likely to afford me much 
novel amusement; and I vainly conceived it a 
matter of no difficulty, thinking any sailor, in 
spreading it out, would soon make out the clews 
from the tarings, with all its bracings, bowlines, 
&c. I therefore promised to do my best to (Oblige 
his lordship; 

In the course of the day, however, I under- 
stood that 'several tent-makers had been sent 
for, but declined the undertaking. I began then 
to think I had overshot my reckoning; but it 
wa6 too late to retreat, v^ithout retracting all tlie 
white lies I had uttered. This I could not do, 
and determined to bustle and fight tl^rough my 
difficulties as well as possible; seriously resolv- 
ing to myself, that once clear of this, i would 
never risk hampering myself again with the 
charms of sucb innocent looking-fibs. 

On my return home, a thought occurred 
which I put in train the next day, by ^oing to 
the Tower, wjiere I inquired among the old 
soldiers for those who had done duty on the 
continent, and if any had ever seen such a kind 
of tent. I was fortunate enough to find an old 
firelpcik, -who said he had.j and, provided I could 



95 

procure leave of absence for him and a comrade, 
h£ felt assured of being able to accomplish the 
setting it up. This I readily procured ^from 

Lieutenant-Governor R d, whose son and I 

were old school-fellows.- I promised my. men 
good living while there, and, if they succeeded, 
to pay them well ; but they must appear to take 
their instructions from me. 

We were three days about it, nor do I re- 
member spending three days and nights much 
pleasaater. Our second tabic;, was spread with 
every dainty that could be Jiad, better I am 
persuaded than his lordship's was in general; ^ 
and, hid I been disposed to remain with them 
three monthft instead of three days, I might 
have lived in clover all the time; but I hail just 
eoough of high^life below stairs while pitching 
my tent. 

On the second day, his lordship had company; 
some of whom, notwithstanding the rain* ven- 
tured before dinner, with tfee young lord and his 
brother Charles, to view such part of the tent as 
was erected. By their questions, I soon per- 
ceived they were attempting to quiz me : but, 
getting my sailor-like tacks on board, they found 
a tolerable match, and, Mr. Charles taking part 
with me, the young lordUngs had salt eel for a 
4'elish. 

After dilmer, I had a message from his lord- 
ship to know, as the rain prevented the company 



96 '- 

from going out to see the sheep, whether I 
thought any of the sheep could be brought to 
visit them. This exactly suited my humour, 
and I Said certainly, they were quite harmless, 
though so very large, provided some one they 
were acquainted with accompanied them. Be- 
ing requested so to do, I selected a very high 
and large horned ram, With one of the ewes. 
These were obliged to be dragged and forced up 
the broad slair-case, to the great annoyance of 
the footmen's fine white liveries, who swore pret- 
ty roundly, while they were pushing them up, to 
find the pitch and tar, which the poor, animals 
brought with them from the ship, take so strong 
a liking to their garments. Nor was their dis- 
pleasure much lessened, when- 1 observed thjit 
none of them knew how to swear, and that I 
would engage to bring a boy, who had not been 
more than a year at sea, that should beat them 
all, if they could not swear in a less clumsy and 
lubberly manner. This stopped their swearing 
■a little, but not their grumbling. 

Having borrowed a good strong line, I fasten- 
ed it round the hgrns of my ram before I en- 
tered the room with them ; and, taking a silk 
handkerchief from my pocket, put it loosely 
xound my neds, to represent the sailor as much 
as possible. Thus equipped, I entered as master 
of the ceremonies to introduce my twq Rus- 
sians. Questions out of number were asked from 



i 



97 

all parts of the table ; but, keeping mjT eye on 
the compass of her ladyship's countenance, I 
steered a steady course by answering her ques- 
tionsonly; except when his lordship 'deigned 
once or twice to turn half round to me, with 
some sager inquiry, to all which I found no dif- 
ficulty, except that of keeping a serious coun- 
tenance. 

Some one of the- company then called out, 
"Sailor! what say you to a glass of wine?" 
** With all my heart," I answered. I believe it 
was done by a wag to try me, for which I was 
in excellent cue, being resolved from the first to 
maintain my character as a careless free and easy 
sailor. A bumper was" brought me; when, 
taking hold freely, I gave my arm a sweep of 
ninety, and, looking towards my hostess and the 
ladies neaf, I gave aloud, as my toast, "The 
Land t)f Beauty, and may the Fair never want 
British tars to protect them.** It was received 
with glee, and " Well done, sailor; well done. 
Jack," echoed all around the table, until his 
lordship observed it was a fair challenge, and 
ought to be accepted by every man there. Their 
glasses were filled accordingly, and mine also by 
her ladyship*s orders, who, with a smile, said to 
me, ** I am sure you have no objection to it a 
second time." " No, my lady ; a sailor never 
Ihinte he can have too much of a good thing." 

VOL. I. K 



1 was then asked, by his lordship, if there 
were any other properties in the sheep besides 
Ihose which had been noticed. They had not 
remarked the uncommon size of their tails, I 
observed, which were as broad and as long as 
the flaps of their coats, ^nd some inches thick of 
a fat as rich and good as marrow. At the same 
^me, capsizing the animal about, so as to bring 
his stern in full view of the company, and 
stradling. across his back, I hauled his immensse 
tail strait up, exhibiting the gentleman's hinder 
parts to advantage. A roar of laughter ensuing, 
I dropped the curtain ; when one of my quizzing 
morning visitors, rising from his chair, came tis 
he.said to examine the tail more accurately ; and, 
'lifting it up again, he was prying about; when, 
intending to make the animal start forward from, 
under me, I gave him a sharpf pinch with, my 
knees in the Ipkis, which produced so junex- 
pected ah explosion as overthrew* all my prede- 
termined gravity in an instant ; and I must have 
laughed as loud as the company,' had I not, by a 
second pinch, made him shoot-ahead suddenly, 
affording jue an opportunity to fall and thus 
claim a share of the general laughter with my 
officious fellow-exhibiton The poor affrighted 
Russian, finding himself at liberty, scampered 
to the end of the room; and, turning his head 
raund to the attending servants, stamped with 



09 

his foot so resolutely as to make them shy of 
approaching him, until, recovering my legs, I 
went to their aid and took him again in tow. 

Lord Holland, concluding the company had 
been entertained long enough with th^ exhibi- 
tion, thanked me very courteously, and I with- 
drew with my retinue of four and two footed 
onimals, leaving the noble company convulsed 
with -merriment, unless my volunteer-aid-de- 
camp was an exception. 

My friends at the second table v^ere no- way 
behind hand in enjoying the above-stairs frolic, 
especially when the cause of the explosion was 
explained to them. 

Onllie following day, w« finisl^ed setting up 
the carmuncle. Of its being done completely 
as it ought, I had my doUbts : it was an intricate 
piece of work, and the parts did not appear to 
fit qifite well ; but, as no one was there to find 
fault or that could do it better, I came away 
with flying colours. 

At parting, I promised what I then meant to 
perform, that, on my return to England, from a 
voyage in contemplation, I would pay such 
hearty messmates iahother visit. And, more than 
twelve years after, being at Sadler's Wells, I was 
accosted by the butler, and good-naturedly re- 
proached for non-performance, I then wondered 
at his remembering me so well, and often since 



100 

liave had occasion to be surprised at the recol- 
lection of my person by various other people. 



CHAPTER XVIL 

Voyages in the tnerchanUseruce : a duel. 



It would be tiresome to detail a variety of 
common-place adventures in the course of sun- 
dry voyages I made^ in merchant-ships, to dif- 
ferent ports in America and the West Indies. 
Novelty tempted me to try many, but in tione 
could I find sufficient inducement to continue. 

The only mercantile-shipping employ, that I 
conceived I might be reconciled to, was up the 
Mediterranean; but both fear and shame de- 
terred me from making the attempt. I was fear- 
ful on account. <)f )xiy former enamorato, to 
whom, as well as to her brother, I had, agree- 
ably to her request, written, on my return to 
England, a variety of insurmountable reasons on 
the score of family and the service I was in, un- 
less her friends wottld consent to her quitting 
them to reside in England, w^henever our mar- 



101 

riage might take place; which, by reason of 
My youth at that time, would necessarily bo 
some years first. This was what she had de- 
sired me to write. 

From the angelic girl I received an answer,, 
containing only six words besides the initials of 
her name; they are deeply engraven on my 
heart: with a ppstscript, advising^ me never to 
trust myself in Italy again. This was partly 
explained by her brother's letter, by which I 
found all her friends were much enraged, I> 
likewise felt ashamed of appearing in a mer- 
cantile situation, where I had figured away in a 
naval uniform. 

I must here acknowledge, that, although! be- 
gan these Memoirs with what I thought a firm, 
resolution not to hesitate in relating whatever 
liad occurred, however repugnant it might ap- ' 
pear to truthand common sense, I have detected 
myself in witb-holdifig a foolish mad-headed cir- 
cumstance, merely because it might sound in^ 
credible. I was grossly aifronted,- in a public 
company at Jamaica, by a toast,.most pointedly 
given for: the purpose. I requested permission 
of the chairmain to decline it : the author per- 
sisted in his right, after the chairman and.others 
had drank it, during a momentary absence of 
mine. The cliairman and company in general, not 
conceiving it. was of such importance as my 
aatagonist knew it was to me^ ordered iiie to 
K3 



10« 

drink it. Naturally impetuous when taken oflf my* 
guard, I instantly determitted, and» taking up 
my glass, said to the chairman, " Sir, I bow to 
the laiys of social drinlfing in obeying jour or- 
ders ; the result must take its chance." I drsmk 
it, then bit off part of the bowl of my glass, 
J chewed it with my- teeth, and spit it full in the 
author's face across the table. 

It may appear incredible, but I was actually 
not injured in the smallest degree, neither wa» 
my antagonist^ from the glass. I begged the 
company's pardon and withdrew, with a hint, 
that eould not be mistaken* We met at day- 
light the n^xt morning ; he preferred swords, 
and I ran him through. I crossed the Island and 
lay incog, at a planter's until he recovered. Ga 
my return, he wished to see me r I, went, whea 
he requested my forgivenja«ift and took the 
whole blame on himself* 

This was the only duel I was ei^er concerned 
in as the challenger, and I was truly sorry for it, 
particularly so from the ungovernable,, foolfsh, 
spiteful-like, heat I was first thrown into* 



loa 



CHAPTER xvnr. ' 

Meet with my old shipmate; carry a chatlenge 
from him to his former commander; obliged to 
fly ; overtaken and cooped up in Dover Castle. 



CaMPLETELY disgusted with the mercantile 
shipping, no temptations or offers v^ere sufficient 
to induce a continuance. On my return home, 

I met with my old ship-mate B ^^ He had 

been master of a merchant-ship in the Portugal- 
trade, but found that would not suit. 

We found ourselves nearly in sirtiilar circam- 
stances; but his were the worst, being in debt, 
and having a violent quarrel with his father, 
who refused advancing him money. He was 
involved also in so tierious an altercation with 
his last commander, while in the navy, as to be 
obliges to request me to be the bearer of a 
serious note to him. On delivering the same, 
and its being read, I was asked if I knew the 
contents; to which an affirmative answer being 
given, his lordship said it wa« very well, it re- 
quired no answer from him« 



104\ 

Returning toB-, at the Admiralty Coffee- 
house, and communicating what had passed, it 
was not long before we saw his lordship pass 
and stop at the Admiralty-Oiffice. Guessing 

what his errand might be, B requested a 

brother-officer to go thither and learn what mis- 
chief was hatching. We were soon informed 
that a complaint was lodged against us both, 
and in all probability warrants would be soda 
issued for our apprehension. To avoid which, 
«wfe immediately took post-chaise to Dover in- 
tending to cross the channel to France: but 

it unfortunately happened that poor B was 

indebjted to a tradesman there, ^vho, hearing of 
his arrival at the inn, and concluding,, from our 
eager inquiries about the packet's sailing that 
B-. — was flying from his creditors, had him ar- 
rested and taken to Mr^. J ts at the Castle. 

I accompanied my friend, and-, finding the 
governor well disposed to make the quarters, 
agreeable, I taok ug a voluntary abode at the 
Castle with him. Being no way sparing in our 
expences, we passed away a f^iv days and nights 
as pleasantly as heart could wish and mf only. 
f egret was the loss of my friend's liberty.. The 
governor was one of the most extraordinary^ 
characters I ever met with. His morality, which, 
was extravagantly eccentric, he would justify by 
texts from Scripture, wilh-a volubility of argu-. 



105 . 

ment that might have puzzled better casuists 
tban we could pretend to be ; and we must have 
possessed a wonderful self-denial to attempt it. 
He had a large and beautiful family : the daugh- 
ters were lively and frolicsome as May, and 
such noble disputants that contention with them 
was in vain ; we submitted of course. 

On the third day, when things were in train 
for settling the arrest, we were rather more 
vexed than surprised at being apprehended by 
some gentlemen who had taken the trouble of 
tracing and foil<9wing us'from London. Know- 
ing it was useless then to settle the other arrest, 
I accompanied the gentlemen back to town the 
following day, when I soon got, bailed. The 
governor brought my friend up and lodged him 
safely in the Fleet, where, purchasing a know- 
ledge of the Rules, he lived unmolested for 
some months, his father still refusing to assist 
him. The fracas with his lordship was made 
up by his making the amende honorable, whicl^ 
likewise released me. 



106 • , 

CHAPTER XIX. , 

A visit to the Savages in North America, 



. While B — -was thus busily but quietly en- 
gaged in arranging.^matters with allhis friends, ' 
, I recollected a half promise I had made nearly 
twelve months before, wlien in America, to 
meet some Indian chiefs, who came annually to 
receive presents from government; and with 
whom I had ingratiated myself so much, by 
frecftient familiar conversations about their 
country arid mode of living, as to receive most 
pressing invitations to accompany them back, 
which I felt much inclined to accept. I there- 
fore gave a kind of promise to meet them tliat 
time twelve-month, if possible, but that I must 
cross the Great Belt first. 

Remembering this in time, and nothing more 
suitable to my roving disposition being in view, 
I made what little preparations I thought neces- 
sary and returned agreeably to the appointment ; 
and, when my Indian sachems understood I had 
re-crossed the Great Belt of Waters purposely 
to meet them, they appeared terrifically wild in 
their savage gesticulations of satisfaction. By 



107 

the interpreter, I soon learned a ffw common 
general words and wrote down many more to 
take with me. I only agreed for liberty to re- 
turn when I liked, to which they seriously 
pledged themselves. 

Learning pretty nearly what I had to encoun- 
ter, I equipped accordingly : the spirit of en- 
terprise reconciling me to every difficulty and 
danger I might have to engage with. It will be 
unnecessary to furnish a detail of uninteresting 
matter, relative to a tedious' fatiguing journey, 
in which, however strong and active I had flat- 
tered myself with being; I found the Indians 
much superior. * However, they had patience to- 
bear with me, and I perseverance to continue it; 
until Babit gave that tone to my nerves which 
enabled me at length to endure and accomplish 
what otherwise I never should have been equal 
to. 

Of this Indian frolic, (for it can be considered 
in no other light,) I have nothing wonderful to 
relate. On joining their tribes the Oneidas and 
Tuscaroras,) I was received with an openness 
that insured the fullest protection and friendship, 
and I was given to understand that the confidence 
I had reposed in them should not be forfeited. 

The short time I remained with them, was 
chiefly occupied in endeavouring to understand 
the ideas and manners of men in the crudesavage 
state of nature. I accompanied them in their 



* 108 

hunting parties, through ,the wilderness and 
woods, and in their fishing parties on Lake On- 
tario. Once I saw the Falls of Niagara ; but, 
straitened in point of time arid expecting to 
visit them again, I did not gratify the whole of 
my cariosity. 

I began to be tolerably expert and to receive 
praise for my exertions, so that in time I might 
have made a tolerable good Indian, In running 
and climbing, the young Tndians beat roe hol- 
low ; but in wrestling I was an over-match for 
most. In throwing, J had no kind of chance 
with them, but with single stick I surprized 
them all with the management and exercise. 

A few trinkets I took wHth me gained the 
hearts of several young squaws ; but, whatever 
may be said about the indifference of savages in 
their love to women, I found the jealousy of 
two young Indians, in respect to the squaws 
they were courting, was not to be jested with. 
One of the losses warned me to take care of the 
Indian who followed her, or he would do me 
mischief; and I was repeatedly asked by those I 
had first accompanied whether I designed settl- 
ing with them, in which case, every thing would 
be done to make me happy; but, if that was not 
my intention, they recommended me to leave 
them soon and with secrecy, as some of the 
young Indians began to threaten me, which no- 
thing but my^ determining publicly to fix and 



109 

marry among tfiem could pacify * and, fliough 
they should be sorry for my leaving them, they ' 
had better consent to that than have a greater 
sorrow to lament. . ' 

Having been nejtrly fo'u r months among them, 
my curiosity was completely satisfied, and I was* 
rather glad of an Excuse for quittihg^theni;'but 
I could not agree to go away secretly, observing ' 
that I came openly and without fear, and so I * 
would return ; that, if any owed me ill will, 
they must declare the cause; and, if I did not ' 
clear myself to the satisfaction of the chiefs, I" 
would abide their decision or nieet my enemy o- ^ 
penly ; but that I could not steal away as if afraid. * 

It was at last settled that I should publicly de- 
clare my intentions- of returning, and request 
guides. This was done, and two of tny bid 
friends said they would -see me safe to Albany*' 
Our routie was' laid down, and we set off on an 
afternoon to travel a short distatice, where we 
were to sleep the first night. 

On the morning after we set off, turning out 
of the wigwam which I had slept in, I was sur- 
prized to see the young squaw who had formerly 
cautioned me. She came to inform me that the 
two Indians had a design to way-lay me at 
some distance and revenge themselves upon me 
when my guides would not suspect danger. She ' 
had watched and secretly over heard them ; and, 
after seeing them set oil" early in the night, had 

VOL* 1. L 



no 

followed us iQ ac<|ttaint' me of the dagger. My 
friends proroised to keep her secret, or she would 
be murdered, and, taking a differeut route, we 
neither saw nor heard any more of them. 
* It may he. asked, what was my aim in this 
wildufldertsiking? Simjj^ly a romantic curiosity, 
aod to gratify a strong desire I had to see and 
ea^amine hyman nature in every possible shape» 
fr^no^ the savage to the highest state of ciyiKs^d 
society. I had hea[:d that the completest state 
oC indtpepdfnceand consequent rational happi^ 
n^ss was witt^ the ravage : and that those, who, 
fro^i necessity or cbQice, had lived a sufficient 
time with tbe^fi to obtain au active hardihood 
and strength to bear tbeiir fatigues, WQi^d ex- 
perience 80 high a relish, aud eojpyment c^ per- 
fect independence a^ never more to wish to sub« 
mjtt to the slavery of civilised Ufi?. To this 
it may possibly be obyected> that Idi4 not stay 
a 8:ufficient timetoiprarrantmy deciding contniiy 
to the generally conceii^ed opinion. I cai^ only 
say, I continued long enough to satisfy myself that 
this boasted independeat state of nature has. in-t 
finitely fewer rational enjoyments, with greater 
difficulties and hardships from incertitude and 
laborious exertions, attended with frequent 
alarms and danger. Their enjoyments are very 
little, if at all, superior- to those of the wild 
animals they hunt, and their troubles I conceive 
to be much greater. Let those, who think other- 



Ill 

wise, take a longer spell at living with these 
copper-coloured heroes, of Nature's pure un- 
adulterated rearing and ediicatilig. 

While t was with them, I was well recon- 
ciled to their modes and manners by ttie n4> 
velty, and by my desire to seek tl^at knpwledge 
which was not to be obtained so well any other 
way, I believe few would be better received or 
attended to than I was ; yet," at no one moment, 
during my abode with them, did 1 Wish to make 
the exchange of civilised for savage independ* 
cnce. - . 

This was my opinion at that time, 1766, in 
the pride of my youth, with powers of exer- 
tioft equal to most, and long before the change 
of American independence took place, when the ^ 
Aborigines, or native Indians, lived more com- 
fortably than they, as well as the Anglo- Ameri- 
cans do now, and it will be seen in its place, 
whenlagain visited the American Indians as well 
as the English Americans, after an absence of 
more than thirty years, by which I was ahle to 
draw the better comparison between the former 
and present situation x)f both, that the former 
have exchanged the intrepid spirit of indepctid- 
ence which they then possessed, and which was 
their solitary claim to admiration, (shewn by 
their aspiring elevated tread, rising almo>t on 
tip-toe, with their heads as erect as possible^) 
far an appearance nearly the reverse. 
h 2 



' .112 

» 
Of the tribes that I formerly saw, many are 

extinct : the few that remain are comparatively 
abject wretches ; their haughty crests are fallen, 
they have become dependant for the sake of spi- 
rituous liquors, which quickly enervate and des- 
troy them, nor have they a single comfortable 
trait of civilization in exchange. I am con- 
vinced that those Indians, now remaining on the 
Atlantic side of the Allegsmy Mountains, are 
considerably more ignorant than they were, ex- 
cept, indeed, they have been taught some ad- 
ditional vices. 

Farther remarks on the general character of 
the Indians I shall leave to the account of my 
last journey to the back-country ; and shall 
only observe, that the Anglo-Americans appear 
to have exchanged real sweetswith nominal bit- 
ters, for real bitters with nominal sweets, which 
I may possibly explain more hereafter. 



113 



CHAPTER XX. 

r^(tci(iSl&Mm^\ di^handed S€)!i^Jlleefs at a loss 
fiat 1^ 4^ 1 fiiffdd^n volunteers wifh Count 
Ato# ; €^^f d mHitary^ dppointfhent fctr In^ 
ita,, ^0meHe^ soldieft the Kittg of tten* 
MT^^I the Toio^t a croftiiei ihealfV^ . 



BAi^ffK* A«»fat8atisfie<f my savjlge cravings, 
I^nMYDsMd tfce^AtliatitfCand wasrat home time 
enoagh'to-rejoi^^i^iA'^driietid on hisreleasQ: 
ftomi sa. Ibng^ a dumncei 

iiipw madtf a4on^ ^ay oii ihote; the general , 
tlttmey ut tibMfiHaiey WsM General p2k)Ii and the > 
luttveGoraicaissi WHen* I \^^ very near em*-, 
harioagrwith «iy rehltSdfl,; ti^ntenant Dugdale, 
t^rlewAeirottrtf^vic^lto l!bal! celebrated chief; 
and^ but fe* fliy hesitotSjig on account of former 
«»itn;eetio]iBrifii}tdly, asr a point of honour, Vest 
^^ thing, oikotxlkmsto to ^istnrb the' peace of a: 
fi^Bittjir LiMKbilomd, w^ shoalid certd&ly have , 
gante^tfaitfaefc . 

B- , likew;ise, though so richly ailierf. Was 

nearly a^^distireaBisd attii d^titate, oft employ a? 
^«r«dvea; Ifewmjl4 not comply w^tft what his 
fatobetrand ft^ewdi' wished^ him to do, and they 
refiigj8Atoisttp|>lf hig^ex^ravagancies. A length of 
disoKfitfiitaiaei can&ldmtot, they thought^ might 
L3 



lU 

break his ^ipixit to their views ; but it produced 
the contrary efTect. He considered them more 
as 'enemies th^in friends, declaring he did not 
considi^r it any obligation to receive partof wh$t 
they could not hinder him from at their deaths^ 
and until then he would not pe con fined tOtheic 
domestic airangements ; but, while he had youth 
and healthy he would indulge that roving dispo- 
sition his father had first encouraged by sending 
him to sea. 

He regretted he had not been with me to visit 
the Indian tribes, and talked of going thither 
and remaining until quite, accomplished as a 
teaU'Savage; then to return*, home and pay his 
relations a visit in character. I Vjerily believe 
that no othef earthly pursuit would have de^ 
lighted him so much, when once undeVtak«a, 
but his heart failed to engage in it by himsel£ 
He offered, and would have bound himself by 
the strongest obligations he could execute, to 
make over to me one moiety of the property he 
might hereafter inherit, if I would •accompany 
him ; but of this I had had enough, aiad was too 
independent in spirit to s^cept the offer, had I 
chosen to go. 

As a trio ofplottingadventurers, we frequent- 
ly met to communicate and consult together* 
Poor Lieutenant Dugdale at last declared that he 
was so reduced, go he must or the bailiffs would 
get hold of him. The Russian fleet under Count 



11? 

Orlow arriving id the Downs, he went down tod 
ofFered his services as a volunteer; and, in all 
probability, I should have accompanied him, if 
an appointment in the military service of the 
East-India Company had not, 'at the same time, 
been offered to me, in 1768. 
' There was som^hing very fascinating and 
pleasing to me in an adventure to the East In- 
^dies, yet at first I could not well brook the 
thought of exchanging a blue for a scarlet unU 
form; but, when I. did reconcile myself to it, I 
set about effecting the change in good earnest, 
by engaging a sergeant of the guards, on duty in 
the Tower, to drill me until complete enough to 
fall in the ranks on the parade. I attended him 
and a fugle-man regularly every morning, in the 
Tower, as soon as the gates opened. The go- 
vernor's son was then abroad as page to the 
Duke of York; but any thing in reason that I 
asked of his father was granted. When the 
sergeant, therefore, assured me I was sufficiently 
perfect, I obtained permission to prove it to my 
own satisfaction, by equipping myself in one of 
the grenadier's regimentals and repeatedly exer- 
cising with the company. What made me the 
more zealous in this, was the being informed that 
orders were going out, to all the Presidencies in 
India, to train and disciplinetheir troops accord- 
ing to the then new Prussian exercise, in lieu of 
the tedious heavy mode called Bland's exercise. 



116 

by these ineans» I satisfied myself thsit I/:ouId 
Inmdle the musket ks adroitly asf most ; npr was 
I negligent in endeavouring' to obtain other use- 
fol mili tary acquirements. 

. White I was thud drifting iu the Tower, the 
King of Denmark, attended by the Kfarquls of 
€ranhy, tstme easrly one morning fo sep the 
Tower; when, from thevefy few who knew of 
Ate* circumstance and the few who could gam 
adMssibn, f had' the faonocrf of mixing witfi the 
flmecll train that att)end:ed him, and accompanied 
him through tiiie whole range with asa^uch ease 
m& femiHarity as if he had been an oH ac- . 
4]tiacintance. And, to say the truths unless I had 
known him to he a king, I should have CQiisi- . 
rfered him a very poor-looking little mortal* Ar 
menry-hearted widow-rlady, who accoippanied: 
me, observed that he might do veiy well aa a: 
king, hut she shouFdnot lite him f^ra^husibund. 

He appeared very afiaiile and pleasant to^ all ■, 
aiiQund him ; and, the marquis being v^ry atten- 
tive to' two fine, yoMijg women,, daughters ...of ; 
Major C^ — :— , m th^ Tower, wjio had hid them* . 
selves in the'armpurjf, but were discovered and, 
led forth by the marqui^g^ whose,atl;entioi) from 
that time was wholly> occupied with th€|n)», the ^ 
king turned pleasantly fi^rniliaf: to any other per- _ 
^on near him to ask questions. Whetiier it was 
customary with hi^ to, speak Italian,, in prefer- 
«ence to anj other language, I know not ; but that 



117 

morning he made all his inquiries in the Italian 
language, which frequently enabled me, from 
the knowledge I retained of it and my acquaint- 
ance with many things in the Tower, to answer 
him* This- he noticed; by addressing himself at 
times to me with a gentleman-like ease, the most 
engaging and fascinating possible from those of 
exalted rank to humble individuals like myself. 
As I observed before, this was a very easy in- 
troduction to see his majesty ; a few days after 
it was just the reverse. Mr. Garrick opened 
Drury-Lane theatre for three nights, in order 
to gratify the King of Denmark with a display 
of his unparalleled theatrical abilities. 

Having myself seen Garrick in all his various 
characters, it was no temptation to encounter 
the violence of a mob; and, after the ramble 
through the Tower, I considered^his majesty 
with the indifference of a common acquaintance. 
Yet it so happened, that, without the smallest 
premeditated intention, I was tempted to the 
struggle. Dining at a coffee-house in the 
Strand, on the first day of the theatre openings 
I heard no other discourse or remark from those 
that entered, for an hour and a half that I was 
there, but exclamations of th^ immense crowd 
of people in Catharine-Street and all the ave- 
nues to the theatre, where numbers »had been in 
waiting for seveml hours. 



118 

This induced m6, from mere curiosity, to take 
a view when I left the coffee-house, but still 
without any intention of attempting to get in; 
and, when I had taken my view of the mob, it 
was evident that not One third of them could 
be admitted. Being well acquainted with every 
avenue, I worked through the alleys to a court, 
where there was an entrance to the pit down a 
flight of steps and a long dark passage, A steam 
poured forth from the head of this entrance, 
-equal to that of a boiling copper ; the effluvia of 
which, together with the screams of many that 
were in but could not get out again, I imagine 
bad deterred people from crowding on the out- 
«id^ \ 'I 

Drawing nearer the entrance, a captain of a 
merchant-ship and his wife seeing me, the good 
lady exclaimed, ** oh! what you are come ; well, 
if any one here gets in, I am sure you will!" 
and her husband repeated it.- This indhcedmost 
that were in sight to turn their heads, I suppose 
to see what strange being it was reputed to 
possess such power. Not until that 'moment had 
I a thought or wish to get in ; but, as the going | 
away might have looked something like cow- 
ardice, and it appearing a kind of adfventure 
to achieve what the lady so firmly asserted, 1 1 
determined inetantly to benefit all I could firom 
the impression made by her dedaratioa* 



It wanted a short quarter of aa hour of the « 
doors' opening. The passage had been so lately 
painted as to wipe off. oa the clothes of all who 
touched tKe- walls; an(|, as mo&t of the good 
people were dressed in their best in compliment 
to his Danish majesty, all down the flight and 
someway along the passage the men had turned 
their faces to the wall, pushing the^l3elvesoff by 
their hands and knees to save their new coats. 

Having nothing on that I cared £or» and wear- 
ing the fashionable scratch wig of that day,, I 
told the lady aJoud, I should try at it; then, 
taking the wig off my head, I put it into one 
pocket, and my stock from my neck into ano- 
ther, with my shirt*coIIar open* Thus prepared, 
and rcjgardlests of the paint, I took the wall, 
saying to each xnan I came to; ** come, ship- 
mate, as you have more room than you occupy, 
just eQse off the weather-braces of your yard, 
arms a little and I'll paaa," Whether it was their ^ 
Muml courtesy, or any opioioA .that they en- 
tertained ia my favour from the lady's report, 
aided by my rough figure, I cannot exactly say ; 
but I certainly experienced a. very ready acqui- 
escence, with as much politeoesa aa the nature 
of the situation would' admit. 

By this mode, I advanced myself along the 
passage until I arrived where the pressure was 
too great for arms and knees to resist. This was 
lar enough to insure my gettmg in, provided I 



19a 

could get into the current, of the stream whea 
the dears opened. To accomplish this, I edged 
in a little with my shoulder between *two: and, 
stretching my right arm out, got hold of the 
shoulder of a stout man : at the same time mak- 
ing a purchase with my left foot against the wall, 
I gave a loud halloo, calling out, " inj arm, my 
arm," as if in danger of breaking it, and, at the 
momentary shrink by those n^arme; I made so 
good a use of my double purchase as to squeeze 
in sufficiently from the wall. 

I was surprised how those that had been there 

for hours could maintain it. I was not there 

above three or four minutes before the doors 

opened, and I was soon in the pit; but with a 

pressure that made every bone ache, and a 

perspiration so strong as to make me strip oflF 

coat and waistcoat as soon as possible alter 

getting to a seat near the centre of the upper 

rows, where, two or three acquaintances joining 

me, we procured both brandy and porter from 

the orange-girls in the boxes,and tixed ourselves 

pretty ccmifortably. A scene then took place, such 

as I never witnessed before or aince, althoonh 

I have ofttin been to very crowded houses. At 

both the doors, after the pit was full, those next 

behind, rather than be defeated of the purpose 

they came for, and for which they had already 

endured so much, climbed over the heads or 

crawled un(Jer the legs of thosenearest the doors. 



in 

until ihifiy ^ f««ty p!»gle neArest ta ench door 
were tiding 091^ ^ 8||^()eff9 of oUiers below. 
Tbe pi^idooi^ bein^ at; l«tt dMl> they dorsfc not 
open them ag^iBi^ wd lor aearly an hour there 
)iira9 a ^TQ^g cQnt^^st* hot Wieeo tha riders and the 
nd^es» wl^ ^<^\A k(Ai Qut longest 

Mr« Qarrick't hrothei Odmo foaward on the 
stage; wi^h tviro lad^^rs and assialtants tadrfg 
tho^ iq> that feii^ied or vm^ compelled tagire 
up the sjtriJgglefr Othera were taken out hy 
hauUi^ th^^i up into %)^ hoxea; among tl^eae, 
weretw^ rpsy-cplpixred nice Scoifcch girK who 
were for a loQg tin[i^ sadly exposed; their c^s 
aud peck h&ndkerchiefe were gonei^ and their 
clotty half tprip^ 0ff> tossing and rolKntg about 
witb th^ oilier riders like the sweU of a sea after 
a l^rd gale ; w^^ile the eseclamajtions tiiey made, 
in their broad accent* encouraged an unmanly 
laugh from too VP^ai^y. 

Iti^as not ii^ the power of any at a distance to 
afford t()e si^i^Hest assistance; but, as soon as I 
saw ti^ poor girts hauled up into the side bonces, 
I engaged an orange-girl in the front boxes, who 
knew me, to go round and bring the lasses to 
some friends that would make room for them. 
This was done, for they were girls of true British 
spirit, and thankful enough for meeting friends 
although in strangers., By nestling and pushing 
a little, in addition to tolerable good room we 
had taken at firsts we squeezed a lass on each 

•VOL. !• • M 



»2 

bench pretty well. Among us, we managed to 
set up their running rigging a little, with a «ilk 
handkerchief round each of their heads and the 
best substitute we could suggest for their neck 
handkerchiefs. Nor did I quit them until the 
play was over, when I saw them safe home. 

The pit must have exhibited a grotesque ap< 
pearance to those who came early to their 
boxes ; the men being all stripped to their shirts, 
most of which were as wet as if they had been 
dipped in watef. Neither was their appearance 
much improved when clothed, as very few had 
escapedwithout patches of paint, causing amot« 
ley mixture of countenances as wellasgarmentsi 
Those, who had put their holiday-clothes odi 
looked very doleful ; while others, to whom it 
was a matter of no great consequence, were full 
of laugh and fun at the appearance of their 
neighbours, who, with a melancholy cast of 
countenance, were viewing the havoc in their 
best clothes. This afforded niore entertain- 
ment, to such careless spectators as myself, than 
either his Msyesty of Denmark or Mr. Garrick. 



i23r 



CHAPTER XXI. 



Embark for India; my old shipmate B foL 

hws my relation Dugdale in the Russian ser^ 
vice; passage to the Cape of Good Hope. 



My friend B would fain have accompa« 

nied me to India, if he could have procured a 
similar appointment: His relations might easily 
have obtained it, but. they seemed determined 
to thwart each other. Not having his wish 
complied with, he was determined they should 
not have their way with him ; and having seen 
me safe on board the ship I took ray passage in, 
atGravesend, he proceeded on; and a letter I 
received from him afterwards informed me he 
hadtentered as a volunteer in the Russian ser- 
vice, with my relation Dugdale. 

Isoon^found that we had an extraordinary 
assemblage of characters on board ; upward* of 
forty young passengers, myself nearly, if not 
quite, the oldest of them all, going out in the 
civil or military service of the Company* As 
many were dissolute and quarrelsome, duels, 
real or sham, frequently occurred; but there 
W£re others of equal worth, which they have- 
since proved by advancing to^ the highest sta* 

Me 



124 

tioria in their respective lines of service, civil or 
military; and one,* most deservedly, to the 
very high honours his sovereign has thought 
proper to bestow upon him. 

I veas more at home on board a ship than they 
could be. The captain and chief officers treated 
me accordingly with respect ; and, considering 
myself as launching into an entire new world, I 
assumed a steadiness of carriage and conduct I 
bad nev^r aim^ at before, but which I saw was 
now necessary, and soon found beneficial. It 
not only kept me free from any of their idle 
disputes, but, by the frequency of their appli- 
catidiis to my experience for advice, they actually 
yielded a deference, which, had I claimed as 
their senior in point of age and the service I 
had seen, would in all probability have made 
the passage as uncomfortable to me aait proved 
the reverse.^ From the various anecdotes that 
at times I related, they reckoned me as old 
again as I was, and with good-natured familia- 
rity frequently told me so. 

We had a numiber of raw recruitp on board, 
whom I told the captain, with his permission, I 
would undertake to teach th« new exercise. 
This he was much pleased with, and I took the 
command accordingly. Nor was it a small mat- 
ter ofisurpri^ft to him and the officers of the dhip, 
wl»«a they saw me knock the musket about so 

* Lotd Teignmouth* 



125 

smartly, in order to teach them their motions/ 
and they swore they never thought before that a 
sailor and soldier could be worked out of the 
same staff. 

I likewise taught some few of the cadets, at 
tbeir own request ; but they were all more dis? 
posed to learn and play at single stick and with 
foils; with all which my time was pleasantly ^ 
filled up« 



CHAPTER XXII. 

M thi Cape, unpleasant situation on the Table^ 
Mount; comfortable and cheap living* 



Oifounpassage-out, stopping some time at 
tlieCape of Good Hope, five of us undertook to 
climb up the Table-Mount; but so late wero we 
in setting oif, that, when a little better than half 
up, our guide, looking at the clouds which be^ 
gan to roll down fr<5m the top of the mount, de-. 
clared he would not attempt going farther ; as- 
signing, as reasons, that we should be so enve- 
loped in a thick mist as to make it dangerous 
and difEcult either to go on or return, and that, 
' MS 



126 

if we succeeded Jo getting up safi^ we should 
sot derive any benefit, as otnr view wpuld be 
eoofined to a few yards around lis. 

A Highlander and myself were, obstinate 
toOQgh to go on ; onr ihwe& coi^panioiia thought 
it iBor-e pmdent to rctern with tiio guide^and we 
were left to- find our own way up. As we pro* 
o^eded, w^ feuad the accent muich mote difficult 
and dangerous, nor could we discover apy kind 
of path-way to satisfy us we were right. In lesa 
than an hour after we parted companyj wp 
found ourselves in a complete pickle from the 
wet, and the mist so thick as to bid us defiance 
in any attempt to get higher up ibe most dif« 
ficult part of the mount. We could^ only ac* 
knowledge our extreme' folly in fancykig pyr- 
selves wiser than the guide, and, after a short 
respite, we began to descend; but, from the 
foggy mist making it very slippery, we found it 
more tedious and dangerous to get down than 
the climbing up had been. Our sight did not 
extend three yards any way ; and, having pas* 
sed Several horrid precipices as we ascended, we 
stepped very cautiously, being frequtotly oblig- 
ed to descend backwards, laying hold of scrub- 
bushes, &c. 

Proceeding thus a considerable time, we cainQ 
to a kind of wood,, or wilderness, by which ii 
was certain we had lost our way ; and it wa$ 
equally certain we should not find it agaiii befor<j 



1« 

fiig;ht) ftnd doubtful whether we ought to at- 
tempt it In setting out on this untoward ex- 
pedition, every ooe had taken his couteau-de^ 
chasse, not merely as a gentleman's appendage^ 
but as a measure of precaution, understanding 
there were wild animals and wolves in particu« 
lar on these mountainr. Those that had pocket- 
pistols took them also, which was my case. 

Consulting what was best^ we thought the 
trees were friends it would beWrpng to part from 
while so completely enwrapped in th^ cloudy. 
Making choice of a ppot un^er two trees, that 
were ^lose enough together for the branches to 
entwine, we soon gathered bru^h-wood epougU 
for a good fire, if we could but light it With 
some brown paper I soon made ^ timler, or touchy 
paper, by rubbing it with gunpowder, . J woul4 
fain have preserved my pistols loade4) and strove 
therefore to strike a light by our knives itnd 
couteau-de-chasse ; 1)ut, that beipg in vain, I 
drey the charge of one of themt We m^de 
plenty of touch paper; and, gathering some 
moss, I fired the paper by the priming ; theii 
putting it ^n the middle of some of the driest 
moss we had, I held the ball between the palms 
of my hands ; and, blowing it well, we had the sai« 
tisfaction to light a fire, which we had no difficulr 
ty to keep up afterwards, and it proved the only 
thing we had to comfort us until day-light 



1«8 . 

la theeariy part of the night, we heard the 
s^iseofsome anhnals but did not discover of 
what description.^ One main point was to keep 
up a good fire, the next how we could get a little 
slumbering rest. One of the trees suited toler** 
ably well for a person to fix himself in the crown, 
arhidst the branches, without much danger of 
falling ; this was therefore determined upon for 
the bed of repose : the other would only do for a 
seat on any of the branches. We agreed to 
watch in turn for two. hours to keep the fire up: 
the watch was to walk or mount the tree as» a 
sentry, as he liked best ; jand, at relieving watch, 
we went together, with fire-brands in our hands,^ 
to gather more fire-wood. 

The night thus passed away without any other 
troubles. The clouds that enveloped us were 
blown away before day-light, when, a view of 
the ships at anchor in Table Bay serving to direct 
our course, we recovered our path and made the 
best of our way do wil to our lodgings, where 
Some hbt wine with a toast and a few hours cbm- 
fortabte rest enabled us to meet the banterings 
of our companions^ which- we richly deserved. 

At Cape-Town we lived most luxuriously 
each for one dollar a-day. The first inhabitants 
of the place solicited us to board and lodge with 
them at that price. The table was spread with 
great variety of fish, flesh, and fowl; a bottle 



1S9 

of wine set to every plate ; and, if more was 
wanted after dinner, it was brought. We had 
likewise a desert of excellent fruit at breakfast, 
dinner, and supper. Of course, we laid in an 
excellent stock of every thing we wanted for the 
remainder of our passage* ^ 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

Arrival iU Madras; with Gnur^l Smith at the 
cloie of the war with Hyder Allyx Colonel 
Cdmpbel's gallant offer to attack Hyder at the 
Mount; bashfitlnese of the governor, ifc. ; sa^ 
tirical sketch of the same. 



, We arrived at Madras just in time to assist 
at the close of the war with Hyder Ally- It 
would be highly presumptuous in me, therefore^ 
to give any detail of that war, or the pusilla- 
nimous peace that Hyder frightened thtgover*' 
nor and council into, when, by forced marches, 
he arrived at St. Thomas's Mount, about nine 
miles from Madras, flying from our victorious 
army, commanded by General Joseph Smithy 
from whom he could not have escaped, had 
they not been panic-struck on Hyder's sending 



130 

a message, threatening, that, utiless they im- 
mediately sent off Hircars with positive orders 
for General Smith to halt his army, wherever 
they might meet him, he would storm their fort 
and put them all to the sword. 

A more absurd threat, I believe, was never 
made; but it produced a strong effect. In vain 
did the brave old Colonel Canlpbel, then wait- 
ing to take*his passage home, tell them they had 
nothing to apprehend ; that, with so strong a 
fort, if they had but a few old invalids, assisted 
by the inhabitants, they might set Hyder at de- 
fiance with his army, harassed, dispirited, and 
without artillery. Moreover, he volunteered 
his service to attack Hyder's army that night, if 
tXxey would allow him to take the force which 
theh was in the Black Town, with the Europeans 
w4io could be spared froo! the garrison : pointing 
out to them what his experience jand knowledge 
of the e;nemy warranted, that, after so forced ^ 
march for several days, they must be vrorn ofe 
with fatigue; and, conceiving themselves in 
perfect safety from any atta^ would be found 
«o remiss in vigilance, that, at the head of the 
troops he could muster, he had no doubt of 
completely surprising Hyder at midnight and 
discomfiting the whole of his army. Or, admit- 
ting that he should be defeated, they still had 
nothing more serious to apprehend, as General. 
Smith was advancing rapidly after him. 



131 

But it was all in vain ; if they had no personal 
fears, they were afraid of their garden-houses 
being destroyed, and Hyder obtained more thaa 
be could possibly have rcTason to expect 

When this was known in the army, considera* 
ble murmurs arose : ttieir fatigues had been great, 
and the fall of Hyder was considered nearly as 
certain; and with him, at that time, the Mysore 
country would have immediately surrendered. 

One young officer* sketched a drawing on the 
occasion ; it was handed about in the army at 
the time, and then destroyed to prevent his get* 
ting into trouble. As nearly as I can recollect, 
it was thus. The governor and council are seen 
without the walls of the fort, from a summons 
of Hyder to meet him. The senior in council 
isleading4he goyemoralongby a string through 
bis nose and those of his brethren, the council: 
the leader himself, having a remarkably large 
oarbuncle nose, is drawn accordingly. Hyder's ' 
first salutation is seizing hold of this precious 
jewel, and with his drawn scymetar be threatens 
to cut it off, unless Hircars are instantly des« 
patched to stop General Smith and his army. 
These figures were in the fore ground , and, in 
the back. General Smith, with his arms folded, 
sind his men, with grounded arms, are seen look- 
ing down with contempt on Hyder and his new 
frienda. At the time and place, the satire was 



12Q 



well understood, and tUerc may be §omc who 
yet remember it. • 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

C^eral Smithy his affability, ic; Major Fitz 
gerald, manual wit* 



The army wa9 ^w separated dndorderec) into 
various districts: my destiny watiu tbe No|thern 
Circars- Having permission, I stopped a few 
week^ atMadf^; apd>frQmfreqii^iitinYi|atioQs 
to the general's bouse at Vippery, an estiftK^te of 
bi3 worth and bia cbaracteF s^ a piiv^^t^ giSQlle- 
manmade it impossible ppt ti]['lQv^ bi|tt. m a 
man and venerate him 9S 9 ^QmiD9md^« /Oee 
instance of his affi^bility iQ^tpgngtsrs andycamg 
ofiicers, that they flight fqel equally ^a^y afc his 
table, may be ^nfi^cief^^ to ^Uew the man. 

The second t\j»el yrent to Vippe^ry, 9^ Miypr 
Fitzgerald, one of the general^ %ts^S, sat at liis 
right hand at dinner. Thi$ g^nUeman was lively, 
cheerful, and very foqd pf m^ual wit, for which 
he was well calculated in point of strength, being 
above six Jeet high, square, and veil, propor- 



133 

tioned in his limbs. One -species of this wlt^ 
which he usually exercised during dinner, was ta 
have round pellets made up of new Thread, by Kis 
Dubash servant, atthe1)ack of his chair; whichi 
hefiUipped across the table, 'with considerabfe 
force, to those who were within his line of fircT; 
most of whom returned his compliment in the 
same way- 
Some of his pellets occasionally struck* me ; 
and, ^as I took no notice of them, he observed, 
with a jesting oath, that I treated his efforts with 
contempt, but he would try to sting me to re- 
sentment The general, conceiving that I 
might, as a stranger, feel in an aukward situa* 
tion, called me familiarly by my. surname, and 
asked why I so patiently submitted. I answere4, 
that one very ^fcrong reason for my not doing as 
others did, in this instance, was, that I did not 
like to waste an article I had known so much 
thewantof." Well, well," the general replied, 
** that is ope good rap for the major; but re- 
member, when in Rome wcmust do as they do 
in Rome, bad as the custom is. If he, there- 
fore, attackB you again and you do not like to 
waste bread, throw any thing else, at him that is 
on the table." 1 assured him he should find me 
ready enough to obey his orders ; and the miyor, 
receiving a fresh handful .of pellets from his 
Dubash, began again, pointing most of his ai> 
tillery at me, 

VOL. I. 'N 



134 

Looking about, I made up my mind what to 
do when any struck me. That soon happened, 
when, seizing the shoulder of a kid, that lay in 
a dish close by, I threw it with good aim, plump 
against his breast, before he was well aware of 
Wy thing coming. Gathering it from his lap, 
where it had dropped, " Now " says he, ** take 
care, my boy;" and it came back with all the 
force he could send it. I was aware of it, and 
inclined suflBciently to the left to let it pass me, 
when it knocked down one of tbe Dubash ser- 
vants behind. After a hearty laugh, the general 
ehallcnged me to a glass of wine; and, in ac- 
cepting it, I drank the major's health, assuring 
him he might depend in future on having meat 
in exchange for his bread. All this passed in 
the pleasantest manner possible, with the major 
particularly, who warned me to be on my guard, 
for it would not be long before he gave me sauce 
for my kid. Nor was it many days before he 
nearly broke my neck by suddenly unborsing me 
from a very spirited horse, which the general 
used to lend me to accompany them i^ htki ting. 

In riding, he had every advantage owr me, 
but on foot I was more than a match for him, 
provided I kept him from a close grapple. The 
more he was foiled the more he attempted, but 
generally bad the fitogh against him. I was 
always sure of the geifcerars encouragement to 
eppose the major,.and themoreso as there were 



135 . , 

lew/ besides myself, who chose to encounter his« 
rough manual wit, by a similar return. / . 

All who knew General Smith in India will re- 
member, that, though a strict officer on duty, 
he was the pleasant private gentleman when off. 



CHAPTER XXV. 

The army neto disciplined; Major Fitzgerald's 
friendly present ;.my Gentoo servantthis suffer^ 
ings. 



On the army retiring to various districts, it 
was ordered to learn and practise the new disci- 
pline. Printed books of directions had been 
sent out from England ; but they could not so 
truly convey the smartness of the motions, so 
very different from old" Bhind's exercise, as by 
seeing it performed, 

I had repeatedly obliged the general by taking 
a musket and going thfough the whole, which 
he much approved ofc/, Dining in company with 
him one day at the governor*B, I am persuaded 
ke purposely mentioned it to afford me the op* 
N.2. 



136 

portuiiity of exhibiting, oh being requested by 
the governor soon after dinner. Nor was this an 
idle unnieaning compliment, for several ser- 
geants and corporals were ordered to attend me 
every morning to learn the exercise. Some of 
the senior officers, likewise, requested the fa- 
vour of being shewn the motions, and among 
these was my friend, the major; who living 
with the general at Vippery, I frequently break- 
fasted there and exercised him immediately after, 
the general most commonly looking on. 
.• On my departure for the Northern Circars, I 
was honoured with letters of recommendation, 
from the general, to Colonel Todd, an old offi- 
cer, who had the command there. At the same 
time, my friendly major made me a handsonae 
present of a noble horse, well accoutred; saying, 
very good-naturedly, that he owed me the ani- 
mal for having so unfairly dismounted me, but 
that he could not for the soul of him resist the 
opportunity 1 presented by my s^lor-like rid- 
ing: the accoutrements he desired my* accept- 
ance of as a proof of his friendly esteem, not- 
withstanding 1 had so often baffled and beajk 
him at his favourite play. I sent my horse by 
land to i^ect me at Masulipatam, for which place 
i embarked with others on board a country ship^ 
MyDiibash servant was a youth of a high 
Gctotoo cast* He bad never been on salt water 
i^ffii and, the weather being roughs he was 



B7 

80 sea-sick, in crossing the violent surfs that roll- 
so heavy on the Coromandel coast, that he was* 
incapable of taking care of any thing: the pro* 
Tision he broagj^t with him for the voyage, as? 
appropriate to his cast, was therefore all stolen* 
from him. To many , this might appear of little 
coDsequeQce, as there was plenty of provisions- 
on board the vessel; but to him, poor fellow I. 
they were of no value, and I. feel perfectly con^ 
fident that he would have perished with hunger^ 
and thirst sooner than have lost bis cast by par- 
taking in the smallest degree of either the water, 
or provisions that were on board, which his reli«. 
gious cast did not warrant*. Of the provisions 
on board,, there was not ^n oimce that he durst 
touchy and, had it not been for two or three 
Eajahpoots, who were passengers, and whose- 
cast allowed his drinking some of the water they, 
had brought with them, though not -to eat of 
theif provision, I verily believe he would have • 
died before we reached Masulipatam, on the 
sixth day. The sickness having cleared his sto- 
mach and bowels of all nourishment, he appear- 
ed, for the last eight and forty hours he was on: 
board, unlikely to live from hour to hour. 

However I might deplore the. infatuated pre- 
judice arising from religious tenets, I pitied the 
yojflth^ and took as much care of him as if he had 
been my brother. He was conveyed on shore 
by. the first boat, imder the care of the Rajah^* 
N3 



pI6ots» iSihA iooti ^t mund ag^in. And ftttch 
were his attiichment and fidelity ever after, that 
nd temptation W^S strong enough to induce him 
to leave my eervice for superu ?^ rank and pay, 
which was loo often tenderedv in an ungentle- 
ifian-like way by officeiis of much higher rank 
than nayself, who hinted to hitti, that, should, he 
ever cj[u\t me, they would be glad to employ him; 
" He proved uncommonly dever, regulated and 
managed all my other servants so well that I 
had not the smallest trouble with them, and con- 
tinued with me for years, to the last moment of 
my stay in India ; when, prostrating himself at 
iny feet, while standing on the beach at Ma- 
dras, ready to embark, he clasped them with 
his hands and wetted them with tears of regret. 
This is a small tribute of remembrance due to 
my faithful Punnapa* 



139 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

Arrival at MasuRpatam ; Lieutenant BamewaW^ 
liberal offer to a stranger ; observations on the- 
superior liberality of the East, and consequent 
want of caution on returning to Europe -^ Mrs^, 
IT—— and her European servant. 



At Masulipatam, I experienced mort friendly 
and hospitable attentions from many ; and, be- 
ing invited by the chief, Mr, W"-— , I stopped 
a week there, together with a Lieutenant Bame-^ 
wall, who was waiting the arrival of his horses 
and pahmquin, which he had ordered with his 
servants from Madras. My horse (the present 
of Major Fitzgerald) came in company witb 
them. 

Lieutenant Barnewali was a gentleman of as 
respectable and antient a family as most in Ire- 
land, and had a distant prospect of sudbeeding 
to a title. He was remarkaibly hard featured, 
but possessed such an open cheerful counte- 
nance as would satisfy the greatest stranger of 
the liberality of his mind. 

It had so happened, on our passage together 
from^adraa, that we were not only strangers to 
pother, but equally so to all the other gen- 
tlemen Ott board, though there were nearly 



140 

twenty* To account for our selecting eacb other 
out, and forming an intimacy that rapidly in- 
creased into a friendship, which continued for 
y^ars and ended only with his- iife» I o;mnot, 
otherwise than by a sympathy of souls that drew 
us together^ There were several other pleasant 
gentlemen on board; yet, farther than the com- 
mon civilities of the day,, we seemed to separate 
ourselves entirely from them. Upon an after 
acquaintance, some of them said that 9ur exclu- 
sive intimacy was remarked at the time, and 
accounted for on the supposition that we were, 
old acquaintance. The following instance of the 
liberality of his mind may convey some idea of. 
his character, 

Oa the sixth day of our acquaintance, a few. 
hours before we landed at Masulipalam,. he led. 
me apart and thus addressed me : " By God ! my. 
friend, you must not take amiss what I am go- 
Uig to offer ;. for,, by heaven,. when I landed in In- 
dia five years back, I should have been, glad of, 
asimilsyf offer, for I came out poor enough. 
Xou'have been. but a short timjsjn this country,, 
and I know, by experience, your expenses must 
as yet have exceeded your income. Now, if it 
is with you as it was with me, and you are in. 
want of cash, I have two hundred pagodas to 
spare, and at your service, until quite convenient 
to re-pay me." I confess I liadnot then acquired, 
asufficient knowledge of the high-toned liberar 



141 

lity of the East, to save myself from surprise at 
so generous an offer from an entire stranger. 

A more mature acquaintance with European 
manners in India, ascertained, clearly to my sa- 
tisfaction, that a generous plant of nature, re- 
moved from Europe and taking good root in our 
India settlements, would produce fruit in a more 
liberal and abundant manner than at liomje. 
There is a chilling caution in most acts of friend- 
ly aid in Europe, which is scarely known in the 
British settlements in India, Not but^here are 
characters in India who are barren enough ; or, 
ifforced into bearing, the fruit is crabbed, and 
the plant, as well as the fruit, despised; But, if 
there be the smallest particle of native liberality, 
it will thrive and grow to the fullest perfection 
whfen nourished and cherished all around. 

And here, dropping the metaphor, I cannot 
refrain giving an opinion, however the fact may 
be lamented, that it is owing to an entire wa^t 
of the caution they carried from Europe, which 
long habits in the East have worn from their 
minds, (if old enough to have possessed any 
^en they first embarked for India,) that so 
many gentlemen, on their return home with 
handsome fortunes, have been ruined in a few 
years, and frequently without perceiving or 
knowing any thing of the mischief until it has 
happened, by incautiously engaging in specious 
speculations "of banking-houses, and other pro- 



149 

jects. Unpleasant as it may be for gentlemen, 
returning from the East with such warm glowing 
habits of generous unchecked liberality, to prac- 
tise cold caution, they will find it a necessary 
and prudent virtue in European climates, 

I was fortunate enough not to want the assist- 
ance so geneirously offered, but considered the 
obligation equally great. Our time passed mer- 
rily at Masulipatam, being always invited to the 
chiefs, with whom, if not engaged particularly 
elsewhere, it was a luxury to sit at a table where 
the lady-governess did the honours of the house 
with so niuch vivacity. 

A trifling incident that occurs to memory, 
which then produced a hearty laugh, may possi- 
bly create a smile now. The lady had prevailed 
on her husband to send home for an English 
footman to wait upon her, which, uncommon as 
it was and not allowed of, his interest had ma- 
naged, and George made his appearance while 
I was there. It was a custom in India, at that 
time, as soon as dinner was remove<l, for some 
of the palanquin boes, or carriers, to bring in a 
large bason and ewer with water, wi|h which 
they attended behind every chair; wtVen, each 
person putting his hands at the back;;,.pne of the 
boes poured water on them from tb^wer, w;hile 
the bason was held underneath bKj^iers. 

George, who had noticed tty^ode for a day 
or two, willing to shew his attention by waiting. 



143 

kimself upon his mietress, took the ewer from 
the palanquin boe, and was continuing to pour 
the water on his mistress's hands, notwithstand- 
ing the lady had called out to him to desist, by 
speaking in Moors, and, as she thought, to the 
Moormen, saying, ** Bus, bus, ge;" which sig- 
nifies, " Enough, enough, you." But George 
did not understand the Moorish tongue; and, 
being doubtful whether it was plain English, he 
continued pouring, but watching a repetition of ^ 
what his mistress said. The lady, likewise, be- 
ing at that instant engaged in relating something 
laughable about men wearing whiskers, was not 
very attentive to the water pouring; but, recol- 
lecting herself, she turned her face half round, 
saying, rather smartly, " Bus, bus, ge, I say." 
On which, poor George, thinking he could not 
mistake her meaning, very sheepishly put his 
chin close to her shoulder, whispering, that, *' he 
would, with a great deal of pleasure, if his mas- 
ter were not present." I believe no one heard 
what he said besides the good lady, aiid she 
thought it too good a joke, to keep to herself; 
therefore, as soon as she could refrain sufficient- 
Ify from excess of laughter, she explained the 
whisper to the great entertainment of the whole 
company, poor George excepted, who was 
obliged to retreat 

As all was peace now on the Coromandel coast, 
we were in no liastc to quit MasuUpatam, where 



144 



the hospitality of the chief, vivacity of his lady, 
and pleasant attentions of all the principal inha- 
bitants, made our time pass most agreeably. 



CHAP'TER XXVII. 

Arrive at Ellore ; fiattering reception \ again new 
disciplining the army. ^ . 



Lieutenant Bamewall accompanied me a- 
crods the Circars to Ellore, where our respective 
regitnents were quartered. The commanding- 
officer, Colonel Todd, to whom I had letters from 
. General Smith and others, welcomed me as an 
old acquaintance; observing, that, by prior let- 
ters he had received, he» understood- 1 was qua4i- 
fied, although bo young in rank, to teach him 
and the army u^der bis comipand a new and su- 
perior mode pf exercise. He begged, therefor^ 
that I Wo^ld consider piyself as one of his fam^ 
ly, a^d fihould expect to see me -at- his table 
whenever I was not particulajly engaged. This 
was not only flattering, but of considerable im- 
portance in point of expense, as it saved my 
keeping house, except on such occasions as I 



1« 

choie, by particular inritation^ to . brother-pfii* 

Orders were iss4ied for Xiew,4i«cipliAmg the 
troops, and my tinaa ww well filled up in atr 
tending many of ray superior officers, who re- 
quited it as a favour, together with drilling the 
adjutant and sergeants, who again drilled the 
men of tl^eir respective copipanies, under xny 
inspection. 

It was certainly a very honourable as well as 
singular circumstance tp happen to a young offi- 
cer, so soon after his entering the army. It was 
also a laborious task, but I possessed spirits and 
strength, at that time, equal to almost any thing, 
and the credit I thereby obtained throughout the 
army was an ample recompense. 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 

^ppointei judge^advocate ; colunteerto officiate 
aschaplain, by marrifing, christenirfg^ burying, S^c. 



ApTna several months busy employ this way, 
I was iiibstunexpectedly appointed judge-advo- 
cate for the Northern Circars. I confess I felt 
verj' difiident in umlerlaking giu ofllcc which I 

VOL. 1. O 



146 

had never contemplated nor thought myself 
qualified for; and, but for the friendly advice of 
the colonel and several other officers of rank, 
w^ho likewise promised their aid, I should have 
declined it. Having acceptjCd it, I seriously stu- 
died its very important duties; and, by close 
attention, I trust that, for several years, while I 
held the appointment, I discharged those duties 
faithfully and honourably. 

Ilikewise volunteered another serious duty, 
although I was fuller of mirth and glee than 
most. I could not see with iridift'erence the in- 
decorqus mode of burying our dead: there was 
no person appointed as chaplain or to officiate 
as such, either as to burials, Sunday-service, or 
any thing else that might betoken our having 
any religion. A military ceremony of firing 
over the grave was frequently all that was per- 
formed. 

On a visit ihat was paid us by the chief, from 
Masulipatam, in his way to Rajamuudra, to 
settle the jemibunda, or rents, which the diffe- 
. rentrsyalis were to pay the three, following years, 
I took the opportunity of mentioning to him ^j^ 
disgraceful appearance Which this mere ceW* 
mony had among the natites. The answer I 
received was, that the Company had provided 
■■' for the office of chaplain, by allowing five pa- 
godas a month to any gentlenian that would so 
officiate. In reply, 1 said, that no gentleman 



147 

would accept so paltry a pittance for what was 
to be considered a duty, though many rhight 
officiate without pay when it suited their con- 
venience ; but, to perform it as a necessary duty, 
no officer would undertake it for less than an 
eosigif s pay. 

I persuaded the chief to represtent this to the 
governor and council, otfering to perform the' 
whole duty ofa chaplain to the garrison, without 
pay, uj.til he obtained an answer. And this I 
did for about ten months in succession ; marry- 
ing, christening, burying, and reading the ser- 
vice to the troops, under a large banyan-tree, 
every Sunday: but the representation! was not 
successful. The marriages and christenings I 
regularly sent an account of to the clergyman 
at Madras, enjoining the parties to take the first 
opportunity of appearing before such clergy- 
man, for his confirmation. 

In cQinpany, the familiar call of Judge, or par- 
son, was muG^morefreqoentthan my own name: 
and it was laughable enough, in convivial par- 
ties, to hear the judge or parson called upon for 
^ merry song. 



6 9 



Ud 



CHAPTER XXIX. 



The EasUTndia Oompamfs military service pre- 
ferable to others ; a concise aceoufU of the Se- 
poys^ as queered by Europeans ; condition and 
advantages of such officers. 



t fAF^ED some of the pleasantest years of 
rfty fife in India, without any thing very material 
occufriug to myself. In truth, I consider the 
East-India Company's military service as far 
preferable to any other, for younj; men, espe- 
cially, who have not good. connections ami inte- 
rest to push them on to projli6tion in other ser- 
vices. 

The Sepoys compose the most numerous, re- 
gular, and best-disciplined, body df black troops 
in the world. They are raised from among the 
Yiatives, consisting of Moors, Rajappots, HiAg^ 
doos, and Pariars, besides other intermediaUr 
casts, of whom there is seldom any want for re- 
cruits; numbers generally attending every parade, 
stretching and exhibiting themselves to the best 
advantage in their power^ to induce the com- 
mauding-oflTicer of the battalion to accept theiu 
when vacancies happen. They are modelled and 



14d 

disciplined chiefly after the manner of the a"rmy 
in England; that is, they are formed into com- 
plete, uniforni, and regular, battalions, similar 
to our marching regiments. They are very at- 
tentive and emuloug to excel, and are therefore 
soon brought to the utmost exactness of disci- 
pline, in actibn, they are brave and steady, 
and h^ve been known to stand where Europeans 
have given way. 

But all this depends on their European offi- 
cers; without them, they are of no more strength 
6r effect than a rope of sand. They have very 
little confidence in eafch other, but experience 
has taught them, that, should a European officer 
lead them- into danger, they will not be forsaken 
fey him; and that, by his united skill and cou- 
rage, he will most probably gain the victory, 
and at all events abide with them and share the 
same fate. They have black officers, likewise, 
to each com pony: asubahdarandjemlndar, who 
are cummissioned ; and havildnrs aiid naigs, who 
are non-commissioned, similar to our sergeants 
and corporals. These are all very useful, acting 

Oiiidcr the l^ropeaaV oificers; one of whom, a 
lieutenant or an ensign, command^ each compa- 
ny. Their usefukicss and services are manifest; 
securing to the Company the internal gocd order 

*and preservation of their territorial districts, in 

many ca^es, better than.Eu.opeans. 

O a 



159 

They are sensible of thei^f owh consequence ift 
the eyes of the other natives, who treat tbem 
with a corresponHent respect* They are fre* 
quietttly detached, by one of more companies, to 
stations dependant oa the chief garrison in tliat 
district. The command of such <letachm€nt is 
more or less advantageous to the European ofFi- 
» oer to whom it is given, and solicited for accor- 
dingly. An officer of Sepoys is held rather 
preferable to the same rank in a European regi- 
nient, but be is obliged to follow the fortunes 
^nd. destinations of his own men, with his 
iespecti,ve corps : leading a life often replete with 
adventures of a peculiar liatute. An oflicerof 
Sepoys is frequently secluded from the rest of 
the world of his own coloar and language when . 
up ibe country in a small command of a hill- 
fort, &c,; possibly some hundreds of miles in 
tire interior parts of India, where none but na- 
tives are to be found. Yet such stations arc ia 
general feirly lucrative; nor is the condition 
iiard to him who is acquainted wifti the language 
of the country. 

Considering the kumense extent of terrltor]^ 
with the many flaillions of inhabitants, (Ibelieve 
eyrpassip^ the Roman empire at its height,) un- 
der the dominion of a company of merchants, 
the subjects of the kmg of an island m'any thou- 
sand miles distant; I may be allowed to conjec- 
ture, that, some centuries hence, the truth of 



151 

such an event will be doubted; and, if credited, 
considered as the mpst extraordinary circunl* 
stance that ever occurred in the history of go* 
vernmenls. 



CHAPTER XXX- 

Thoughts on the mode of seitUng the jemibunda 
which the Rajahs pay to the Company^ and con'' 
sequences of mismanagement ; the death of a 
Rajahi by his rebelling or refusing to pay ; scr^ 
verely wounded. 



It way not be considered wholly unconnected 
to state such observations as then occurred to 
me, relative to the bad managcraentin adjusting 
accounts with the native princes and Rajahs, 
when settling the jemibunda, or rent, to be paid 
by them for the tracts of land, with the villages 
and places which they hold of the Conipany as 
their lord-paramount. 

Once m tliree years, these Rsyahs, or petty 
princes, 'are convened together by one of the 
Company's civil servants, (generally one who is 
in council « high in civil rank.) who i« attended 



by a suitable paratde of inilitary, at the place ap- 
pointed, when the terms for the three following 
years are to be agreed on. The Rajah pay s dear- 
ly to continue in hia sovereignty, yet the Com- 
pany is but little benefited. 

The jemibunda is not much increased, if at all, 
but the douceur to the chief who fixes th« jemi- 
bunda, is squeezed to the utmost. The conse- 
quence is, that the r^jah, finding he cannot sup- 
port himself in his former splendour without 
squeezing his under-tenantry, takes half or even 
two thirds, instead of being satisfied with the 
usual division of one third, of the crop, The 
husbandman unwilling to leave his native fields, 
^submits to this extortion as long as he can ; at 
last, necessity drives him from home, and he 
flies beyond the Company's territory. 

When at Condepillee, in Golconda,* a small 
command, with four companies of Sepoys, I 
witnessed a certain proof of the difference be- 
tween the prosperity and population of the 
couutry that did not belong to the Company, on 
the western side of the hills on which Condepil- 
lee-Fort stood, and the once fertile plains of 
Colconda, to the eastward, belonging to the 
Company. 

It is' not forme to point out the remedy, 
though I conceive it would not be very difficult. 

• A province, formerly very feraous for its diiwond-min«# 



153 

Those in the Direction^ or who have strong in- 
terest tbereio, and have experienced the swetU 
of settling a jemibunda, know how it i8» but may 
not choose to acknowledge the fact. While 
oibers in the Direction, who are unacqnainted 
with auch exactions, are not expected to be* 
lieve it on the ba're assertion pf an individual ; 
yet, if they would make proper enquiry, it might 
be found true. 

I had not been twelve months in the Fort of 
Condepillee, when I waa ordered to join my 
battalion and march against the Rt'gah who had 
declined meeting the chief at Rajahmundra, 
where the jemibunda was to have been settled, 
and who afterwards refused to pay the rent 
affiixed to the territory he held. 

He depended too much on the natural strength 
ofhis situation, amid hills, bamboo woods, and 
jungles. He fell, and bis country was taken 
possession of; but not before we bad lost several 
olHcers and many men. It was on this service 
that I was unfortunate enough to be severely 
wounded, insomuch as to render me incapable of 
farther active service. At the time, it was not 
expected I could possibly survive. The great 
loss of blood I sustained before I had chirurgical 
aid, coupled with a perfect resignation and ease 
of miud as to the event, saved me from fever, 
and, under Providence, by the help of go^d 
army-surgeons, preserved my life. But my strong 



154 

ambitious hopes were all blasted and cut down. 
I had often boasted I could do as much on one 
leg as many did on two; and, for a temporary 
exertion,' it was true enough, but I woefully 
found the difference between one leg, and two 
9ound ones. 

From what I experienced in the service, the 
iewyears I was ia India, I quitted both with 
regret. But, finding it'necessary, I ewieavoured 
•to recoacile myself to my fate ; and, there being 
great difficulty in procuring; such accommoda- 
tion as I wanted, in my passage home from 
Madras, I determined to cross the Bay for the 
west coast, where I understood thtre was a 
'ship, bound for England, not likely to he 
crowded with passengera*. 



CHAPTER XXXL 

Various anecdotes, viz, f^sh falling in a sbotcer of 
rain ; deer bounding over soldiers heads in a line 
of march ; a young woman carried off by a 
tiger in sight of the army. 



Before I Iea\^ Madras, I will relate a few 
anecdotes, of matters, that occurred during my 
residence in the service. 



155 

In^licavy Bhower of rain, whil^ out amy wat 
on the march, a short distance from Pondi- 
cheny, atjuantity^of small fieh fell ^ith the rain, 
to the astonishment of all. . Many of them 
lodged in the men's hats; when General Smith, 
who commanded, desired th^m to be coHected, 
and afterwards when we came to our ground, 
they were dressed, making a small dish that 
was served up and eaten at the general's table. 
Tlie«e were not Jlyingjishf they were dead, and 
falling from the common well-known effect of 
gravity ; but how they ascended, or where they 
existed, I do not pretend to accounts I merely 
relate the simple fact. 

At another time, part of the army marching 
in line, a small herd of wild deer suddenly 
came across; and, without halting or turning, 
fairly bounded over the men's heads, without the 
smallest mischance to the men or tbemsclres, 
continuing in a direct line until out of sight. 
These may be called fiying deer^ and approach 
near enough to the old lady's ^ying cow. 

The conjecture w^, that they had been closely 
pursued by a tiger, who, not making his appear- 
ance, ^suppo^e was not quit so hungry as the 
tiger, who, at another time, sprung upon and 
seized a.sergeant's giri, as she rode on a bullock, 
accompanying the baggage belonging to the 
army, and carried her away in sight of the guarij 
attending the bj^gage. This was di flying tiger. 



15« 

iai I tbink may fairly be allowed to beat a 
fiying CO10, 

And, as it may be prudent tiM to attempt 
flying our kite any higher for tlie present^ I will 
|um to a different subject and endeavor to re* 
commend a little palatable kind of physic. 



CHAPTER XXXII. 



Anecdotes continued; Certain PowtVs recovery 
from a Gingee fener by drinking of Claret; our 
Pwf Master DanieVs recovery from a flux by 
drinking milkt ohervctfions ikereon. 



The Gingee ffevcr had tagcd violently, and 
earned off many men and officers. Captain 
Powel, who lay dangerously tU with it, waa 
much esteemed in the army, and his iniitnate 
friends made anxious inquiries fS^txy time the 
doctors visited htm; by them, his case wiis 
soon pronounced hopeless. A brother officer, 
observing the surgeon coning oilfcfrona Powel's 



157 

tent, stepped up and inquifed how Tie iras. 
" Poor fellow 1" said Smrfafr, the surgeon, ** I 
shall not see him alive on my fetorn from visiting 
the other sick/' As this passed dose in front of 
his tent, Powel heard it; but, as he afterw'artls 
frequently mentioned in convivial company where 
Sinclair was present, he thought the snrgeoa lied 
a little, as he felt sound in heart, though so re* 
(luced as to be incapable of helping himsMf. He 
had repeatedly requested of the doctors, in the 
raost earnest manner that they would permit 
him to drink claret, which they peremptorily 
refused, declaring theyivoujid as soon adiniuister 
poison. As soon, therefore, as Powd found 
they were gone, he ordered his Dubash servant 
to bring him a magnuni bonum of claret, (hold- 
ing three pints). His servant, knowing how 
strongly this had been refused,, expostulated a 
little, until his master swore, if he did not in- 
stantly obey him, he would get up and blow his 
brains out with a pistol. Fortunately for Powel, 
his Dubash did not recollect that his master was 
utterly incapable of rising: he brought him 
the object of his longing, drew the c6rk, and by 
his master's directions h^ld the bottle to his 
mouth. Thrice did he suck iik the delicious 
beverage as long as his breath would allow, by 
which he drank more than half the contents' 
Somewhat satisfied, and fatigued with the exer- 
VOL. I* P , 



158 

ibn, he told his Dubash to place the rcmaindeif 
under his cot, land in a few minutes fell asleep. 

Between^ two, and three hours after, as the sur- 
geon was returning and saw the Dubash stand- 
ing outside the tent, he inquired why he was 
not in more close attendance on his master,^ if 
be were aJive. fie was told, in reply, that Cap- 
tain PoWel had been in a sound sleep for more 
than two hours, and still continued so. •* A 
sound sleep," says Sinclair; " yes, ppor fellow ! 
I dare say it is sound enough: he must be dead: 
however, I will look at him.'' He then stepped 
into the tent; and, to Ills great surprise, found 
his patipnt in a fine breathing sweat, fast asleep. 
He felt his pulse, and, his astonishment in- 
creasing, he turned to the Dubash to make in- 
quiries ; when, the ihan pointing to the magnum 
bonum under the cot, Sinclair took it up^ saw 
what was gone, and heard the whole account. 
Replacing the bottle under the cot, he left the 
tent, saying to the Dubash, " damn the fellow ! 
let him drink as much as he likes when he 
awakes." Powel recovered and lived many years 
after. 

I likewise witnessed as singular a recovery from 
the bloody fliux;^ Our pay-master, Mr. Daniels, 
at EJlore, wai^ jn tKe ktst stage of this disorder, 
and given up by the faculty. He had all along 
earnestly desired to dirink milk, and as earnestly 
been refused. Having a wish to be removed to 



the sea-'coasi, they were conveying him gently 
iu his palanquin, though the doctors doubted his 
being able to live the journey out. At the first 
pettah, or vill&ige, he stopped at, being clear of 
his medical frien4s, he ordered his servants to 
procure him milk, of Mrbich he drank freely, and 
continued taking that and nothing else the whole 
journey: he speedily found relief from the 
disorder, and by perseverance in his milk diet 
soon recovered. 

From various cases w^ithin my ov^rn knowledge, 
I am persuaded that many lives are lost from 
inattention to the urgent claims of those suffer- 
ing under violent disorders. Medical gentle- 
men,.! think, would do well to relax a little from 
fixed principles of practice, when Nature ap- 
pears so powerfully to call for that kind of aid 
which suits her best, although it may militate 
against their professional judgment. 



P2 



J60 



CHAPTER XXXIIL 

J>eMth of an ojfficer who was refused porter in a 
fever ; an agreement entered intOy in consequence^ 
by several officers^ to administer relief to each 
other if demanded i peacocks and tigers found in 
the same wild haunts; Copdepilleey or the Hills 
of Tigers, abounding with monkeys ygreenpigeojis, 
and paroquets; men^s nests in trees, from which 
the natives shoot tigers. 

I WITNESSED the death of one brother-officer, 
who, for the last day or two of a raging fever, 
was continually falling for porter* but it was 
not allowed.to be given to fiiiji. He urged hU 
request in language so strong and pathetic, to 
all who called to see him, as induced some of us 
to join in his entreaties; but we were gravely 
told, that, whoever did give him porter, would 
murder him. He was, therefore, suffered to die 
secundum artem. 

It made so strong an impression on several, 
•who were of opinion that porter might possibly, 
or rather probably, have saved him, that we en- 
tered into a solemn written agreement with each 
other, which we signed, that, if any of the sub- 



161 

scribing parties should by illness of any kind 
be brought ta a (ji&ngerous state, and then ex- 
press a strong desire for any thing which the 
doctors should refuse, any of the aforesaid parties^ 
who had it in their power, would certainly ad- y 
minister to such claims, notwithstanding all 
the doctors might say. 

It may be thought strange that wild peacocks 
and tigers should frequently be found in the 
same haunts. Not that there is the slightest 
cpnnexion or affinity between them, but that 
the same desolate, wild, woody, parts among 
the mountains seem to suit each. In going out, 
therefore, to shoot the former, it is necessary to 
go pretty strong, both in numbers and arms, to 
be guarded against the latter. The wild pea- 
cock is a tolerable good substitute for a turkey ; 
but it was more for the sport than the value 
that I frequently went out in such parties, .con- 
sisting generally of two or three officers, attend- 
♦ed by some Sepoys. The English name of Con- 
depillee is the Hills of Tigers, but they abound 
likewise in various sorts of monkeys; also large 
flocks of beautiful green pigeons and paroquets. 
1 often tried but never could get near enough ta 
the pigeons to kill any. 

Some of t^e natives will go, singly, into the 

most unfrequented wild parts of these hills and 

remain for two or three days, in the hope of 

killing a tiger for the sake of his skin. As their 

P3 



169 

inethod of prciceeding appeared curioos tome, 
the relation may be so to others. They fix on 
a tree, in a likely situation, whose branches arc 
high and convenient enotigh for them to build 
what they call a man's nest, which is nothing, 
more than a number of sticks and boughs inter- 
woven among the branches, big. enough to lie 
along upon and high enough to be out of the 
spring of a ti^er. To this they go in the day- 
time, carrying boiled rice and water sufficient 
for the time proposefd to watch for the chance 
of a tiger's passing near enough to fire at with a 
match-lock gun. The principal danger is in the 
passing to and from their nest, which will serve 
them for a long time. I have, in some situations, 
seen two of these nests built near enough 
though on different trees, to see, converse with, 
^nd aid, each other: but they commonly re* 
main perfectly silent the whole time of watch- 
ing- . 



163 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 

Poisonous snakes dificuU to distinguish from tl0 
branches thfyjie upo^; the large moumair^ 
snake\ a mrrow escape from tt Covr0 Manilla 
whose bite is certain dedtk. 



I APPREHEiJDED mucli daDgcf from a poi- 
sonous little snake, lying along on the branches 
of low trees, &c. so nearly of the same colour 
with them as to be difficult to see and distinguish 
them, if molested, and near enough to inflict a 
wound which, if ever so slight, often proves 
fatal. They lie thus, to surprize small birds. 

The large mountain-snake is said to inhabit 
some of the wildest parts of this extensive 
range of mountains. A petty Rajah, who re^ 
sided about nine coss, or twenty three miles, 
from Cohdepillee-Fort, sent us an invitation to 
cpmeandseea very large one that was killed 
the day before. But the hot land-winds at that 
time making the journey inconyenient and dis- 
agreeable, as we mqst have travelled' with a 
suitable retinue of Sepoys and servants, it was 
declined. However, to satisfy our curiosity in 



164 

part, we requested the Rajah to send a short 
junk, or piece, of the snake, by some coolies, 
whom we sent back with his Hircar for that pur- 
pose. When brought, it was so very offensive 
as to prevent our examining it closely, and we 
conceived must have been considerably swelled: 
it was much larger in circumference than either 
of us four European officers, two of us stout 
though not lusty. I have seen live snakes of 
this species carried about by show men, which 
were full a3 big round as the stout calf of a man's 
leg. 

The Covra Capell and the Covra Manill, 
are reckoned the most poisonous* snakes in 
India. Every man who has been much in the 
interior must have seen the former in abundance. 
I had a very narrow escape from injury by one of 
the latter. 

On the evening of my arrival at Samulcotah, 
in the Northern Circars, my Dubash informed 
mci that, on opening my camp-cot to prepare 
it for my sleeping on, they discovered a Covra 
Mianill lying quietly coiled up under my pillow, 
from which the servants had shrunk back with 
fear. Taking a bamboo in my hand, accompa- 
nied by other officers, v^e went to the cot; 
and, one of them turning the pillovv back with 
the end of his cane, the gentleman was still 
lying coiled up, and^ on rearing his head, re- 
ceived such a bloiW from my bamboo as com* 



165 

pletely lowered Us ciost and iiicapacitated him 
from doing miscbiet I bad not used my cot 
for three or four preceding aight^, but had. con--. 
teQted myself, where ever we bad baited, with, 
sleeping on a caiytelVkair cloth spread on the 
ground. We concluded, therefore, that the 
soake bad, during the last bait, while the cot 
was placed with other baggage on the ground,. 
crept into this snug birth. How wc might b|ive 
agreed as bed-fellows was, fortunately, not put 
to the test. 



CHAPTER XXXV- 

Extraordinariffriew of a thunder-storm when sitting 
fter aho^e it, tcith a dtseription of ike fort cohere 
it happened; its efeet on the Author, and his 
observations^ 



The lingular appearance of a thunder-storm, 
which I witnessed at Condepillee, deserves a. 
better description than I am capable of giving i 
to enable the Reader to form a clearer con- 
ception, it may be proper to give him some 
idea of the fort and situation. 



166 

The whole comprehends three forts, one with- 
in the other. The pettar, or* village^ is to the 
eastward on the outside the fort» at the foot of 
the hills, knd opening on the plains of Golcon- 
da*. The wall of the outer fort (as it is called) 
is some miles in extent, encompassing several 
hills: the wall itself is bu^t not much unlike 
some of the stone fences to be seeh in various 
parts of England, nor is Jt stronger. The tnid- 
dle fort is so high up the hills as to make the 
greater part of it inaccessible^ by perpendicular 
rocks. The passage up from the lower fort is 
formed )by regularly cut stone steps, several feet 
wide, and winding in its ascent up the valley. I 
have run up it in twenty minutes, but it required 
three <j|uarter8 of an hour to walk it leisurely. 
] Little or nothing had been done, when I was 
^here, to strengthen it, though very capable of 
improTement. The inner fort was an exceeding 
high pinnacle of a rock, completely inaccessible 
every way except by a narrow path up stone 
6teps, so high from one to the otheic and insecure 
withal, as to require both hands and feet to 
climb up in safety. A large stone tank, or re- 
servoir, hollowed out of the solid rock, was 
always full of water, and must have hieen sup- 
plied by the clouds, which often epcompassed 
and crowned its head. Not being comniaiided 
by any other height, a few men could defend it 
against any force, so long as they had provision- 



167 ^ 

In hdt weather, we frequently afecei\[3lfed to the 
middle' fort,» on account of the pleasant tempe- 
rature of the air; thedifference being such, that, 
while people below would be gasping for breath 
from the heat, we could with pleasant e^se move 
about, or even play at trap-ball, in thii higher 
fort. 

I had one afternoon climed up ta the Devil's 
Arse a-Peak,* to enjoy the extensive • prospect 
and breathe a cooler air, when the clouds began 
to gather along the eastern side of the mountain, 
about mid-wlay between me and the plain, or 
lower fort, where we resided. It was not long 
before the lightning and thunder produced a tre- 
mendous, but most awfully grand, effect from 
the clouds below me- The lower fort, the pet- 
tah, and plains, were deluged with rain, while I 
«at; on high, with a serene, beautiful, clear sky 
over my head, calmly looking down, delighted 
with the playful a]^pearance of the lightning, as 
it darted in beautiful zig-zags from the clouds at 
my feet, while the loud peals of thunder rever* 
berated along the different' valleys between the 
mountains. 

I have seen many grand sights, but never any 
thing comparable to the superlatively-glorious 
view that was then presented. 1 fancied myself 
like Jupiter, on Mount Olympus, when hurling 

• A najBie gWcn to tht upper foit by the EngliaU- . 



^ IBB 

his tbnndeiCbrffs. Nay, fnore> luy heart boun<l- 
ed ifi ecstacy an^ gratieful adoration to the 
Ddfty^ -who thus aS^nled m^ a kii>d of foretaste 
of suprenae pleasure and happiness, aris^rng from 
inward sensation more than from the grand out- 
ward spectacle I had been witJtcss to, and which, 
prior to that moment, I could form no concep- 
tion of enjoying. I felt as if etherial rather 
than mortal ; and it was not until long after the 
storm below had been dispersed, and the shades 
ef evening were approadiing, that I could per- 
suade myself U> leave the spot where I had ex- 
perienced such exquisite mental felicity. 

Possibly there arp many who may smile at my 
declaring, that often since, when I have been in 
critical situations whether I should live or die, 
the recollection of this faint view of what a 
refined mind is capable of enjoying, has tended 
more to divest me'of fear concerning death, and 
encouraged the hope of exchanging this life for 
a be€ter, than the knowledge of any other cir- 
ctmistance, I have othemise obtained. 



169 



CHAPTER XXXVL 

A royal tiger destroying a large bufalo; another 
royal tiger^ his demeanor, with the effect on a 
horse and rider. 



Much lias been said of the strength, size, and 
properties of the royal tiger, (the largest of the 
species,) and many doubts have arisen of what 
is reported concerning him. ^ 

Some years back, I fielt grievously offended . 
with a near relation, who, on my answering a 
question put to me by a gentleman in company, 
relative to the reported strength of the fore paws 
of a royal tiger, broke into a loud laugh, ex- 
claiming. « a traceller r The irritable eft'ecte 
I experienced from souijepected an aflroht, on a 
point well known to thousands, and the conse« 
quences I made him instantly feel, have served 
ever since to put me on my guard in company, 
to prevent subjecting myself to a similar un- 
pleasantness. 

The most extraordinary instance of their 
strength^- that came within my own view, was 
on a visit to a gentleman who had engaged, to 

VOL. I. Q 



170. 

supply % oontract a quantity of stone chunam^ 
or lime, for the Company's use. He resided in a 
village formed chiefly of his own workmen, in 
a district across the Kistna, out of the Com- 
pany's territories. It was a complete wilder- 
ness where he lived, and without any other Eu- 
rpinean. We made a^ party of four, taking-, a 
^uard of Sepoys with us. 

About midnight, when on this visit, we were 
alarmed by a cry of " Burra pillee, hurra pillee/' 
•* a great tiger, a great tiger," by numerous loud 
voices, with considerable screaming from the n|t« 
lives living in the pettah. Our sentinel turned 
out the guard ; We were soon up and armed, and 
sallied forth with lighted torches. Pursuing a 
track of blood for more than sl hundred yards, 
we found a buffalo* that had been dragged 
away, after he was struck and torn from the 
pickets, or ropes, which, he was fastened to, by 
A tiger, whom we did not see, the lights, toge- 
ther with the alarm, halving made him quit hia. 
, prey. The buifalp was stretched along the earthy 
and dying. The tiger had struck him in the 
throat with onfs of his fore paws^ so deep as to 
injure the wind->pipe, and occasion his death. 
Haying a large hand and long.fingers, I tiied in. 
vain to put the ends of my fingers into tbelioles 
which the tiger's claws had made in thebulDfalo's' 

* \ tame animal) the size of an ox, kept for work. 



in 

neck; from which I leave the Reader to form 
his own judgement of the royal tiger. 

I likewise met with one ot the family, when 
taking a moVning's ride before breakfast, who 
feehaved in a Very gentletoah-iike manner, not 
beihg in thfe least disturbed himself, though he 
put both me and my horse into a terrible aguish 
trembling, followed by a hot fit arid profuse per- 
Bpiration. I had ordered my gurrawalla,* ot 
horse-keeper, to wait for my coming back at 
some little distance from the fort, instead of ac- 
companying me. I rode on smaVlly by myself 
for four or five miles, when,: doubling the pro-' 
jecting pbint of a hill, I spyed a handsome rbyal- 
tiger sitting on his breech, with his ^ind foot» 
Which I fancy he was licking, up to his head ; 
Vrhen the noise we madie occasioned him to lOo^: 
tov^ards us. My horse must have seen him as 
soon as I did, for he made a dead halt almost 
down upon his haunches, and nearly unseated 
me. The royal animal, within two stones thro\f , 
neither altered his position nor changed count^ 
nance; but gen tleman«like, seemed to wait our 
explaining the motive of so unceremonious ^vi- 
sit. Both my horse and myself deemed soiasicl- 
nated by his royal presence, that we could not- 
take oiir eyes from him a moment. 

I tried in vain to turn my aAimal's head ; but, 
having a strong cutting Moorman's bit in his 
mouthy with considerable exertion I forced him 
Q9 



172 

back, until the point we had doubled relieved 
our eyes from the en^hantraent that had so 
rivetted our attention. My horse was no longer 
ashamed of turning his back ; he was of a high- 
bred Persee cast, very fleet and mettlesome, 
yet the perspiration dropped from him like 
water, attended with a nervous shaking ; and so 
little was he disposed to make uhe of his legs, 
that it was some time before I could force him 
into a gallop* During this unpleasant delay, my 
eye was more over my shoulder, looking back» 
than forwards; and I had made my mind up, in 
case his majesty should agaiii make his appear- 
ance to know our business, to leave my horse to 
settle that point and trust to my own limbs; 
but his majesty seemed veiy indifferent about us, 
either in or out of sight. My horse, at length, 
began to find the use of his limbs, and we were 
not long returning home. 

My gurra walla could not conceive what was 
the matter with the horse ; and, when informed, 
blessed himself and Ali, his prophet, a thousand 
times. The horse was not well for some days 
after, nor did he ever like to take that path 
again, even in good company. 



173? 



CHAPTEH XXXVII, 

Alarm in iraoelling through a toood, in a ^tomy 
nighu 



AnotH^fiA tMfe, I had a twth longer altub 
wh^ tr&v^Ultig in cbtaj^any with abrotheivIi6ii« 
temiftt through a wood^ in th« iiighu Being 
«fd«fed to ani^yther itatiion^^ we had tf^velled two 
days^ making t^alar haltd^with ourbagg^e^ , 
seivaitts, and a small guard of Sepoys. . 

Rettittg nnd^ a; pleasant tope of tmes during ^ 
tbefacaftoethe ladt dajr^ and amused by the agi« 
litjr of some dancing-girls .from an adjoining 
?ilbge, .w^ sent onr baggage and all Our artid}es 
off iome hours befbrc^ that our quarters might 
be prepared on our^arri^al; keeping only out. 
Mises and the setVants belonging to them* Un^ 
luckily, MT^'took^oo long a'nap in the afterfloon ; 
BO that,' by the time we reached a lottg wood we 
had to pass through, of near twelve miles in 
extent^ the sun was going down and the clouds 
tbrettened a storm. Prudent men would have 
retttfued to the village, where there was a toler- 
akfle choltry far sboker, and whet e we might have 
been supplied With a good curry and rice, if re* 
Q3 



174 

quired ; but soldiers do not like a retrograde mo^ 
tion when duty urges them forward. 

We put on a dog-trot, as fast as our horse, 
keepers couldtravel ; but it grew dark and stormy 
before we reached one third of the way through 
the wood. "Phe viriety ofdiscordant tones, from 
the numerous wild animals that inhabited so 
large a wood, cannot be easily conceived. TJie 
close of the day, when most of them leave their 
bkdiog-placed, coupled with the approaching 
atorm, probably increased their customary sere- 
nade. That ofthejackall waa the only distin- 
guishable note, except thijt wild boars twice 
rushed across ourpath^way,.gnashing their tusks; 
but they were gone in an instant and were the 
only toimals we really saw. It was an undistin- 
guishable chbrus of hideous wild notes, most of 
them, probably, from insignificant animals^ but 
not the less alarming ; and we well *knew there 
were animals, prowling about for prey, not to.be 
tritied with ; against whom, from the darkness of 
the night, we could not possibly be guarded by 
any warning of their approach. All we could 
do was to ride with our pistols ready cocked in 
our hands; to which, a% a preventive, we added 
all the terror our united voices were capable of 
inspiring, from a general well-known conceit, 
that all wild animals are frightened at the human 
voice. Conceiving, therefore, tlsiftt an old war- 
like sea^song would make as much rumbling 



lis 

noise as any other we could adopt, for a length 
of time, we roared them out lustily, directing 
our.attendants to join us in jDoise, though not in 
song, of which they knew not a syllable ; but 
they made it up in quavering and' screaming. 
And, in sober truth, if ever the " human voice 
divine" was likely to teriify, I think our Dutch 
concert had as fair a chance of performing it to 
advantage as any that wa» ever attempted. 

The storm, likewise, came on most violently 
when we arrived within the last two miles of 
this tedious long avenue through the wood. 
The lightning* thunder, wind, and rain, were sq 
severe, that pur horses turned tail to the storm 
and remained immoveable for more than half 
an hour. In this situation, our attendants had 
ratncr the advantage, by taking shelter under 
our horses, where they sat like monkeys on 
•their haunches. When the storm abated, we 
proceeded; all was then quiet; and we derived 
consolation from gaining the plain in safety. 
Riding briskly near three miles farther, we got 
to our quarters somewhat recruited in spirits, 
which dry clothes and a bottle or two of Ma- 
deira completely restored. 



1^8 



CHAPTEK XXXVia 

JRaioking; ttgef'shooiihgtyEuropeaTisi hunting 
ikb wild boar» 



Th£ Moormen in India are very fond of 
hawking, wbich, to a keen sportsman^I thought^ 
more dangerous than either shooting tigers or 
hunting the wild boar* In what mannei»> it was 
formerly followed in Europe, when considered a. 
royal spqrt, t do not know ; hut in India, where 
the game frequently soar and fly, a sportsman 
sees but little of the sport, unless, with his eyes- 
constai^tly fixed on it, he follows as hard afi he 
can ride, guiding his horse he knows not whither, 
at the risk of his- neck. 

Tiger-shooting may seem hazardous ; but, as 
far as I have seen or known concerning it^ there 
IS not much sport and little or no hazard. Along 
the skirts of woody hills^ where tigers are sup^ 
posed to haunt, there are commonly ruins.of old . 
stone buildings to be found/ nearly overgrown 
and hid by trees and underwood. The parties, 
going on such exploits, provide a kid or goat, and 
fasten it to a bush in good view of the ruin, on 
the top of which they secure and hide themselves - 



1T7 

when evening approaches. The poor animal, 
thus tied, soon begins to bleat loud enough to 
attract the notice of any ti^er that is within a 
reasonable distai¥^e. It requires a good look out 
on every side to watch a tjiger*s approach, as he 
creeps along slow and close : when discovered, the 
muskets are pointed and follow his motions, un- 
til the captain of the party gives the word fire. 
The most favourable moment is, when the tiger 
crouches to make his spring, at the goat. It is 
usual, likewise, to have oth^ muskets^ ready 
loaded, carried by attending sepoys, incase the 
first fire should not^kill the be^ist . 

Huqting the wild boar is far preferable, re- 
quirmgboth courage and address. There aredogs 
in India well calculated for this diversion. It is 
requisite to be out early in the morning* that 
you may ride to the*ground, where you expect 
to find one, ^before day-light. Before these ani- ^ 
majs retire to their haunts within the woods, they 
resort to some favourite watering-place to lave 
and drink ; the. huntsman's aim is to intercept 
them on. their return to the wood. 

When found, the dogs are slipped, and the 
animal, aware of his danger, attempts to gain 
the wood. Pogs^ that are well trained and used 
to it, will frequently make their attack in the 
following way : the boldest will advance a little 
wide from, each side of the boar's head, ready to 
seize a favourable opportunity, when the fierce 



178 

animal is throWn off hh guard, by kti attack, in 
hid real-, from other dog«, who, assailing either 
his hiiid legs of flanks^ may trip him on his side. 
Or, being wotmded by a spekr from a horseman 
during the chice, and turning on such adver- 
sary, an ojjportunity offers to the dogs of seizing 
him to the be«t advantage, and keeping clear of 
his terrible ttisks, than which nothing can wbU be 
more irfe^istably destructiv.e, wherever the en- 
raged ai;)imal can make a stroke. Dogs frequent- 
ly fall victims to their fierce rashness in attacking, 
nor arfe the horses dr horsemen free from danger. 
A k^en bold Sportsman will ride up as near to 
the smiuKiiStl ^ he thinks he can make certain of 
thrcrwitig his spear, with stren^^th enough to 
pierce hissid^; but both horse and rider should 
know what they are about and be gradually 
trained, by keeping a more respectful distance 
iintil both are well aware what is to be done the 
instant the spear is thrown. 

I will endeavour td ndake this understood beU 
ter, by describing the manoevre. Riding up 
about half or three quarters speed, as it inay 
happen, the sportsman, With his s|)eaf in one 
fcand and the bridle tight in the other, and 
Bttoding in hisistirrups, should, dt the fnoment 
he has thrown his spear, wheel his horse short 
round upon his heel, otherwise they ruti coasi- 
derable risk from the highly-etiraged animal, 
trben wounded, turning sharp upon thefii# 



179^ 

I witnessed one accideot of this kiiki, where 

Ensign L 7, afine-spirited little fellow, having 

wounded the boar^ from, wamt of address in the 
management of hia horse, or the horse not rea» 
dily answering the bit, the boar turned quick, 
enough to strike the horse with his tusk ; and, 
ripping u^ his boweUj tlirew both man and horse. 
Fortunately, L-— escaped any farther iiyury 
than the fall, as the men on foot,, armed with* 
spears, and some of the horse;mien who dismount* 
ed, run up with their spears to the aid of the 
I aad soon dispatched the boar* 



CHAPTER XXXIX. 
Indian vonjurors* 



Without any pretension to being thought a 
conjurer myself, I may venture to give a general 
opinion of the relative merits of the natives of 
Europeand those of Asia. In avariety of slight- 
of-hand practices, tl^e Asiatics may be reckoned 
at least equal to their European brethren, while 
some of their objects of deception and dexterity 
appear on a far larger scale and more difficult 



180 

to account for. Ab specimens, I will mention 
an instance or two. 

At a chaveau, or treat, given td a. large, party 
of officers, in a tope, or grove, of niangoe-trees, 
a travelling conjurer and son made their grand 
saalam* in the course of- the afternoon, offering 
to shew their exploits. The boy who might be 
eleven or twelve years old, knelt down at about 
three-score yards distance: any officer wasde- 
Bired to take a melon and place it on the boy's 
bead. The father, driving a crotch-stake into 
the ground near to us, charged his match-lock 
gun with powder, and theu requested any of the 
company to load it with a bullet which he pro- 
duced. Kneeling down, he took his aim by 
resting the point of his long gun on the crotch; 
and, firing, shot through the melon. This he 
performed three times, and there was no appear- 
ance of imposition, the boy being closely watch- 
ed by officers who stood a little apart on each 
side of him. We credJtetl flie father according- 
ly for his excellent shot; but he so completely 
deceived us in some other feats of dexterity, 
that, at the close of liis performances^i we con- 
cluded there must have been some deception in 
his firing at the melon, though we could not dis- 
cover it. One of his tricks was as follows, 

• The name of an Asiatic mode of sa!ulatiMn, e-p.(^i{dly towaif*< I 
superiors. '• ' • 



}81 

He put the boy inta a round basket* iwith $. 
lid to cover it; but first sent the boy with ano- 
ther such basket empty, which he placed on the 
earth about the same distance he had been fired 
at. When the lid of the basket was tied dowa 
over the boy, the father spoke, and the voice 
answered as from the boy id the basket, close to 
us. The fether ordered his son to remove into 
the basket that bad been carried imd (daced at 
the distance of sixty yards or more, empty; 
and, in about the time itmight have taken to 
walk that distance, the son called to his father, 
the voice sounding as from tl^ farther basket. 

On this, thi? father untied the lid| opened and 
turned the basket up, empty ; ,and, orderii[|(j^ the 
boy to shew himself he did so by rising up from 
the distant basket. This feat, ox trick, was art* 
peated, but we could not discover it. 

At another time, I have seen a girl, about fif- 
teen years of ag^, suspended in the cen^e ot a 
large tent, without any apparent means of sup<* 
porting her from falling. She was huddled nil 
in a heap and $ waddled thick with clothes, so as 
to shew only her face, which lookcil sickly. Wie 
v^ere not allowed to touch either her orthe bun« 
dieshe was wrapped in, but we cut the air above 
and below her every way, with our swords, as 
we walked round her, without being able to ac» 
count by what means the bundle, with the. tiirl 
in the middle, was susp(*ndod. I resign it, there- 

VOL. I. K 



192 

fore, for solution^ to wore aWe conjurors than 
myself. 



CHAPTER XL. 
' Dutch hospitality ; Free^Masonry^ 



1 HATt mentioned the generous liberality of 
British settlers in the East, and will now relate 
a curious anecdote of Dutch hospitality. 

I had been some years up the countrywithout 
an opportunity of seeing salt water, which I felt 
an inclination to bathe in^ Being within half a 
day's ride oif Jagganaporam, a Dutch settlement 
oi the Coromandel coast, I obtained leave of 
absence for a week; and, sending off a few ser- 
vants with what little baggage I might want, I 
followed on horseback, with no bther attendant 
than my Gurrawalla, and provided with a letter 
to the Dutch governor, frorti rriy comihanding 
officer, to signify who and what I was* 

It was pleasant, promising weather, when 1 
left'Samulcotah; but, about the middle of my 
journey, such a torrent of raip fell, without 
wind, as made it difficult to breathe^ and at 



188 

timf s I was compelled to put my hand orer Agr 
ifostrils, to shelter thepi while I drew a long 
breath* In tess than an houfi the nullahs, or 
rivers, whose sandy bottoms were quite dry be-. 
fore, were so full as to oblige my horse to swim 
in crossing them* 

It was near dusk when I reached Jagganapd- 
ram : the rain bad ceased some time, and, as is 
often the case in India, a beautiful fine evening 
succeeded* I dismounted in- the pettah and left 
my horse to the care of my gutrawalla : of my 
other servapts,^ with the baggag^^ I could leora 
DO tidings. Necessity, therefore, compelled me 
to enter the fort as I wad, and to wait on the go^ 
vernor in that soused 4md pickled condition. I 
found him and a few gentlemen of the settle*- 
ment enjoying themselves in the open air, smoc- 
king and drinking. I was complimentied with a 
seat, and asked if I would " a pipe rooken and a 
soopky driuken?*' to which I readily answered^ 
" ^avr, mynheer;" and soon found I had little or 
nothing else to trust to, to guard against the ill 
effects of remaining in my wet clothes. It is 
true, that neither of us understood each other 
sufficiently to hold conversation *, but, between 
Dutch and French, 1 acquainted them repeated* 
» ly with my uncomfortable situation, and what 
ought to have been sufficient intelligence to 
them, was my wringing the wet from my gar- 
ments and shewing my boots full of wUter. Yet» 
R2 



184 

iiith the true eoldness of a Dutchman's heanrt^ I* 
was suffered so. to remain without tUesmallest 
ai4, but !», repetition of "will you another pipe 
rookeaand asoopkydrinken?" Literally, there* 
fpre^ d^d I snvoke aud dripk for )ife. 

I think I was in my third pipe, taking care 
lijiewi^se to fill: luy glass whenever the bottle 
came to hand, when an addition was made to the 
company by iji?j prseven other gentlemen-of the 
. settlemenl. One qf them I soon fou^id to be 
the dqctor^, and, possessing much- greater viva- 
fjity.than th6 rest, I also, discovered him to be a 
Free^Mason, and, drinking to him, soon niade 
myself knowc^a^ a brother* He, shifted his seat, 
jieajrtome ia an instant, and was soon satisfied 
I was the higher ma$on: pointing out to him 
my distress, he hurried me away to his house, 
where I was stripped and soon equipped with 
4ry clothes. I would fain have gOne to rest, 
but be advised me by all means (having satSQ 
long in wet clothes) to go back and eat a hearty 
supper, giving me at the same time something 
Jio drink. I did so, accompanied him again to 
the. governor's, was introd need to the governor's 
wife and daughters, (lively pleasant girls,) got 
into good spirits, laughed at my Dutch rigg- 
.ing, eat and drank myself into a perspiration; 
and, after a good night's rest, rose the following 
morning, free from any of the expected ill coa- 
sequences. 



185 



CHAPTER XLT. 



A strange thief; method of shaming the mat 
audacious^ 



From among the variety of triafs befote me 

as judge-advocate, I select two ; the one $ui a 

proof of an innate ungovernable principle for 

thieving, even where no benefit could arise; 

the other, to evince that the most audaciously 

hardened, may be brought to a sense of shame. 

A young soldier, whohad often been punished 

for pilfering and stealing from his comrades and 

others, was again confined under a similar 

charge. Two other soldiers were under confine- 

meulifor different offences at the same time: 

they broke Oiit undiscovered in ti?e night, were 

not to be found the next morning, and were all 

reported as deserters. Parties were sent after 

thlm, and European soldiers, answering their 

descriptidn, were traced beyond the Company*^ 

terriiCNries, but not takan. 

For mote than two months after, scarcely a 
nifht passed without articles being lost from tjie 
officers* quarters within the fort : swards, sashes, 
gorgets, and clothing of all kinds; none of 
which could either be made use of or converted 
R3 



to money ia that part of the country. Vexation 
on the part of the loser^ and laughter at the un- 
accountable strangeness of the circumstance, 
Vere excited erery day. Even the soldiers' 
victuals, with some of their cboking-utenslls, 
were stolen ;^n,d, as it was. well known that none 
of the natives would make use of them, or even 
cooW be forced to it, it appealed the more won- 
derful. Some of the soldiers swore the fort was 
baunted, and went so far as to declare they hrad 
seen the apparition : this opinion was increasing 
Avitbin the garrison, and fellows, that would 
have followed their officers to any danger against 
an enemy in tue day, were fearfulof stirring 
out alone in tlie night. - 

A sergeant, going his rounds early on a dark 
morning, saw something flit acroas^bnt it was 
gone and out of sight in an instant. The guard 
attending him were alarmed, and be. was obliged 
to use strong language to bis corporal and a file 
of soldiers, whom he ordered to remain and 
watch while he completed his Founds and m4le 
a report to the ofBctr of the main-guard*. The 
officer judged it best to let things remain until 
Ddorniug; when, on removing a quantity of old 
gun-carriages, wheels, and a variety of rubbishy 
lying near the place where' the sergeant saw the 
apparition vanish, a den was discovered, inha« 
bited by the runaway thief, and every article ba 



18T 

bad stolen for niofe than iva^mon^y corcept 
the prorisions, was found with him. 

Theothercase wasa soldier of tii<enatne of 
King, one of the cleanestj smartest, and most 
clever feljows in the whole regiment ; he wrote 
an ^ceitent hand, had been repeatedly pro«- 
moted, and was as often broken- for drunkenness* 
WittQ druBky he wsls a very madman ; while he 
coatinued sober, a pattern to the regiment for ^ 
correct discipline and good behaviour. He, at 
hat, became completely hardened by repeated 
punbhment at the halberds, and received one 
hundred and fifty lashes soon after a Major Do* 
ualdson bad joined the regiment ; who, being on 
the parade at the time, addressed the regiment 
io strong, pathetic^ soldieivlike terms on the 
subject of puftisbflS^tB, until the whole parade « 
were seriously attentive and affected* He th€lii 
closed bis address by admonishing the culprit, 
who* to prove his hardihood, bad held the bat» 
berdgMFithoitt being tied, and received the pu-t 
nisbipikit without flinching. King, who, at thi^ 
time, had folded His arms across, as if listei#ing 
with ease and composure to the major, his back 
streaming witlrjblood from his bare shoulders, 
with astonishing audacity, asked the mi^or how 
many stripes he thought he (King) might have 
recdved since be had: the honour of' serving the^ 
Company. " Too many," replied the major, ** I 
fear^ to have done you good." Continuing ia. 



188 

the 9M)ie ^ositioit. King replied, ** I have had 
thehonourtoreceivejust nine hundred and fifty; 
and, if you please, major, I will take another 
fifty now just to make the score even, and let it 
stand to the ne?t account.** 
. Both officers and men stood aghast at his im- 
pudence. He was ordered to the hospital, with 
an slssurance, that, should he again subject him- 
self to the sentence of a court-martial, means 
^ould be considered to punish him more effec- 
tually. In a short time after this, he was brought 
to trial for drunkenness,disobedience, and strik- 
ing an officer when conveying him to the guard- 
room. He was found guilty, and it was the opi- 
nion of most id the garrison that his punishment 
would be extremely severe. The sentence, 
however, was to receive fifty lashes only, but on 
"his bare breech, like a boy. 

This man, who had never been known to re- 
qufare the aid of a doctor but from the effects of 
punishment, w»sso affected at thethou^t of 
being thus disgraced, that he was taken ilPand 
«ent to the hospital, where helcontinued several 
months. And it was the general opinion that he 
would have continued there until he died, had it 
not happened that a poor unfortunate fellow, 
who had deserted thrice, was sentenced to be 
ahot; and, on tho^e occasions, it wsis usual to 
make a last request, through the medium of the 
judge-advocate, for the pardon of the prisoners 
confined or sentenced for minor offences^ 



T8& 

Tfus ddoe, King left the hospital id a.day or 
two, kept hiiDself sober, and behaved so well^ 
that, in ^a few months,, he was promoted to a 
halberd; ^nd, when I left India, had the ciedit 
of beiBg one of the best sergeants, in the army. ; 



CHAPTER XLU. 
BraminsT. Perform a mirach^ 



I ]»o not pretend to anjr learned knowledge op 
acquaintance witb the Gen too religion, yet t. 
cannot refrain from making one remark: thf 
Geatoos are accused iaa idolji^trous heathen wor-^ 
dippers of ii^ag)es, which from outward appeart- 
aaces they may seem to b^ ; but, from many in* 
quiries a^ippg the Brapaiiiis, iiii whatever part of 
Indin I made ^ny - stay, it appeared thai the va^ 
riotts images tb^y carry in procession* are otiij 
consklered as emblmi^ of tbe different attributes 
of the I>eity^. and not aa deities, or objects of 
adoratioM, iti themselves. 

* Gemoo priesUi ioUoweraof Bmmah^ their «ckbr»t4d |dwider%^ 



190 

Of all denomination? of men I have seen, I 
think there arc none so chastely cdrrecl^ in the 
discharge of religious and moral duties, as the 
Gentoos. This is pretty obvious on a general 
view of them : many instances cafhe to my 
knowledge; and my faithful Punnapa, who 
served me from the first week I landed to the 
last minute of my stay, would have sacrificed 
his life sooner than have imposed on me himself, 
or suffered any one, European or native, to im- 
pose upon or iiy ure his master in any respect So 
far I speak to Af^ moral character; and, being of 
a high Bramin cast, he would rather have Ipst 
his life than his cast, by acting contrary to any 
religious point of duty. Yet, among the lower 
casts of these, as well as the lower order of other, 
people, there are those who will attempt to im- 
pose ai^l practise on one*s credulity. I will re- 
late an instance that occurs to my memory. 
~ I was travelling with a party of officers and a 
guard of Sepoys. We stopped to refresh our- 
selves ; and, among the inhabitants of a village^ 
who came out to view us as objects of ouriosity, 
one fellow was so unusually audacious as to 
force himself into the tent where we were dining, 
tising strange gestures and making an estraya- 
gant noise. Having in vain endeavoured toleam 
bis meaning, we ordered him out ; he refused to 
go, and we then ordered the pakmquin-bearera 
in attendance to force him out« On his being 



»1 

ftu6 reiniyved to a short distance from our tent, 
wesuon heard a confused noise and lamentation, 
and were infernned that this fellow, who pr€f- 
lended to be a devotee, had swooned away from 
the effect of pollution, in being touched by ov 
palanquin-bearers, who were Parriars,* , 

We rather laughed at this account: louder Ia« 
mentations were heard, and word was brought 
thatthe man wasdead. We went out and found 
a great many people assembled round the body, 
lamenting a^d complaining loudly of the out- 
rage. It became necessary to order our Sepoys 
under arms, and the servants to be on their 
guard. We. sent for the head men of the village, 
and the body was thoroughly examined by the 
natives and pronounced to be dead. There Qei- 
tainfy appeared no visible sign^ of life; but the 
trifling injury be could have received by the 
handling to overcome merely his own resist- 
ance, and the absurdity of a man's dying from 
the effect of fancied pollution, added to my ex- 
perience of their powers of deception, perfectly 
^tisfied my mind that this fellow was an im- 
postor. 

Dfesiring my brother-officers to leave the busU 
ness to my management, I acquainted the, na- 
tives that I had an infallible means of know^n^g 
whether the man w^as dead or not; that, if there 
v^8 the l^ast spark of life remaining, fiince the 

* Men of tb« lowest cast. 



1S2 

body had receivedlio injury, I could «8tore fcim, 
though the remedy would be exceedingly severe. 
They wanted to remove hiln ; but thia I would 
t)ot suffer, well knowiiig they might make any 
*?€port they pleased concernmg his death and 
create much trouble. 

• I laid hold of his hand, and waa some time 
beforel could feel a pulse, which completelysa- 
tisfied me; but I kept my own counsel. Again 
the people pressed forwai^d tumultuously, with 
an apparent design to carry the body away by 
fortue; but, ordering the Sepoys to advance with 
fixed bayonets, I made them r^ire to a distance, 
\ suffering only the head men to remain. In vain 
-did I endeavour to persuade them thiat the man 
counterfeited ; until, finding nothing else would 
do, I assured them I possessed powers they bad 
- no conception of, and, without touching the 
•body again, I would convince them of the mm 
being still alive, by drawing a flame frorik his 
body, which they should see, and which would 
continue burning and consuming him uf^^less he 
arose from the earth. My brother-oflicers lis- 
tened with nearly as much attention as the na- 
-tives. 

I sent my Dubasb, Punnapa, to enjoin silence 

to the multitude, as a miracle was going to be 

performed by a European Bramin, which he as- 

; sured them I waSj (knowing I had officiated as a 

chaplain)* 



IflS 

' Orderingmy travelling eiicurntoir id be brought,- 
I plaeed it nieartbe man's head, and took frOm it 
awax:taper, a small matcb, and a little bottle; 
articles I carried for the convenience of getting 
a light when wanted : I also took out a bit of 
sealing-wax. wrapped within a piece of white 
paper. I then directed all to be silent while the 
ceremony was performing, under pain of their 
beJDg struck with deatht Having had ihis ex« 
plained by Punnapa to the chiefs, and by them 
again to the people, I was well satisfied the dead 
man heard and understood the whole, by slight 
iDVoluntary twitchings I saw in hi& musdes. 

When all Was quiet, I began by walking slow* 
Jy round the extended body four times, laying 
one of the four articles each time at his feet ; 
uttering, with a solemn loud voice, the follow- 
ing five Latin words that happened to occ*ur« 
" Omne bene^ non sine p.cena>^\ 1 believe that 
tbe&ll of a pin might have been heard while I 
was performing this mummery. 

Having managed with tolerable seriousness, I 
took up all the articles, stood across tb/e nxan^ 
and, raising both my arms as high as I could 
reach, c|iUed aloud, ''Si — lenceT Then, bend- 
ing oveV the body, I held the match in my right 
hand, the wax taper in my left; and, drawing 
the cork from the bottle of phosphorus, just 
above his navel, at the moment I applied the 
match to light it, as it were, from his body, I 

VOL. u S 



m 

htgHh \l sl&g, ^ Gda l^ar^ ]^\ "OiSln^, cbr 
Iking:' But, tRe iiistant th^ fli^m^ Wte se^ 
tliere ^as such a yeH of « Ati, lAW, sWaai^i^ 
Ahj ya^, swaamcfe.'* as completely Aioy^eA aU 
iny fine shiging. Lighting toy taper, 1 preced- 
ed tv'ith tny work, by meltitig thfe seaTing-wax 
tod dropping it hot, close aBoVe his navel; hut 
Ihe Fellb>^ had not patiencfe to stay for tiore 
than two or three good drops of iny miraculous 
wax, before he jumped up and ran away, bellow*- 
ing and clawing hi6 bdlly, without stopping to 
thank me for hi^ cure or answering the calls of 
others^ untfl lie got withm the village. 

That the fellow had heard and iindei^tood 
what passed, with my declaration thiat I possess- 
ed a power to dra^ forth a flame fW)m his body, 
tvas evident; atid I depended oh the^^uddien at- 
tkck of the burning wak, on so tender a partb 
fceightehcd by his own imagination, to over- 
throw till the dbi^tinacy of trkk and product 
some such effect as Would saltisfy he was Hot 
Aead» What his particular aim ivas^it jn^tbe 
difficult to make out* 



m 



CHAPTER XLUI. 

3eciine settiing. at Madras as a lawyer: Gmharh 
(m hoard a eourUry ship far thf Istaad of Su^ 
mcUra; water^outs. 



Hatixg related sucli anecdotes asoccumd \n^ 
India, some of which may amuse and some may 
fossibly instruct, I retttm to the narrative more 
immediately cpncerning my own history. 

I have ali^^y mentioned that it was my in- 
tention to cross over from Madras to ^Ite west 
coast of iiumatra, f0x the better convenience of 
ft passage to England. So far as making a loiv 
Uir\i may be reekpned productive of greater hap^ 
piaese, I am persuaded I might have done in^ 
fiaiteV/ better if I hgid suffered myself to be per- 
suaded by a gentleman who had quitted the 
vmy a fevf years before, pn account of a* con- 
stitution too feeble tp contend with an active 
military \iUii and, since that time» had practised 
as a lawyer in the courts at Madras : in whick 
profession, though no more brought up or quft- 
lifictd for it than^myeelf, he was. making money 
rapidly. He very earnestly solicited me to join 
kim in partnership; but, my disposition not 
leading me that way, I declined the liber4 
offer. 

S3 



A country ship, belonging to Bombay, was 
then lying in the roads, bound to Acheen, the 
northernmost end of the Island of Suitoatra; 
^hd in this ship I took my passage forBencooten. 
Captain P— , who commanded her, assured 
me, that, though he purposed trading all ^long 
the coast, as circumstances might encourage, in 
the Malay as well as the English and Dutch ports, 
yet he, had no doubt of arriving at Bencoolen 
some months before the East*India ship I meant 
to take my passage home in; \v5uld be loaded a»cl 
ready to sail for England ; adding, tlyithe shoitld 
not only be glad of my compfiany, but he could 
explain, upon tiie passage, how materially it 
might serve him and at the same time be ex^ 
ceedingly pleasant to myself. The last person I 
•parted from, on embarking, was my faichfui 
Punnapa; the poor fellow threw himself at mj 
feet 'and bathed them with tears of sincere at- 
tachment. 

In crctesing the Bay of Bengal, I saw * more 
water-spouts than I had seen in all my preceding 
voyages. One morning, about sun-rise, the mate 
.called me to view five in sight at the same tim^ 
m different points of bearing and various dis- 
tances from us. It was a perfect calm and a 
beautiful morning. 

- While we were making remarks upon tbem» 
and comparing their different appearances, our 
attention was suddenly called by a loud hissing 



Vff 

noise; and, turiuag about» we ck^&veA tbt 9H 
OB our larboard-bow in « ajtranjgie lOomm^tioD, 
bubbling and rising up in hundreds of liule sharp 
pyramidical forms, to various heights, idtemate- 
Ijr falling and rising within an ^pparen^ circle^ 
whose diameter might be abput si&^y feet. 

It was soon evident that another water-spoiit 
was beginning to form, jn a critical aituati^n fqr 
us, not being half the ship's length off. All was 
alarm and confusion: C^^t^in JP— — was sopn 
upon .dec|(, but ^neithejr he nor any other Qn 
board kn^w from Experience i|7bat w^s b/est to be 
done. It was n.e^rly itnpoj^sible to withdraw the 
eye from this object : the sea, within the circle 
of its influence, bpiled up witn increasing rage 
aod height, whirling round with great velocity 
and an indescribable hissijag kind of noise. At 
iitoes, the water was ^us raised ne^ly as' high 
as the fore-ynrd: then sinking, as from ^.me 
impiediment or obstruction^ aad again cp^mpn- 
ciog Wi before. 

We had all h/eard of firing guns at iiratc^- 
Bpouts, and directions w.eregive^.i^CCQrdingiy; 
y^, though we had several loaded, not one was 
&>ondin condition; they only burned primin;^. 
Ordess werethen given to load a fresh gun ; but, 
excepting the mate, it was diflicult toget ai^y 
one to mov^ so rivetted and fixed with gaping 
astonishment were all the Lascars and people on 
board. While the mate was busy after the car- 
S3 



198 

mge^un, Capfcain P and I concluded it 

wouW be right, to try the effect of making a 
slight concussion in the air, by getting all the 
people to exert their lungs by loud cheers- God 
only knowb whether this did really produce any 
^ood effect, but we fancied so. I had a lighted 
match in readiness; and, when the mate had 
loaded and primed the gun, I fired it, and two 
or three salutes caused the whole to^ subside. 
The ship was not in the least affected the whole 
time, eicc^pt by the undulating swell when the 
wafer fell down again ; yet, from the whirlwind 
kind of hissing, we were in momentary expecta- 
tion of seeing tlje yards and masts torn to atoms 
and whirled into the air, and doubtful whether 
the whole of tlie ship might not soon be en- 
. gulphed in the vortex. . * ' 

It has, ever remained a doubt with me, whe- 
ther the proximity of the ship, at the com- 
mencement of the water-spout's formation, did 
not alone check and prevent its rising and com- 
iposin^ one of those tremendous columns of 
water,' reaching from the sea to the clouds. I 
do not pretend to account for the causes which 
produce these sea-phenomena. I am content 
to relate simple matter of fact, leaving the ex- 
planation to the more studious and enlightened. 



199 



CHAPTER XLIV. 



Arrioe at Acheen; introduced to the sultan ; large 
cannon half sunk in the earth, evidence of 
greater strength 'formerly'; an enormous gun 
over the gate-'pay of the palace. 



At Acheen, and all tlie Malay ports along tbe 
coast of Sumatra, I found an order of men dis- 
tinct from any I had ever met with before. Com- 
pared with the inhabitants of India proper, 
across the Bay, they appeared completely sa- 
vage, fei^ious, and exceedingly sanguinary in 
all their punishments. I had an opportunity of 
examining them attentively, froma novel kind 
of introduction by Captain P— *' — , which, as he 
had hinted at Madras, would serve bis interests 
and occasion me a pleasant reception from the 
Malay chiefs* . To this end, he had Sepoy uni- 
forms made for some of the Lascars belonging 
to tbe ship, who were to appear as my body- 
guard as often as required. 

On Captain P— ^'s going on shore at Acheen, 
he waited upon, the sultan's agent for regulations 
of the port; acquainting him, a Britiittx officer 
was on board the ship, who, from a strong df • 
sire to p^y his r«spepts to tbe Great Svltai» 9f 



Acheen, before he returned to England, had 
crossed the bay for such purpose, but would not 
land until assured of » receptipn suitable to the 
dignity of the great monarch he served. This 
complnnent wsts well suited to the meridun of 
Acheep, 

By the suitan's orders, a boat, or rather a 
barge, was sept off to the ship; in whicl) boat 
were the agent and several officers of his court, 
who invited me, in the saltan's name, to grace 
bis palace* The ship'sgyns saluted tbepi as they 
cam^ on board; saluted me on lestving the ship, 
attended by my guard ; and, on approaching the 
shore, we were so closely saluted by guns of an 
eROfmous calibre, that we would gladly have 
excused the compliment of ;beipg fired %t so 
near our heads^ On landing, I W9« met by an 
Indian Portuguese, a resident merchjEint, who 
spoke English fluently : he was to uct 93 inter- 
preten Other .officers of the court w/erie yf'\^ 
him, to receive and attend nte to the palaise ; on 
entering which, the guns of the palace fired ano- 
ther salute, which was repeated by the guns on 
^ battery and by the ship. 

The ceremonies of introduction to princes of 
tbeEast were grown famiiiap to me, and I plain- 
ly observed tliat my regimental uniform was a 
novel attraction to the sultan ^nd all his court. 
I was most graciously received,and acknowledge 
I rather exceeded the tiulh when fepeating what 



«01 

Captain P—— hati advanced,'.respectin:g^iny fle* 

sire to see so great a sultan before I left India; 

and I believe the iittlie that t did'«ay was c<Misi<i^ 

derabiy enlarged upon by the'Portuguese mci^ 

\ chanty who, I understood afterwards, was as 

much interested in my favourable reception as 

Captain P-^ — =— j for, without permission from 

the sultan, no ship was allowed to trade» and was 

frequently refused until considerable presents 

were made: all which was SBK)otIied down,aQ4 

the permission obtained, through my means. * 

Withiii a week. Captain P — -^ was enabled to 

dispose of such part of hia cargo as suited the 

Malay market, (opium and blue long-cloths in 

exchange for goldrdudt, fie.) to great advantage 

to himself and the Portuguese merchant, who 

acted as bis ikctor^ During this, my time waa 

partly occupied in rambling about* having three 

Malay attendants to escort and shew me where I 

liked; and partly by attending to the sultan, who 

invited me every^day to a short conference, and 

to chew chenam and beetle«nutwith him. Our 

conversations were not very edifying, conducted 

through the medium of an interpreter, and con« 

sisting of short qdiestions and answers^ muore of 

curiosity than apy thing else. However, my 

time altogether passed pleasantly, having a table 

well supplied by direction of the Portuguese, 

with female slaves to attend* 



From the %um1sLer of largt cannon I dbservdd 
in my namliles. and cidcs, (most of them half 
sunk ii> tbe etrlKfrom lying there so long,) it 
W9iS evident that Acheen. had been a place of 
greater potefovmcarly, and muck better fbi;tified; 
jset the ig^norance of the inhabitants respecting 
these guns was a^^nishing. That they were of 
European manufacture I had no doubt» though 
the Maliays would not allow this» notwithstand* 
ing they eoukk git« no account how or when 
they were brought* But, as a proof of their ca- 
pability of performing greater things, they point- 
ed to an enormous large cannon, placed on high 
over the gceat gate-way at the entrance to the 
paiace; a caan,<^n, which I believe no European 
would claim the manufaolurtiig^ of. It was big 
enough fo^ a QtOAit man to go into with ease; 
very ooaxse wd clumsy, both, inside and put; 
and there were a few stone hadls lying near, very 
euil^hle in appearance to the. piece of ordnance 
they, were made far. This, as I understood^ was 
t»nly to he disdhaiged when an enemy approach- 
ed in front of the gate : it had nevev yet • been 
iired; antU to say the truth, I would rather have 
been the object ired at than tjie person to lire 
it 



iMft 



CHAPTER XLV. 



Makfi pulm.hmlBnis; ptecfLUthns necessary td 
guard iaguin^t sUrprisefront Malay piraies; run^ 
ning a muck\ je&^usy nnd savage tev^ngei 
singMlar ordeal qf Malajfs ^uicuied tfitdui^y^^ 



Tiff iny fiWl '^klks abotit Acheto, i^artictrliariy 
in the buzar, or mafktet-place, I lurias surprised to , 
see so mJBiiiy cyipptes, Boitrte withodt tmnds ^hA 
feet; t^^ ^Ith'tbe loss of eitfeer one bsihd p^ 
one foot;.^Qd others with the loss of two. • 'OA 
inquihr^t foufi^ th^ :^erte all cuJprite, punish- 
ed, according to the enoi^iuity of the oftendfe 
tvhich they hid cbihttiitted^ by ftie cutting, oV 
rather choji^piiig, off a hand or foot* Sbme Off 
them, by a repetition of offehces, hid been so 
often punished as to have neither hand lior foot 
left, and thus far wei^e tendered nearly irtcapjlbrfe 
of committing farthfer offences. Biit the hnost 
extraordinary circumstance, as it appeared to 
ine,..was the account I received of their mode of 
treating the stnmp of the leg, after the f6ot was 
literally chopped off by an instrumeht; at onie 
stroke, a little above the ankle. A bamboo 
cane was prepared, ready suited to the size and 
length of the culprit's leg; theboUow of which 



S04 

cane was nearly filled with heated dammer/ The 
iDstant the punishment was inflicted^ by lopping 
off the iimby the bleeding stump was thrust into 
this heated resin within the bamboo, which, as 
it cooled, became fixed ; and thus, if the victim 
to the jaw lived> he was provided with an excel- 
lent bamboojury-leg, to stump about on. Many, 
I have no doubt, died; but of that the Malays 
were very indifferent. 

After leaving Acheen, we touched at other 
Malay ports along the coast. Those, that were 
in subjection to the Sultan of Acheen, received 

and traded with Captain P very readily. I 

was considered as the great man, and according* 
ly treated with great respect, 
. A t other Malay ports, ind^pendant of Acheeni 
and some of them said jto be at war with the &uU, 

tan. Captain P was not only refused per*| 

mission to traffic, but we were obliged to keep ai 
strong guard on deck^ day and night, to preveiiti 
being taken by surprise. We, therefore, nevej 
allowed more than one Malay boat, at a time, ti 
be along side the ship; and even to the fe 
that came on board, six or eight at a time, 
was deemed necessary to shew we were wc 
armed, Every free Malay man wears his creea 
constantly in the sash, or girdle, round his waist 



• A resinous kind of substance, something like pitch, but app 
Willy of a harder nMuHe and jiot fo ready to nielu 



imdmaiDy BUipfc >«re bewrieUt off i^ 
• jmirieredibgr. tiie»(^ UoodwtWrsty p*vi^g«», ^<nr 
cK^piingoQ bpfkFdas friands.tx> tradci^ &c.vwbeii 
they.We-fomMl the.p^Qi^e of tho, .ship *n£«;li- 
g^nt ftud'offsti^eir .gujard. 
T-here is:no doubt pf the :M9ilajj§ practii^inf 
; ihat Hkp^t singular ai)d^F^r<^usc us torn of rui^^ 
JMg ainu€k;^:btt^.as.:I:^w vko wtan^ my- 
self, aod 4hjere are acc^.ujits given, by otliep^ 
.whQ bave» 1M^\ (briefly ^xpl%tu it, .^r jjiie' inr 
iormatiofi of tbost& ii^:b9 t^&ny o<^t limder^^d 

A Malay Bian, wiiAJ9^b|Kidoiis biq^/N^lf iade^ 
pak^from any cm^se, th^u^ iil^ mo9t qpou^cKwly 
proceeds, fjTom .the Tuiit ^ttendiog 1)19 ,f xM^^*>^« 
propenaity ta.ganildiog* tak€^. upium utittl. pro- 
ducing plmoB^y.; frndU^eo; with d W)^yeU[e4;bair« 
he draws his. creese, and, saimiQ^ tlxmg* staba 
and destroys all he meets, until he is destroyed' 
himself. 

The Malays are savagely jealous, and revenge 
themselves by assassinating, the party, they sus« 
pect, even without proof; but, on actual detec- 
tion, the iivjured Malay kills .both the man and 
woman if he can. The woman is sure to fall a 
sacrifice; and, should thft,.man escape at the 
time, being accused thereof and suspected to be 
guilty, he has to go through an ordeal from 
which few can escape with life. 

VOL. !• T - 



a>6 

^e is taken to a large open spot/ where etery 
Malay in the neighbourhood, who wears a creese, 
^ttehds. A ring is formed, according to the 
number assembled, and the delinquent is placed 
in the centre. If he can make his way through 
^hese surrounding opponents, all armed with 
their creesps, and then, by flight, can reach a 
certain tree as his sanctuary, he is deemed inno- 
cent and escapes. If he makes no attempt to 
escape, the circle is drawn in closer and nearer, 
•until one or more stab him with their creeses. 
His best chance, therefore, is to start off at first, 
tfeforfe the tanks thicken by the<lrawing in of the 
<jircle. I s^w nothing of this ceremony, but was 
«hewn a tree said to be one of these sanctuaries. 
I understood likewise, that there w;a8 pretly 
frequent cause forjealousy, notwittetanding.the 
threatened penalties* 



SOT 



CHAPTER XLVL 

Ajferbungtf^ Pudang, Tappanooly; mountaineers- 
aborigines^ their reputed cannibalism accounted 
for: decline their invitation to accompany them^ 
to their mountains ; their report of an-English^ 
man then residing with tAem. 



SuMAtRA has a length of coast of more thati ? 
<me thousand miles ; there are, consequently, a 
nriety of ports, many pf which belong to the 
native Malays, some to the Dutch, and some it 
the English. 

We touched at Ayerbungy and Padang, two 
Dutch settlements, where we were treated with 
civility, and I believe Captain P^— — did som«- 
business; 'but, as my assistance was not re« 
quired, and the Dutch love to transact matters 
ina close snug way, I made no inquiry and heard 
nothing- about it. 

We stopped some time atTappanooly, where 
I had the pleasure of meeting Governor Herbert, 
and part of his suite : he was then on his way to 
Madras, previously to undertaking the establish- 
ment of a settlement at Balambangan. At Tap- 
panooly, which is one of the out-settlements be- 
longing toBencoolen, I reckoned myself rather 
T « 



fch-tunate in meeting with thrfee t)f the* mdtfft^*- 
taineer-aborigines of the island, reputed to be * 
cannibals. Great' srtttitttian Mf^ paid these men 
by the residetit at Tafipanooly a«d by Governor 
Herbert* Tbey/^re verjT diffier^ntfromHhe M>i-' 
lay iratives^on tfite coast ; and, koitk what I coirld 
kam, were driven fixim the aea-coaH, some 
cfenturiea ■ baclv^ by tiie Malays; when, retir- 
ing to some exteKJidijrafsr>fifetii^aaes* tav.the 
iriountams, they have maintained a Coinplctein- 
depetiditnce ever sfnce: Nor could I liearof^ 
jkBOte ihan tVo Europeafis that^ t^s^: ever« v€n- - 
.turert er been admitted aniong./tJ^gBi : ih^- offft» 
aMff Nfiiief,' :»'bQt^|sf,/wfe^ e<HJ5^t*wd* Wm- 
self fbbi|t nothing el€j^*; ^n4 y^ -o^J^^ ^loye^ 
afterwards to be an old acquaintance, .w^ona^^* 
(bave)ikelLdy^niet»tiotv^d :ind "shiillF.saqn )]|afe*oc* 
-casiori to intjcotluce again^ , : ' 

.^ rattach;ed,niy^ltalnrftD^;ic^ sftrongly to these 
jutoiy and from simrlaFinq^rrsitive motives, as I 
ikA fortiferly to^the Aififeticati^ .sav%j&s't aftd they 
ja4>jpe)ajred to We aisntulcb pleti^fed with my attea- 
ttohi- l%e*y^ usfeaHy- dined with us^^ai the Vm- 
.d^l^sHhfbl^;' afnd* paTtcfoW Of' ^'tty thiivg-'With^ 
iift^ia telV/riri^f ^ ^^ than 'l-expfittfedi The' dls^^ 
c^tfrs^'d^ef dafj? afih^^dinh^i rHatiilg tb ^a^peaee 
IJrtetJr'rft^l^bi^tWwri' th^^ jrttdufitaineer-abori- 



fcr, Iboldly put the question, whether or no 
there was any truth in the reports concerning 
their eating human flesh. Governor Herbert, 
the. resident, and other Europeans present; sat- 
all aghast at what they ^leemed ray iem^'rity, and 
acknowledged afterwards^ they were fearful of 
some serious consequence.' But, instead of b6» 
ing offended, the head man of the three, w4^j^,j, 
smiling countenance^ as if complimented by the 
question, r^idily aswered; that, when they slew 
an enemy in 'batlle, it was customary to cut him • 
op, aad f<ir4he warriors, especially the young 
men, to take a-piece of the flesh and champ it 
with theip leeth, smearing their face and arms - 
with the blood, in tofcenoftriumph as 'well as 
to increase their courage; and that some wt>uld • 
Bwatlbw it,' but it was never eaten as food*^ . 

I acknowledge that this is a savage <Ietdsta%te ' 
custom, and lament it, but it does ^not answer 
my idea of cannibalism, cfr man-eating. In • 
tfuth, I do not believe there are any such peo- 
ple existit^g, who deUght in eating human flesh 
as foodr Necessity has often driven Christians 
toeat the flesh of their fellow cj'Cfatures, and so • 
it may occur to savages: their passion for re- 
venge, likewise, as wcU as the ferocious custom 
just related of increasing courage by such dar- 
ing, may have induced the world to believe such 
savages to be cannibals in the strict sense of the 
word ; but, with all the inquiry 1 have been able 



^'M&i^^^f putpmtid i>^ifi§&gdti ftt twpptttimriyi 
jbii^^Hiiiitf iho'iigUt t ^im^tU fttHl the taenof 
ims Wii^m ihf Und, sbovd the clouds, a* 
m^\i ^(Si^ihk is the \mti «&jftb> that I might 

(!^^ ml^ thai Qm Ua^W^hmn b«d beea with 
iiigih %%¥m&\ tU^atyi iitiid WM 80. BatilQed that 
M ha^m wish ttt a«:t:miip&ny tbemdown vrhm 
{\i^» km% awii^, bul di^^ired thetn to bring hin 
iH EH^vlisitiittfla for A eottipattiort. 

f li^ wai inkltef a drawUaek m my vanity^ 
^ViUg liPti I1iy§«eljp )^.&<$ittistve credit for titeir 
I^B^^A§^i&Ut)r» \)i^ktl t n^W r<}Und W9« tob« 
4'fVM VW^ a^te j^a^ t bsei^ U <:«^ble of 

ka^ ^wi^ %b mm <<^(t!i»^ ^tig!itsiMi(wit .it 
^^mi <^ijh %^^^ vt^j<«gft^ 4l^;s ibdt, i«a 



Q« my proOTitiBaiil^ it, thcy^ dl itoddcd Ihei/ 
h€»d9» ^teelacing: it to be the same : : it ww 
i^a fommPD oamd, yy^ uhere migbt be others; 
I c^Mld ii^w«}^accounl:&r hi«f being there, yiet 
bi9 fpce^tricities wade it iret^ y^ry unliicalyt. 

Asjth^y iosfc^ncj^ fetufjaitoig »oon^. I y(KOt& a 
sb^it note» menlianiag tlie cause of my quittiag 
Iadia;> aad^ »liould the person prov^. to b^ mj 
oldfrie^, how mudi it wourld rejoice iB.e.ta 
xoeet bim at Fort Madbraug^, H herel jk^jui prois 
ceedmg in ord^r to take iny passage to.Eng)HiuI« 
in aship.whicl^ I then uodi^^Uxxi W4lf^ ootlflcel^ 
to sail fbrmoiaths* 



CHAPTER XtVII, 

Hec^Msco : vmt the old sultan ; arrive ijLt Beih: 
cjooten"; Jio^pitality of .the settlement; scarcifji 
4)/ culinary fRegetables yjhere vegetation is sg 
jtroȣiiJir.e produc/ed by haijfiboa'frictiQn\ grass 
ivo sirong J(or kors^s to pfin^fJatCj its fiercp 



VttfOirlTaprfMincKily, *w;6^1edf(OV Moco-Mooo^ 
4t;pls|aeM!9!bicl!(» foTvOgices^iye -heat, sailors declare 



fire 

1 did noi experience any stieh extraordinary hot 
weather the few days we stopped. We paid a 
short visit of ceremony to the old sultan, who 
in return asked us to chew beetle*nut witbhim. 

On our arrival at Bencoolen, I waited on the 
governor, eommanding-officer, &c.; and was 
jnpst hospitably received and entertained, all the 
time 1 remained there, by the gentlemen of that 
settlement. Unfortunately, the ship that was 
bound to England was not expected to* saii for* 
several months; but my time passed merrily 
and pleasantly, from continual invitatibhs and 
various excursions into the country; One of the 
first things that surprized me, was the scarcity 
of culinary vegetables where vegetation was the 
most rapid I ever:noticed ; of which' I will re- 
late one instance. '. 

A gentleman of the settlement, intending to 
build himself a country-. house, requested my 
accompanying him to choose a spot Having 
rode a few miles south from the fort, we wished 
to reach an elevated spot on our right, which we 
conceived would afford us a prospect of the sea. 
There was nothing but grass to obstruct our ri- 
ding up a gentle acclivity, to the top of this hill ; 
but we made the attempt in vain. Our horses 
couhl not possibly proceed farther than a few 
foods through the grass, owiog to a strong en- 
tanglement below of the dry withered part» 
through which, a very coarse strong grass ^hot 



213 ' 

up five-or six feet high. Giving it up fot Vktttt 
day, we returned the next witl> two stout negro^ 
nieo; ordering them to.penetrate and get as far 
as possi-ble upthe hill, and then set fire to tli^ 
gra&s-. This they did, and their means of p^OT^ 
curing fire* may appear curious. Splitting a 
piece of dry bamboo-cane, they scrape the edges . 
lo make a kind of tinder with the fineBcrapingpf« 
they put this into tke. hollow betw^e^n the slif . 
pieces, wbkh ara'beld or lied togethoTr A.not^Iji 
is thett cut ^nearly through ojte of these pieces^ 
over the place where the.tiojdher-scrapingfevaTe 
put: the e^e of another piece ofcsHtbambdojfc . 
apfjied ta tfa«: niotcbv wheBJ^by the frictioa <£: 
sawing backwards aad forwarda^ lin^ is proj. 
(ki^edto-Ughl the* tind^r^/ 

that gi»s* would burn with suck r^pid fierce 
ness^aftWas hene pfDveil. It spread iaacomptetfe 
circle and tHe ItMdsoappiug anld dfivkhug bf 
tfaeflanftes waMtmitai* tothat which I bftd knojrn 
from asfifft ^Comhiil, ioi London^ wbcHthv^ 
ibiir cevn^a were all 09 fir<e at the same time. 
The two^i»egraQ3Khad ma^^gied to gqt withiii< 
the circle; and, from.th^ir runnings j^bout to aid 
the flames^ where necessary, and tossing the lire 
along, appeared like devaiss living within th^ 
flames. We left* them tq atte;nd', the fire and 
spread it so as to procure a path for u?, the fpl- 
lowing day^. to the top of thQ mount, 



SI4 

The extient of burnt grassy ground we couW 
Tide and look over, tbe ensuing day, was im-^ 
mense; the fire had burnt in every direction, 
as far as the grasy extended, until stopped by the 
deep ravin-ffwamps with which the country a- 
bounds; The^ wild inhabitants^ the buffalo, 
tiger; &c. in the neighbourhood of tbe fire, 
must have been considerably disturbed by the 
unusual conflagration. We were disappointed 
in our expected object, tbe prospect firom the 
summit of the hill; But 1 was much' gratified 
by the view of the rapidity with which- the fire 
had caught thestrong gi«en. grass, which must 
be ascribed to the thick matted bottom of dry 
|pL$8,' that had been gathering for ages. 

Riding out that way within ten days after, I 
was still more surprised at the rapid Tegetation 
wbtch had succeeded the fire : the new grass 
had grown up as high as the calf of my leg 
stout and thick enough to mow. Yet, notwith* 
ing this rapid power of vegetation^ vegetables 
were so scarce that gentlemen's tables -were 
scantily supplied, and the ships crews sodesti* 
tute that the scurvy raged dreadfully among tbe 
poor seamen. 



^l9 



vCHAPTER XLVIII. 

Tarthqmkes ; violent illness and rash cure; habit 
ofmofning<ablutionSy and sitting alfresco in 
the hotland^mnds ; a new cure for the itch* 



The Island of Sumatra is much subject to 
earthquakes, productive, at times, of mischief 
and serious consequent changes, some of which, 
that had^roccurred within memory, were pointed 
out to iiny observation ; rivers changed in 
their course, &c. with others that exhibited 
evident marks of more antient convulsions. la 
general, however, the shocks were harmless,' 
and their frequent recurrence made them little 
thought of. An instance of this occurred soon 
after my landing at Beqcoolen. 

Some gentlemen were playing at trap^ball in 
the fort ; I was sitting near as a spectator. An 
officer, who was preparing to' strike, called out 
suddenly for us to attend, as we should soobl 
have an earthquake. .The attention of every one 
was instantly excited'; and I was theonly person 
doi^btful of his being in earnest or not. Before 
I could inquire, the earth trembWd under us. 



VB16 

' aiid I very di^tiilctly felt a tremulous motforrx)? 
my body. It passed away in a fevsr seconds; 
and the officer; Who bad warned us of its ap- 
proach, again ealled to those ,be was playing 
with, to look out, and wrth the most compo- 
sed indiflFerence went op^ with his game. In- 
. quiring of this gentleman;' afterwards, how he 
came by his previous knowledge of what was to 
happen, belaid, that, looking outto wbat quar- 
ter he had best strike tjie ball, he observed 
some fowls, belonging to «tlie fort, running 
'^rildly about aiad scireaming, a cirmini^taBce 
which most in the sefctlenaent knewtt> be a piietty 
jsurc indication of an approaching earthquake. 
It mayb^ readily supposed, that, fowls and va- 
rious animals, moving so dose to the earth, and 
Busceptible of very acute nervx)us* sensations, 
might quickly be sensible of ths motioB, but the 
impression of fear catiaot? be so easily accounted 
for. 

My stay at Beacoolen was pirolonged to^nearly 
ten months; in which time, the nuhiber of d^tlis 
.beciam« alarming, «ven to those who bad been 
long accustomed to see the ravaging effects of 
so unhealthy acclimate. I had been more than 
six months without the slightest iHndts, though I 
lived freely, being in* much company, and con- 
tinued a custom I was much blamed for by the 
medical and other gentlemen of the settlement : 
this was, as soon as I rose froqi my cot in the 



moniingyto gtf out iiit6 the ahran* fiar^ two or 
three large earthen jars of water, poured over 
my head. ' 

One mdrnkig, finding myself exceedingly out 
of order twoor three tiours earlier than my usual 
time of rising, I was sooil sensible, from the ex- 
cessive burning heat all over ihe, that one of 
the same destructive fevers bad Seized me which 
had so rapidly carried off many of the inhabi- 
tants. I iiad noticekl the ill BQCcess cifttbE^ me- 
dical treatment, and had resolved, in case of an 
attack, to be my own doctor as long as it was in 
my power; and I had directed my servant, who 
came with me from Madras, accordingly. ' I 
consulted my own senstitionfe as to what I felt 
desirous of being done, and my piedominant 
wish was, that t could roll myself in snow, as I 
had seen the American Indians. My head, in 
particular, was like a ball of fire ; and I appre- 
bended approaching distraction, so as to disable 
me from giving sound directidns. Calling my 
servant, therefore, who lay in an adjoining 
passage, I ordered him to throw a. handful or 
two of salt petre into three earthern jars of water, 
and stir it as was usual forcoolingour wine. As 
soon as this was ready, I wentout and made hinl 
pour the liquor from the three jars successively 
over my head. I felt instant relief, and, wrap- 
ping a quilted soosee morning-gown about me, 
lay down again, directing my servant to cover 

VOL. I. U 



i&e with ether cIoih«i ia the hope of getixag 
kkto a per8piratioD« bnt without dfect* 

My stomach and bowels now seemed much 
oppressed, ae ifyr^Hskg relie£ I wiui always 
provided with ipi^acuana, ja1ap» rbuharb, and 
salts, made np in doses : directing my servant to 
take two of the fomier, end mix ready for tsykiog. 
I swallowed this double dose; and, while I Jaid 
down again, ordared^ with other neqessaiy 
»Mitters» some very weak tamarind tea to be 
prepared. I suffered much before the medicine 
took effect, at length it operated with violaice, 
nearly approaching to suffocation, nor was it 
^ng before the evaquatio9s were generaU and 
extreme; strong as I deemed myseliC I found 
my strength exhausting &st, so that I was 
obliged at last to order my servant, Peter» to 
eupport n^; how long I continued thus, I can* 
not say ; but it appeared a grievous length of 
time: When the reai^hing ceased, Idrank a little 
mMlled wi^e and water, well cinnamoned, but 
had not su^ient strength left to rise and get 
into my cot without help. Weak and exhausted 
as I was when I lay down, I felt comparative 
ease; and, after a whiles taking a little more 
mulled wine, I su^k gradually into a sound 
8leep« 

To make short of my story, I recovered 

speedily, in defiance of Doctors' M*C and 

M-~-^ who^ as Soon as the circumstances were 



ei9 

known ftom my servant, wMk I comtinued ilee{)< 
uig»4edared I had killed t&ysdf beyond a|l po^ 
sibility of recovery. 

I caaoot defend the rashness of my proceed- 
ing, nor do I wish to recoaunend its adoption 
by others, unless, like myself in the instance 
mentioned, they should he fearful of trusting to 
the Judgment of the professional men ahout 
them, from observations of the fatality of their 
practice in simttar cases. The patients^ under 
the care of the doctors of the settlement, suf* 
fered in amost cruel manner, while scarcely any 
recovered; and> considering it as a forlorn hope, I 
should have preferred, to their treatment, almost 
any other mode that could have been recom- 
mended to me, even from a Mali^y doctor or 
Malay nurse» 

For severial years I had been in the constant 
habit ^f ha^^ing: l^i*ge Cudjaree-pots of watef 
thrown over inein a morning; and hundreds of 
times, during the violence of thehotUnd-winds 
on the Coast of Coromandel, when retired from 
c6mpiu(iy after dkiiver, finding it ittfpol^ible to 
repose on aceount of the heat, I hate seated 
myself on a camp-slool, in the most likely Situa** 
tion td feel an air of wind in the shade ; and, 
with nothif^g on but a banyan shirt and long 
drawer^, have placed a towel soaked in water 
upon my head, keeping a second in a pot of coot 
water,.cl08e to my side, ready to place on m^ 



^20 

bead asr the former one ceased drauiing; and in 
this situatioo have I continued for an hour or 
two, comfortably reading a book* 
, In the evenings, on the parade, and in <x>nr- 
pany, while all were complaining of lassitude 
and weariness,. I felt refreshed aad strpng. Nor 
did I ever hesitate to perform these morning or 
afternoon ablutions, although I might have pre- 
viously sacrificed a little freely to Babchus. To 
such constant bathings, and still more frequent 
minor ablutions, I attributed my escape from 
fevers, when numbers around me severely suf- 
fered. And this, in some degree, may account 
for the ready adoption of what my sensations so 
strongly suggested. 

Another safe cure now occurs to me, which 
should have been noticed in its place. On the 
passage from Madras ig Ac been, I found that, 
by some means or other, I had caught a most 
terrible itch. For some days I was almost 
distracted, having nothing whatever on board 
to apply as a cure. The disorder increasing ra- 
pidly into hM*ge blotches, it was impossible to 
refrain from rubbing and scratching, by which 
the smart became intolerable. 

I bad ]been. favoured with this disorder once 
before, in London, ^vhere I soon procured relief; 
but my*London itch was a flea-bite compared 
.to this. There was not an ounce of sulphur on 
fcoard the vessel, to apply as a remedy; but ix 



S21 

occurred, at last, that what cured the mange in 
a dog might be efficacious in curing the itch« 
Makmg a strong tobacco water, therefore, I 
stripped, and with cloths washed myself all over 
with it, except my eyes and the pit of my sto-» 
m^th. I pet^rmed this operation thrice a-Klay^^ 
was tolerably 6asy after the first, and oa the 
fourth or jfiftfa day was quite well. 

This, therefore^ as a remedy tof a most dis- 
agreeable complaint, I can and do recommend 
to those, who, being in a similitr. situation, may 
not be able to a^ply for a milder treatment, I 
coQcetTe it likewise to be an excelkfit prevea- 
ttre^ by washing the hands in it when the com- 
plaint is about in famitlies, schools, &c. and, be- 
sides, a less offensive application than brim- 
st^nci 



US 



292 



CHAPTER XLTX. 



Wild elephants and buffalos; an unexpected meet* 
ing; intelligence of Lieutenant Dugdale burning 
ihe Turkish Jleet; a short account of my old 
shipmate* s adventures. 



- I BBLiBVE it may be truly said, that the 

1l|ettleinetit of Bencoolen, or Fort Marlborough, 

^'-m point of unbealthiness of climate and com-> 

* parative advantages to the civil and military ser- 
vices, is the worst in India; yet, in point of 
hospitality to strangers, no part of India can 
exceed it. I was for ever engaged to one party 
or another at the Presidency or up the country, 
and look back with wonder at the good state of 
my health. 

In some of these excursions to the interior 
parts of th6 island, I had opportunities of seeing 
the wild elephant and wild buifalo, neither of 
which did I see, in a wild state, in India pro- 
per. One day, while at dinner at k gentleman's 
country-box, a herd of more than twenty of the 
wild elephants c^me full in view, moving slowly 
along, one after the other. As the headmost 
elephant was entering a wood, two or three of 



223 

our party took up muskets, loaded u'ith ball, and 
fired at them. We were at too great a distance 
to injure them much; and, either from the re- 
port, or from some of them being struck, they 
instantly rushed forward into the wood with 
great impetuosity, and were soon out of sight; 
but the crackling noise of the trees and boughs, 
borne down by their strength and weight, was 
remarkable loud. I was told that the wild buf- 
falo was by fer the most dangerous animal to 
meet with in the island ; the two or three that 
1 saw appeared more alarmed at us, than my 
friend Jesse (with whom I was riding) and my- 
self were at them. 

The time fkst approached for the ship's sailing, 
when a Malay boat came in from the northwalrd, 
with some shipwrecked people they had picked 
up from a wreck ; I nccompanied some gentle- 
men down to the water-side, where they were 
then landing. One of our party stepped forward, 
from eager curioaity, to learn the particulars. 
He soon came back, saying there was a strange- 
looking sailor-like Malay, that spoke English, 
and inquired after me by name, to know if I was 
at Bencoolen* Before I could well express my 
8urprize who such a person could be, the same 

m, with a wildness in his countenance, ex- 
isiye of distress overcome by joy, ran hastily 
up,ai^ seizing oneof my hands with botK bis, 
exclaixaid, in good English^ "Painj»e^»H boy ! 



^urp 



S94 



*;» 



but I ani glad to find you.^ . My compamons 
. were all amazement : the fe^jr garments he had 
on^ turban and all, wqre not worth a. beggar's 
picking up: but my heart warmed the instant 
I heafd bis voice; and, pressing him to my 
breast, I welcomed my old early friend and 
6hij)mate B— — with tears of affection. 

Excusing myself to the company, without ex- 
planation, I harried him away to my quarters, 
and it would be a vain attempt to convey an idea 
of our mutual feelings and repeat our conversa- 
tions Aat evening* We went to bed late and 
got up early : Peter assisted in scrubbing and 
cleaning him, while I overhauled my wardrobe 
to select things that would best fit him. Of the 
three^ I think I enjoyed the most solid satisfac- 
tion ; yet I am conscious I looked moire serious 
and sedate than either, ^fy friend did nothing 
but laugh and make whimsical remarks on his 
own figure, while Peter's countenance plainly 
indicated unsiatisfied curiosity, and ia this state 
we sate down to breakfast 

Not long after> I had a complete levee of 
friends, to whom I introduced my old shipmate. 
He was invited and tr^ted with tender hos- 
pitality by all my acquaintance ; and, soon re- 
cruiting his Btrengtb, got rid of his way-worn 
countenance. During the remainder, of our stay, 
btt was i^ttch caressed for his own sake, though by 
ttMMiy Jie WM deeai^ a rattling fetfoir; lea* 



225 

tleavoured to persuade him to go home as a pas- 
senger, but this he refused, as Captain Richard- 
son, with whom I had engaged my passage, was 
ill want of officers, and he preferred engaging as 
such with him, » 

After several years absence, without knowing 
or hearing what had befallen each other, we had 
much to communicate. I learned from my friend 
many particulars of the success of^my relation. 
Lieutenant Dugdale, whom he had accompani- 
ed on board the Russian fleet, at the timfe I left 
England for India. Lieutenant Dugdale volun- 
teered the desperate service of settiug.fire to thfe 
Turkish fleet, in the Isle of Scio; and, leading 
the three fire-sliips in among the Turkish fl^t 
lying at author there, through a tremfendous dis- 
charge of great and sfiiali arms from the shore as 
well as thq ships, he was severely' wounded by 
the burst of a hand^gfienade, thrown from the 
ship b6 had grappled with. A sixty-gun ship 
was the only one that escaped the flames ; the 
command of which. Count Orlow. the Russian 
admiral, gave to Dugdale upon his recovery: he 
was afterwards farther promoted, and died an 
admiral in the Russian service. 

My friend B acknowledged he had refus- 
ed to accompany ray relation on this forlorn 
hope, ever after which a coolness subsisted be- 
tween them ;, and, having no other attachment 
to the service, he, quitted it On his return. 



S86 ' 

fmdirtg'bts relations at home as obstinate as hiim* 
self, he accepted a mate's birth ota board an East* 
India iihip, bound to China; but, quarrelling 
with the captain while at Canton, he left theship 
and went on board a country-ship^ belonging to 
Bombay, which was wrecked on the east coast 
of Sumatra, where the captain and mtost of the 
crew perished. Among the survivors were two 
Malays, to whose friendship, after they landed^ 
he owed his Own preservation. 

Several moil thselapsed without an opportunity 
of^^tting away to any Europ^n settlement; 
and, having no onie to converse with in English, 
he soon learned the Malay language, Soni^ie of 
the mountaineers, going down to the coast to 
traffic, on learning that he was an Englishman* 
invited him to go back with them ; aissuring him, 
that he should be at liberty to leave their moun'* 
taiitis whenever he pleased, and might have bet- 
ter opportulitties of descending to some of the 
Soropean settleiMnts on the western copt. 

He accepted the offer, ahd accompanieJtKem 
through such difficult defiles and passes, as, but 
for their assistance, it would not have been in 
his power to accomplish. His heart frequently 
«unk within him, but it was too late to repent ; 
«id the cheerfulness of his companions revived 
his spirits, until his severe toil an^ labour were 
^mply rewarded, hfe said, on arriving at their 
fiace of residence, where the surrounding see. 



«87 

nery was most grand and b^utiful and the air 
pure and £re&b. 

Tke Feat of my frie]Ad*8 accoiintaf tbese npper 
regions of the earth, and t^ manners, customs, 
and religion of their aboriginal inhabitants,'^ I 
must excuse myself from relating ; for,«)thottgh, 
from my knowledge of the narrator, I might 
credit him, oAers, possil^ly, would not be so 
ready to believe at second hand* 

That, from what be bad undergone and suf- 
fered, together with bis family differeuces^ b< 
should entertain thought^ of continuing wbi^re 
hewas, may not be difficult lo believe^ This, 
be said, he had made his mind up to,, when 
those mountaineers, whom I had met at Tqj^- 
nooly, came down to the coast ; and, but for the 
chance-note I sent, ftom my hearing a name so 
similar to his, he believed he should have settled 
there for life. However, the information in, that 
note, that it was probable to find me at Bencoq-* 
len, wrought so complete a change in his miod^ 
that fee grew uneasy until another opportunity 
offered^of descending to the coast : it was to a 
Malay port ; he had not an article of European 
clothing left; and, in truth, he was better with- 
out, as he was less subject to molestation. Ne- 
cessity compelled him to ship himself, as a com- 
mon-sailor, on board a Malay prow, for the 

* CbrlitiftDS and Mahometans call them heathens 1 



^ 



chance of hef touchingat aii English settlement 
as sh^ sailed along the coast. This sViessel was 
wrecked on a'reef of rocks, but the people were 
saved by another Malay prow, that brought 
them into Bencoolen ; when, -as related, I met 
my old friend. 



CHAPTER L. 

Tassage from Sumatra to the. Cape of Good Hope; 
destructive effects of the sea-scurDy; a white 
squall off the Cape; sickly and weak state of 
our ship's crew ; their rapid recovery by drink' 
ingnew wine. 



The ship I took my passage in for England 
had been so long upon the coast, that many of 
the sailors, from a total want of vegetables with 
but little fresh meat, and even that coarse buffalo 
beef, were ill with the sea-scurvy. Our passage 
to the Cape of Good fitope being very tedious, 
w^e buried more than one-third of the ship s 
company, who sunk under this melancholy dis- 
order. It was not at all uncommon for men, who 
appeared stout and iiearty the day previoiis to 
tlieir complaining to the doctor, to droop e^o 
quickly in their strength and spirits, that withiu 



tiv^ortWeedayAit^ey ff^^^iooftpAbletxf doiog 

proceed^ fcomfeebleoesS)) without fsvei:, in^it^h- 
^ut.appetilie» and wUboiit pow^r lo>move»;mofd 
ili«ij>vstto4»<«Qp from their banimocks toitb^ 
iQctor'8 bijFth,.r^ucBtmg that aid which he had 
not to give. 

In thii» di«Diai 'gloomy Bituatioot s<^rce^ a 
day past, for the laafc three weeka we were at aaa^ 
but we had t^hary one or more of them ; some 
morninga, three at a time* For moreithan .a 
week before theabip got to the Cape/the whole 
of the shipVcrew, before the mast, were not 
able toeat one large- saueepan of fresh pork and 
fowls, cooked fortheiA as savourily as^ possible* 

In this situation as to strength, with a leaky 
ship, becalmed insight of the Cape, and within 
soundings, I was trying one forenoon, wit|i 
hooks and lines, to catch ttsb. A Dutch India 
shipwaain sight, about seven miles^toth^ south- 
ward of us, while the captain and officers of our 
ship were taking their observations, looking 
round the horizon at theperfect glassy smooth- 
ness of the »jea, I observed tbe-Dutch ship in a 
strafige position, apparently down on her beam- 
ends, which I noticed to Captain Richardson. 

It continued a dead calm with us, nor was 
thlre the smallest appearance of any approach 
of wind. Captain Richardson, looking at the 
Dutch ship with bis glass, swore he could 

VOL. I. X 



.830 

not make out what wai the matter with het, 
whether she had carried her masts away or Was 
overset. Then, looking at me in a cross though 
arch manner, he said, '' I believe you have b^en 
calling the devil to your aid, to conjure up one 
of those white squalls you were amusing us 
with an account of the other day." 

At this time, and for some hours before, the 
ship's courses were hauled up, the top-gallant- 
sails lowered on the caps, the top-^ails banging 
to the masts, (the ship having neither wind nor 
motion,) and the stay-sails down. Every eye 
was looking earnestly at the Dutch ship, with- 
put discovering any cause for her continued 
strange commotion. Captain Richardson or- 
dered some hands up to furlthetopgallant^sails, 
and then ordered the top-sails to be lowered afbd 
a reef taken in. The men w^re going aloft, and 
fiome were actually on the yards, when so sud- 
den and violent a squall came on as to lay the 
chip nearly on her broadside. The first effect 
was violent, increasing every second of time* 
and in less than two minutes it blew a perfect 
hurricane. "The few men ob the yards fortun- 
ately got off again, and ali hands were ordered 
•down for their safety. In less than ten minutes, 
every loose sail in the ship, except the fore-sail, 
was blo«vn clear away from the yards. Had the 
top-sails remained up, her masts must have been 
carried away or she must have oVecaet; the lat- 



S3l , 

ter most likely, as she was yery crank, owing to 
the great quantity of arrack which Captain 
Richardson bad taken on board for his private 
venture, to sdl at the Cape and St. Helena, and 
which, being stowed between decks, made her 
veiy tap»heavy. Had it not been for the immi- 
nent danger we were thus thrown into, the rend- 
iotg, tearing^ snapping, and blowing away, of 
tbe sails, in a variety of shapes and sizes, in so 
shorj a time, would have been entertaining 
enough to an unconcerned spectator. 

Though at a consideTable distance from the 
land, we were on a lee-shore, and it was very 
fortunate that the fore-sail, (though split in get* 
ting the tajrk down,^ being a strong new sail, 
enabled us to haul the wind sufficiently to clear 
« tht land. Other requisite sails were soon beat, 
and ihe sqUall terminated in a strong gale, which 
lasted some days; but bur main bustle was over * 
in two hours. - • 

When the ship was a little in trim again, we 
satdow9 to dinker. Our captain looked very 
su&y.: I guessed tjie reason, for it had happen- 
ed, three or four days before this occurred, that 
tiie captain had been ttisputing with me on the' 
subject of white squalls. He maintained, that 
any.ucriouslyrheavy squall of wind might be 
f(#c«eeu and guarded again$t, if those, who 
were on deck, kept a good loolc out. I related 
one that I bad witnessed in a passage from Ja- 
XS 



932 

laaic^, by wbich we lost two tap*masts and se* 
veral hands that were aloft at the tme. All this 
he had tjied to banter away» by fiweariag it was 
HO more tt^in an idle excuse for being taken by 
surprise^ when there was not a proper look out; 
and this tickled his fancy so much, (being an 
old expert seaman^j that be had been rallying 
me about it every subsequent day until this 
happened. 

Waiting my opportunity^ therefore, after din- 
ner was cleared awafy, I asked htm, ** what toe 
thought of a white squaU ?'* This was more than 
he could parry with good humour : so favourite a 
-subject had it been with him for the few days 
past, that he could not bea^ raillery upon it; and» 
after a fruitless attempt, hj6 turned it ofiT by de- 
claring he believed I dealt with the devil and was 
the wandering Jew, as I appeared to be better 
acq^^ainted with all parts of the globe than him- 
self, who, by the ditference of our looks, was a 
seaman before I was born. 7 his set us all in a 
roar of laughter, affording him an opportunity 
of working to windward of his chagrin. On re- 
covering from my laughter, I said, " he never 
made a better hit in his life, and promised him 
my farther aid, without conjuring up more white 
squalls; if he would shake hands and drink a 
gtasS'tO our better acquaintance." During^he 
remainder of our passage home> it was a stand- 



233 

iag joke for me to iaddress him as my pfotigee, 
an4 he.tb call me master. 

As I observed before, our ship's crew lessened 
daily by the.searscurvy, so that, by their gra- 
dual decrease and the ship being leakly, passen- 
gers and all were obliged to lend their aid. 
Neither the captain nor any of the senior officers 
had ever been at the Cape ; I, therefore, under- 
took to pilot the ship in : but we had not suffi- 
cient strength left to bring the ship to an anchor 
audjmoor her in isafety, without aid from the 
shore, the last gale having proved fatal in des- 
troying the feeble remains of life in many of the 
crew. Nay, so much was the aid of every peri 
son on board required to work the ship 'in and 
head the cables, that the bodies of two men, 
whodiediti the preceding night, were left un- 
interred upoin the poop, when the ship came to 
anauchor; and another poor fellow, who lay ill 
in his hammock, spoke to the gunner, (a;? he 
passed along- to fire a signal-gun for assistance,) 
rejoicing he was likely to get on shore soon. On 
the gunner's return, a few minutes after, he 
found him dead : the shock of the gun, fired so 
near him, was supposed to have driven away the 
feeble remnant of breath. 

Between forty and fifty of the ship's crew were 

conveyed to the shore as soon as possible the 

same day, many of them incapable of walking. 

One only died after kn<iing; he was a strong, 

X3 



234 

Bertol^n-built^ negnh The rapid convaIe»* 
cence of all the rest appealed Hke mligie: Witbiii 
three dajs» imxre than half these felloWB were 
Umnd drunk in the streets; taken up by t>rder o£ 
the fiscal^ imprisoned for the night, and next 
momoBg seckt on hoard theship. They had been 
lUreoted to drink new wine medicinally, and this, 
with a sapeiraibamdant supply of exoetleivt vege- 
tables, wron^t wonders with them alU- The 
heartiest, soon got at more than the doetof's 
aUowance; and tbnt, which migbt ba^e betft 
highly injurious at other timss, ptoffed exeMdk 
ingly beneficial in recosirering them from s4 
djreadful a scourge as the sea»scurvy« 
« From the sufferings of the ship's compaajr^ 
th^ir reduced numbers, as well as their slalse of 
debility, we remttined some weeks at the Cape^ 
^or the purpose of recruitiftg ; which were nort 
spent idly by the other tw0 passtogers atid My 
self. 



S35^ 

CHAPTER LI. 

Invited to live at the Cape; observations and sug* 
gesUons relative to its improvement as an English 
colony. 



We macte frequient and lotrg ^xctrrtioiii into 
the cotmtry; trtlrrfling hi a kind bf waggon- 
coacJh, i^hietitklesp accompanied by our captain 
tnd pretty frequently by the colorieUcbnJtnan- 
danfe, arGemwrti dfliccf; Whb httd seen ttncb i^er^ 
vice under Prince Ferdinand of Bniftswick. H^ 
ttsed'itnicli pervasion ifowai'ds Captain March- 
Mt (a brothiBr-»offi<*er, trtio had lost a leg, and, 
Bkemyiself, was goitt^ hoirie ttf be invalided) 
and myself, to induce lis to stay at the Cape, 
Inhere it Was much in his power to give such 
Assistance as. wx>uld make us all but independent. 
He was miserable, he said, for want of society; 
the Dutch officers, t«1lo were under his com-i 
inaiid, having neither education nor mind; In- 
valitfs as we were, we pitied his situation, being 
truly isolated from congenial society. He was 
a sensible pleasant gentleman, and much of the 
officer; but we declined his kind oflfers. 

From tb^observatioBs I had an oppoitunky of 
nnJOiig, wdk&rmation I i-eceiVed while at the 



836 

Cape from intelligent inhabitants, and among 
others from an English gardener, who had been 
sent out and resided at the Cape for more than 
three years, by directions of his Majesty, to 
search for and collect new plants and seeds ; from 
these sources, and the experience that other 
countries had given me, I considered myself wac- 
ranted to suggest to govetment, at the time the 
Cape was in our possession, reasons for keeping 
that possession which conquest had given ; and, 
as those suggestions are tolerably concise, and 
comprehend the description I should have given 
of the Cape of Good Hope when last there, 
it may not be thought much out of place to in- 
troduce them here. 

The Cape of Good Hope, the southernmost 
promontory of Africa, lies, nearly in 35 degrees 
of south latitude, extending between 400 and 
500 miles east and west, and between 200 and 
300 miles i^orth and south. There were reckoned 
to be nearly 20,000 Europeans, or descendants 
from Europeans, while under the Dutch govern- 
ment, who possessed beti^een 30,000 and 40,000 
slaves, Africans and Asiatics. The number of . 
native Hottentotsis not easily ascertained : they 
appear a mild, docile, inoffensive people, eap^'iy 
induced to be useful in the management of cat* 
tie. They have been much misrepresented in 
Europe, and the accounts given of their cus^^s 
and manners strangely exaggerate^* . Jheir^r- 1 



S3T 

sons, instead of being homely and disgusting as 
represented, are on the contrary well shaped, 
and, for black people, more comdy in coutite«» 
nance than the negro race. I speslk of the Hot- 
tentots only, and not of the other black nations 
farther inland. 

The Dutch government, instead of encoora*^ 
ging commercial improvements, have^endea?rour- 
ed to discountenance them as much as possible ; 
and, from a narrow policy, have even prevented 
theirown settlersfrom transport! Agarticles coast- 
wise, fearfnl that a true knowledge might be 
gained of the country and the bays, harbour^, 
&c. along the coast.* From what little we do 
know, however, of the excellent wines that are 
produced; their grain, vegetables, and fruits, of 
all kinds, inferiorto hone ; with the profusion of 
many rich articles of commerce that it is capable 
of furnishing, such as aloes, succotra, mj^rtle, 
wajt, salt, paints, indigo, c6t^n, tobacco, ivory, 
ostrich-feathers, seal^skins, and whaIe-»oil; be- 
sides many other articles, that would aflbfd k 
most extensive trade of raw materials with the 
guardian state. Which would again reap the be- 
nefit of exporting them to all p^rts of the worW, 
^vden manufactured ;— *there is good reason to ,, 
believe, should flie Cape be permanently settled 
as an English eoiony, and proper encouragement 
be given to it, that both the Cape and the terri- 
tory belonging to it would soon prove most va- 



SS8 

. Juable acquisitions to this.country. It may be 
.termed the strong centre-link of a great com- 
-mercial chain, proceeding first from England to 
the Cape, and uniting there with two others^; the 
one extending (o the East Indies, China, &c. 
and the other to South America, the Pacific 
X)ceaQ, &c. 

' To give a speedy increase of strength and va- 
lue to the Cape, as an English sett\emcnt, en- 
jcouragemi^ot should be given to British subjects 
-to go thither aiKJL settle, so as to out-number the 
-Dutch inhabitants and thereby giye a British ton 
to the customs and manners of the couuiry. To 
.do this eftectualJy and, bene|jcially, I consider 
the whole territoiy of the Cape as belonging to 
Great Britain by right of conquest. The go- 
vernment of Great Britain has therefore a right 
(withm the bounds of justice and equity tp prior 
settlers) to dispose of this territory in such man- 
ner 83 will best answer the most beneficial pur- 
poses to the mother-country, generally; and to 
.the inhabitants, in particular,, who are already 
settled there, (as woU natives as others,) or who 
Jiave settled there since the conquest, or who 
may hereafter settle there. * • 

. Th^ government being most equitably entitled 
to a ren^uneration for past expences on account 
of the nation, as well as for the present and fu- 
.ture estpence of protection, I conceive that some 
certain ground-rent or /a»d-faa?, oiight be laid 



S39 

tipfon lie whole of the land at present occupied 
and improved in any way, either by buildingsi 
farming, or any other manner; the said ground- 
charge to be paid annually by the owner of such 
landed property>. All other lands^ withia tlae ter- 
ritory of the Cape, having no kgal owner ae* 
countable and capable of paying such aground^ 
charge, to be sLt the disposal of governmeut, in 
<he following Tntorier- . * . 

Evwy married man, already settled at the 
Ca^pe, -or who, being a natural-bom subject of 
the Britifith government, should go thither to set* 
tie, OQ making the necessary application aoid 
setting foith his claim, to be allowed • • • . acres 
of such government-land for himself and his 
wife, on condition of erecting some habit^Ue 
house thereon and cultivating a certain portion 
of the land, within •••• yearn, or forfeit such 
claim. 

Every nngU man, capable of cultivating and 
improving the land, to he allowed one-half the 
above quantity, on the same conditions; "and, 
on his marriage, to be entitled to the whole. 

For ecery acre of land ^ so claimed and taken: 
up, the owner or occupier to pay to gjovernment 
the sum of • . . annually. This assessment to be 
at a very low rate. 
^ Every foreigner^ settling at the Cape, to be 
allowed one-half the quantity of land that is al- 
lowed, as before-mentioned, to those already 



840 



settled there, or who are natural-born eul^ectsof 
jjreat Britain; and subject to tU same rcgUla- 

tions. 

Surveyors \o be appointed by government, to 
survey and allojt8achland8,who.would be guided 

by circumstances in allotting those that are ad- 
joining todands already occupied. But, m new 
distriota,.carc should be tafeen that public roads 
are Arst laid out to as much advantage as the 
,on«try will admit, in squares of four or sue 
tfiles; and,9i.pp««i«gtbem.tobe/o.r.^thead. 
tteawiement of the farms to be so allott«i, as 
to begin from theiront next the public road and 
runone milein depth only, but as much m front 
as thcclaiawint is entitled to. The other side of 
ihe square being allotted in like manner, there 
will be en inteirmediate space, two miles m 
bread*, of .ttnimproved land between those 
improved lots; which unimproved land wiU in- 
pyease in value proportion^bly to the increased 
value of'the cultivated lots. 

Th^fiie mcuUioated intermedial lands might be 
hereafter.ioW, by order of government, when 
deemed useful, and wduld sell according totheir 
Increased value; yet always subject to a similar 
ground-charge, by the acre, with the adjoining 
farms already allotted and improved. 

The money arising from the sale of such lands, 
to be laid out in public improvements, within 
the districts where the lands are situated, 



•The MQuey^ aming fra«i aH tiife-^imKid'^nmtoi 
to lie conaMkreil ^ the laeveaue of tb^ BritiA 
Empire; with a p^r ceatage iacreaae iq tbme 
vtloe every fifty ye«i3, as the val^^e of momji 
decreases. 

No flew districts to be -allotted by the survey-r 
ors« If itbout the (QOdcurrence of the Cape-got 
vernmeQi^ who should take care that auch diftf 
fricta were not too remote from those alr^a^y 
improved i.bo that the strength of the aeitleo^e^l 
should be coocentrated as nuich as posaibkw r 

Under the foregoing or other beneficial regu* 
lations^ the settlement could not well do oth^ 
than thriv^ ; while the guardiau state woiild 
share in all its advantages* besides the receij^ 
of an lYicreasing revenue from ita gronndrrents. 
This mode would apply to the formation of all 
settlements oo aew uncultivated lands ; tor, I 
have observed in the back lands of America, b» 
wdl as elsewhere, that the greaJteat dangef as 
well aa difficulty^ to new settlers^ arines fir«m 
tbeirse^laarsiraggjkig distances ef settlemenlis 
from, each 0tber« 

Cmvictsit from Grea^ QritaiDs might be!$eiit to 
the Cape at a comparatively tnivial ex|ience»aa(d 
to.greiater advantage than sending them to 60^ 
tany^bay. They might be employed at first on 
any puUic worits, until they manifested such 
signs of contrition and good behaviour, as to 
merit perixussion to serve the remainder of their 

VOL, I, Y 



94d 

ttme> TLB bonded servants, to some of the settlers, 
at certain wages, to be paid to gatemmeats 
. agreed upon by proper officers, conditionally, 
that, if they misbehaved during suidh senritode/ 
they would be liable to be brought back to the 
public works, there to expiate their offence ; 
but, if they conducted themselves well, one 
moiety of the wages, agreed to be paid to go- 
veniment by their master or mistress, should 
be paid to them when their time expired ; 
by which means, they would have both cha- 
racter and property to re-enter society with. Go- 
vernment should likewise allot — afcres' of land 
to each who chose to settle there; in which ca«ei 
the other moiety of their wages showldbe allowed 
towards the building of a cottage. Punish- 
ment, which does not produce and encourage re- 
formation, effects but little moral good to any 
state. • 

" The security, which this settlement would give 
to our possessions in the East, is obvious ; not 
only from a fleet that might be kept there in time 
of war, but likewise by making it a dep<a for 
troopir, &c. that nlight be speedily sent to any 
required part of India. 

I Shalt siispend a little farther the thread of 
my history, and conclude my observations oo tb^ 
Cape of Good Hope, by siibinittirig the follow- 
ing opinion, viz. that there may possibly be one 
grand agricultural and commercial advantage. 



£43 

derived from British colonies at the Cape, which 
has not yet been contemplated by any one ; a 
branch of trade, as important as any article of, 
colonial commerce yet known. The latitude and 
climate of the Cape-territory are similar to that 
part of China, where teas are produced, and. in 
all probability, the teas of Ghin€»e growth, 
which we import thence at an enormous Ex- 
pense, would', with proper cultivation and 
management, prove highly prodactive at the 
Cape. The balance of trade is wholly in fa- 
vour of tlie Chinese; a crafty people, who con- 
sider this country^ and all otlver.Eiiro'jij^aur 
powers that trade with thenOy as recpiviwg in* 
Btead of conferring favours. , The conBujnptioA 
of this u€cessary article increasing both in 
Europe and America, there can be little doubti 
of its being a permanent article of agricnitupe 
and commerce; and it is much ia favour of tb^ 
experiment relative to the growth of tea at the 
Cape, that it might be made at no considerable 
expetice. j .r 



Y3 



t44 



CHAPTER LIL . 

Arripe. at St Helena; smguiar ceurtsbip ; Isle of 
Asctfuion; catching of iurtle; short account 
of the interior t formed by asub-marine volamo ; 
the island inhabited ,by sea^fowl^ wild gdats^ 
and rats ; instinct qf the goung turtle^ its many 

. enemies; an opinion respecting their food. 



W£ nrnde a pleasant short passage from the 
Cape to the Island of St. Helena; our deckt 
towered with sheep and cattle, chiefly for thtf 
island. Our captain fonnd ft convenient to make 
a stay of three wcekd, nor did the time appear 
at all long to us as passengers, being continually 
togaged in parties of pfeasure to the country- 
houses ol the gorernor or principal inhabitants. 
The ladies 6f this littte island have long been re* 
marked for beauty, and with much truth. , I 
believe I fell desperately in love with some of 
these ladies, nearly twenty times while we were 
there; but, most of them being young as well 
as pretty, this is nothing extraordinary to relate. 
One of my courtships, however, at this island, 
was singular enough. 

I had lodgings at Mrs. P d*s, a widow- 
lady, aged about seventy-five; her connections 



S45 

being among the most respectable \ik the islapd 
and her property considerable. About the time 
wearrired, berfriends 5^ere much alarmed ou 
accouut of a young man lately sent out as^assis* 
tantrsurgeon to the settlement^ to whom» it was 
said, the old lady was going to be married. Th^ 
captain of our ship, being acquainted withhtfr 
friendsaiid informed of their fears, gave me the 
hiat, requesting I would give my aid towards 
setting aside so preposterous a match as twenty* 
three to seven ty*five; and, as it promised some 
diversion, I had no objection. 

The best"way to break off their intended match 
I thought would be to begin courting the old 
girl myiielf. I set to it scrbeartily, that, within 
twetity-foor hours, 1 was her professed swain ; 
and, before a week had passed, I persuaded the 
old lady to give a fete at her country-house, to 
whichnhe governor and his lady, with most of 
the .principal people, were invited: music and 
dancing on the green entertained the young and 
frolicsome. My mistw^ss desired roe to do th^ 
honours of the convivial board, herself and" a 
few of .the more elderly ladies keeping us comt 
pany ; nor were we at. ail sparing in our mirthful 
jokes on ,the occasion.. Among other thiqg^, J 
thrice published. tb€ banns of marriage between 
the widow and myself, drinking a bumper-toast 
at each interval; and-, as neither of the parties 
aorany one etep forbade thebanns, wf weregivei^ 
Y3 



joy to Md delated fti^dordilig^^ In o«e vespecft* 
w^ piu^'ped well esougfa being both Gomptetely 
lame : my antknt duteitiea loould not if«ll lue 
frcaii faer cfastir without hetp« and tfien imads a 
nigbtyslow prdgtess in 't«alkiilg« or rather 4lob« 
Wiipigv with the aid;of two canes; Kor could I» 
thbv^ vritii the, assistance of a. crutdfwouK^ 
mafloe amuch better march of it on both kgss 
but, if I "Wanted to make progreea, I ccmhl {uro* 
ee^d with one legfor a hnndred yairda or so; at 
well as raogt with two. 

Matters having gone on thas rapidly witkold 
Mother Pr-d and my^df, andtheauTgeoii bang 
quit« discarded, I thoughit it best ito bridjooon- 
tel Withiier friends, fairing no intention to 3tif 
a step farther. I could not agre0 to carry ibt 
farce on longer than while I sojourned in the 
4slan<i, as they wished me to do, by holding 
out a promiffe to return and con&unftmafe tint 
marriage, after I should have settled my affairs 
in England. They were still jealous of the old 
^irr^ licorice gums, (for teeth she had none,) 
when she should find I had really deserted her; 
but my own opinion was, that, beipg thusmade 
sensible of her folly, pride would prevent her 
running retrograde towards the doctor. 

The ship's stay growing Aort, I began to re- 
treat, by expressing fears that; as a broken-down 
invalid soldier, I ought net to think of matrimo- 
ny, with all theiHmscfquenees that might ^sne 



647 

from liavhig a yotfng family. 1 delivered this 
witha'v^ry serious countenance, but she fairly 
hfled {dt my resoVves to be grave, by as serious- 
ly answaring that my crooked leg, arising from 
an konourable wotrad, could never affect the 
dttWren, This was rather more than I was pre- 
pared for, and all my attemptsto check a loud 
langh were in vain ; nor could any thing in the 
uaiv^rse, after that, have prevented or preserved 
me from a siHiilar breach <>f mann^B whenever I 
looked in her flee. I wfli obliged to hop out as 
fsdtas I could ; and, from the odd association of 
ideas, I <;onld not refiain from Itoghing whene- 
ver I thought of it ot met hcf afterwards. I 
was truly aerrf tobe the ttieans of mortifying tlie 
poor old soul in a way I never intended, hut H 
Was impossible to avoid it. The second day af- 
ter, she e^nrused herself from joining her board- 
ers at table, on account of rhettmatic pains, and 
I was not sorry that I never saw her more. In 
'ttts place, however, I may as well give an ac- 
count of the conclusion of the old lady'r love- 
frolics, 

I bad been in England about three months, 
v^hen I was accosted, in the city, by an apparent 
ttranger, who without ceremony reminded me of 
rivalling him in the old 4ady's aflf^ctions, de- 
claring that he thought me as much in earnest as 
himself, until within a few days of my leaving 
the island; that he kept iloof fiji* about U week 



S4S 

after, and then, rajemng his addresses, they 
were soon married ; but the old girl took care to 
fiiecure her property. Notwithstanding this, he 
bad so managed, by refusing to bed with her 
. after the first week or ten days, and making free 
with most of her female black servants, that at 
last, by advice of her friends, sb^ agreed to a 
.separation, giving him two thousand pounds, 0|i 
condition of his quitting the island and signing, 
•Tinder proper bonds, a complete reminqiation of 
any future claim On .her P^ her property, which^ 
l^eing all his object, he very cheerfully consented ' 
tp. He then joculg.rly observed to me, .that he 
hoped I would^ acknowledge him to be a better 
doctor, for the cuxe of old women's love-£^8^ 
than myself. 

. - From St. Helena, we ran down, with the ^ade- 
wind, to th,e Isle of Ascension ; a scrj^gy bar- 
ren rock, which, were it not for the famous 
large turtle ^hat are cai^ht on i<^. would .be 
^knowu b^it as a mark, in the middl^ of t^e ocean, 
to b^ shtpqeji by navigators. ^ It is 500 miles 
from any other land and reckoned about ,28 
iniles in circumference. 

We bestowed oi^e whole day ^in exploring the 
interior in detached parties, but none of in 
were fortunate enough to find a single spot that 
had soil or vegetable mould suiOficient to grow a 
.common sallad. The whol^ surface was covered 
with rough, shat]^, cinder-bunjit,. hoaeyconib- 



249 

rocl, except where there appeared a «treaiA of 
lavai, that had formefly flowed from the crater of 
a high'mountainou9 pianade* some miles froqi 
the part of the island we were at. On this hard* 
enedJara, which terminatetl in the sea, w^ 
could walk Tery m ell ; and* as. a matter of curio^ 
sity, I regretted wc could not spate time to trace 
it to its source* ' . 

Oft some of thcelerated part^ of the rock, we 
found sea-htrdsof all descriptions^ assemhled to* 
gether by thousands: these spots they had se- 
lected for breeding, and were thickly covered 
with ther dung. Those tliat were sitting on eggs, 
or with their young, did not move at the nearest 
approach, unless force was used. The greater 
part of them continued on their legs, witfaoCkt 
attempting to fly; some walking or waddling a*» 
bout and others standing ; but all joined in such 
an kce^ant Babel4ik« noise, Chat we coul^ 
scarcely hes!<r what e^h other said. We took 
away a considerable fiumber of eggs; and, bad 
th^. birds been wortli any tMng, we could have 
taken away hundred* of them, either by catch- 
ing them with our h^nds or knocking them down 
with our sticks. I made a prisoner of one tropic- 
bird, oh account of its beautiful long plumage, 
with its tw.o young, entertaining a hope of keep- 
ing one or the other aUvc;,, but I did not sue* 
ceed. ' 



We fbund some puTslahe growirig in places, 
and a low kind of bushes^ which were all the vc*- 
getabie productions we could discover that the 
wild goats of the island had to live upon. Two 
or three of these animalif, which some of our 
sailors had jun down for sport, were th^ most 
inis^rahle^Iooking, shaggy, leati, creatures I ever 
saw,- and stunk worse than pole-«cats. 

The turtle that we cauglit made us ample 
amends. We divided into two companies ; tak- 
ing separate bays, and lying on the sands all 
night, .in order to turn the turtle as they came 
.up otf the beach to tay their cgg5 in deep holes, 
which they scoop out iix the sand wUli their fins. 
:We caught fourteen thus, the smallest of wbicli 
weighed moi*e thdn two hundred pounds* 

I conceive, from every appearance on and 
about this island, and its great distance from the 
two $:ontinentf of Africa luui Ame.i:ica, that it 
must l^ave been formed by a sub-ioarine volca- 
no ; and, from its slight progress towards the 
•attainment of a spil,. or earth, on its surface, 
must (when compared with other volcanic is- 
lands) have been of as recent formation as most 
that a,re known. Yet the slight variation of its 
surface, that has been noticed since its.discove- 
ry, diinotes it to have remained nearly in its pre- 
sent state for many centuries. 

The shores of this island abound with .rats ; 
and, by the thousands of little skeleton turtle- 



«51 

skells scattered on the topi of the beacb» I fan* 
eied tbem the principal food they had to sub* 
siston. The turtles when they are first hatch-. 
ed by the heat of the suu upon the sand wherein 
they are hid, are i^ot bigger than the palm of a. 
man's hand. Having cleared themsdves of the: 
sand, instinct immediately directs them to scam- 
per doMrn the beach to get into the sea: but they, 
kave three powerful enemies on the watch to ih<- 
tercept them; the birds, hovering in the air ;> 
the rats, on the look-out on the sand ; and vora- 
cious fish, equally destructive, who wait in rea- 
diness to devour them on their first entrance ift? 
to the watery element. 

To see thousands of eggs, the produce of one 
turtle, a person would be apt to ijnagine that the 
«ea must swarm with them; but, when we ob- 
setre their -numei'o us enemies^ from each of the 
three elements, attacking them the i^is^nt they 
are burst from their leather-like shell, it then ap- 
pears as. extraordinary that so many should 
escape. I have watched the fish, lying in wait 
for their prey, an*d cruizing aboiit at the edge of 
the outer surf, with the water as transparent as 
glass; when, if the little animal swims in ever 
so siaall a degree above the sandy bottom, they 
dart at it with almos^t a qertainty of devouring. 
Its safety, whil^ so young, small, a^d tender^ ap- 
peared (so long as I could trace with my eye in* 
to deeper water) to be, in keeping close upoft 



tbe sandy bottom, wliere it seemed to half bury 
its little bpdy, while, by its fins, it crept almost 
imperceptibly aloDg into deep water. 

I am inclined to. think that the turtle subsift 
by grazing on tlie great variety of sea«weed| if 
act of coral, growing at the bottom of tbe sea; 
and likewise on some of the species of sbell-fish 
and skMr'^noving insects found there; an opi- 
nion, which tbe strength of their biUs seems to 
encourage. 



CHAPTER Lin. 

Land at Pliftnoutk; my salutation ; B '■- can-^ 

tinues with the ship ; the smell of tailow candUs 
Vfiry offensive after a long absence ; intentions 
respecting fny wounded leg \ Surgeon Sharp's 

' candid advice. 



The remainder of our passage to Europe had 
nothing remarkable ; our ships' company conti- 
niiing in good health and free from scurvy, after 
80 good a recruit at the Cape. I landed at Ply- 
mouthy after an absence of some years from Oid 



S53 

England^ sound and firm in hean» but no longer 
the " gallant, gay. Lothario** of former times. 

It was on a beautiful summer's afternoon, one 
^unday, early ia July : my heart was as light as 
<i&atber,butoneof my heels was too heavy to 
atteoupt cutting frolicsome capers with the many 
teijftpting, /tosy, heajthy-looking damsels, we 
met.f>nj>w first IsMiding. Curiosity, perhaps, 
had jlrawn together more than usual/ from its 
heiDg known that we were from the t^o East- 
ladia ships still in sight. 

My companion was a super-carg|o from China, 
out of another ship, the two ships having kept 
company from St» Helena. I believe he thought 
me crazy; for, the instant I stepped on terra fir* 
ma, I made a dead halt, to look round and ad- 
mire the lovely groups of smiling tittering lasses 
there assembled. I was in a beauish kind of em- 
biQidered regimentals, and did homage to them 
all by my hat« blessing them and my own for- 
tunate starSy for favouring me with so flattering 
a prospect on returning to the land of beauty. 

Then, selecting a cluster of three merry-look- 
ing welches, I marched up to them ; and, taking 
one by the hand, I addressed the three with, 
" My dear lovely girls ! let me hail it as a happy 
omen, after so long an absence, that, instead of 
kissing my native earthy as I intended on first 
landing, I may be permitted to salute some of its 
fairest fruit," And then, without farther cere- 

VOL. I. Z 



S54 

inony, with my hat in my right han4 atid my left 
half encircling them, I saluted the three in turn, 
most heartily. The male spectators, enteringin- 
to the spirit of niy feelings, took their hats off 
and gave three cheers. I made my bfest bow, 
and stumped along as happy and proud as an 
emperor. Nor had the good-natiifed girls any 
reason to fear being laughed at; for, having two 
new silk handkerchiefs in my pockets, I borrow- 
ed another of my companion, and requested 
each to accept one as a token of remembfancc. 
But i could not persuade my companion to' fol- 
low my example in the salutation. 

My friend B , who had most rigidly and 

steadily adhered to the duty of the ship, as an 
officer, from his first goirag on board at Sumatra, 
was now, owing to deaths, second officer on 
board under the captain, who placed great con- 
fidence in him. His determination, therefore, 
was to .remain with the ship until she had dis- 
charged her cargo in the river; and, during that 
time, I was to make certain inquiries of and 
about his family, without^cquainting them any 
thing concertiingliim; the result of which in- 
quiry was to guide his future conduct. Captain 
Richardson being very deislrOiis of his going out 
with him again. 

Thesuper-cargo and I enjoyed every thing we 
could procure at the tavern we resorted to. All 
appeared excellent, with but one exception; and 



«5» . 

in tlmt article We i6ay possibly be thought ta 
have been.faDta&tiical in the extreme^ by those 
Yfho have never resided long in hot climates^ 
Foc^r really good mould-candles . were placed 
upon our talkie at night; theBmell of which was 
asinsoppoptableiisltwouldbetpany la^yprgen* 
tieman to enter into a tallow-chandler's work- 
shop, while boiling. \^e were obliged -to order 
them away, and to have wax candl.es brought in 
lieu.. ^ * . / 

T^ time of year .was pleasant, every thing 
appeared delightful, and we; travelled leisurely 
to enjoy itall-, but, forgetting tq giv.e orders t9 
the contrary, our olfactory neryeai were si^r^ tp 
be offended eVery night by very good mould tal- 
low candles. We laugjhed heartily at ourselves, 
well aware that it woulc} beattribpted to whim* 
sicality and pride, and that; we should be looked 
upon as Indian naboba> loaded yritJA more iponey 
than we knew^ whiit to do, with, and charged^ in 
the reckonings accordingly. 

My companion, 1 believe, was well enough 
escorted home by Dame Fprtuiie» but it was th^ 
young lady, Miss Fottune, who was my hand- 
maid. Yet I am satisfied, that a stranger to ua 
both, judging by our looks* actions, and flow of 
animal spirits, would have thought the reverse. 
Nor could any one have conceived, that it was 
my full expectation and. intention, at that time, 
to undergo the amputation of my left leg, as 
Z2 



soon Qs I could procure the best cfairurgical as- 
sistance for that purpose in London : for, the 
Itmb being rather a clog than a help, I had 
made my niind up, before I left Ind!a» if it pro- 
mised no better on my arrival ia England, to 
have it cut off and to throw it away as an en- 
cumbrance. 

For this purpose, the day after I reached 
London, I waited on Surgeon Sharp, who re- 
ceived me with a liberality and philanthropy of 
disposition never to be erased frbm my memory. 
Be inquired minutely into every circumstance 
of the wound, the chirurgical aid, and the length 
of time I had suffered under various open^tions 
in India: and, having examined the shattered 
limb, he said I had been treated with great jus- 
tice, and his only sUrprize was, that the sur- 
geons had attempted to save the limb at all, 
especially in so hot a climate. He then literally 
gade me his opinion, (for hb refused taking any 
fee,) that the change of climate, aided by a 
sound strong constitution, was li tely to do better 
forme than ail the surgeons in Londoir. At any 
rate, he safd, it was worthy of trial for a month, 
6r two, when, if I found no benefit, it would be 
time enough to cast it away* I followed his ad* 
vice ; and, gaining strength rapidly, I was soon 
satisfied, that, crippled as it was, it was pre- 
ferable to a jury^lig. 



«7 



CHAPTER LIV. 



Curious advfnfure of Byrn with Jthe cMlehrateJL 
Miss Kennedy. 



My capability of a future active military life 
was parsed, and the consideration now was, 
what other occupation I could best pursue. Be* 
fore I had determined this point, I engaged in 
a serious couf iship, that teiminated in marriage. 
This was not long about, yet I might probably 
have thought it very tedious, if a'small ad ven- 
ture haicl not occurred, that helped to fill up some 
of my leisure time ; and ihdeed it almost seemed, 
that,UibUgh I had given over travelling in search 
Of adVcafures, they were determined to find me. 
out . ' 

During my stay at the Cape of Good Hbpe; 
two British officers, who said they, had quitted 
the service in tiengial on account of: ill health, 
formed an acquaintance with me during the time 
I continued, and there I left them. They were 
straitened for cash, and 1 supplied them; taking 
a bill from one of them on liis father, old Gene^ 
ral besaguliers, of whom I had a slight know- 
ledge. After my arrival, I sent it for acceptance, 
Z 3 



but it was refused, nor could I ever get it paid. 
In about six weeks. I heard of their arrival in 
Engtind, and left notes for them with my ad- 
dress. 

One of them, an Irishman, whom I shall de« 
Signate by the name of Byrn, called upon me, 
expressing fears that his friend Desagulires was 
no bet^^han he ough| to be* " But, my dear 
fellow,^ says Byrn, " to be sure I hold mysdf 
bound to see you repaid the whole df what you 
advanced for us at the Cape; so make youndf 
aisy about that lind give me joy into the batgain, 
for it is no trifle of good news I have to tell 
you. '*! listened with attention to a stiaiige Iwg 
sfory of his having left his father, (a man^ as he 
said, of very large property in Ireland,) -owing 
to a s^ious quarrel between his elder biQther 
aqd himself, which had occasioned his ^eing in 
the army nearly five years in India'; that, soon 
after I parted from him at the Cape; he received 
letters from his father, that had been sent round 
by Bengal, iiiforming him of his brother's death 
and earnestly desiring his return; that he' -had 
accordingly transmitted to his father his inten- 
tion of taking his passage to England by the 
next ship, and hoped to find letters of cicflit to 
meet him in London upon h|t^' arrival, that he 
might appear as his son. All this, he said^bad 
been done beyond his expectations; for his fa- 
^^ ther was so rejoiced, and having some business to 



trattttct in Londob, that he had directed hjtn to 
eagage a fasfaionabte hoiMe for three laontbs, 
purcfiase acarriage toid horses, and hire serrants, 
&c. auiUble to it. To accomplish a}] this, he 
added, that be had already received a remittance 
by billB tar thfee thousand pounds. 

I did ndt believe a single word he said ; but he 
ranon^ saying he had. that morning made an 
extraordinary good purchase, from a lady of 
fasbioa, of all her rich furniture/ plate, chariot, 
and horses: he was to dine with her thai day 
and settle for them in the evening, when he 
wished me much to accompany him and- give 
bim my opinion, of bis bargain. 

My curiosity was ^excited, but I declined it, 
being engaged. He gitve me two cards of ad«- 
dress; the one, very decen| apartments in the 
city, where he had reside since his arrival; t^e 
other in Newman*street, where ;he had made 
this grand pu rchase. He then inquired if 1 was 
engaged the next day ; and, on my assuring him 
I was going down to Deptford, with an intent tii 
ipeud most of the day' with a particular friend on 
board the ship I came home in, he begged I 
would allow him to drive me thither in his car* 
riage, as he much wished to go on board the 
ship that brought him from the Cape, which 
likewise ^ay at Deptford. To this I readily 
agreed, provided he came early* " Be sure I 
will," says Byrn ; " only tell me your brcakfasU 



liooT^and you niay say i'H \k with you before 
ybu can put your ^craine into the <tfy." 

ile was as good as his word ; for, precisely at 
tbe time, there was a thundering rap at my 
humble door^ and, looking out at the window, I 
saw him step from a very handsome cliariot, with 
-a pair of nice ^horses; a coachman and two foot- 
men, in rich'silver-laceid liveries, attending, ^e 
wascompletely at home, and as intimate with 
jby btotber and sister (whose bouse I was at) in 
five minutes, as if he had known them for five 
years. With a most comfortable assurance, he 
•bad £t great deal to say^with no small mixture of 
the brogue in his speech, that made htm highly 
entertaining' to those who were not accustomed 
to it My sistet, who was a merry-he^arted one, 
coilld with difficulty make^the breakfast, alter- 
nately laixghing' and apologising. He tried to 
persuade hen to accompany us, and she seemed 
wiliibgs^butl, objected to it. . 

We drove .'to Deptford, and each ^ent on 
jboard his <respective.ship. In little more fhan 
twobOkurs,.he came to me, saying be had. finish- 
ed all liis biasinei^. He dined with us, and said 
he was detsermined togive a good house-warming 
befoiie Im. father arrived ; and, considering me 
as his. most particular friend in England, (where 
he»h»d never been before he landed from, the 
ship* that brought him from the Cape,} he re- 
quested me to pame any early day, that would 



961 

suit myseif and friends that were present, to fa- 
rour him with our company. An evening was 
accordingly tixed on, when he was in hopes, he 
said, of getting Lord C — 7-, and a few other 
gentlemen from Ireland, to meet and make a 
jolly evening of it. He drove nje home again ; 
and, at parting said he had omitted to put cash 
enough in his pocket to repay the money bor- 
rowed by him and Desaguliers, but desired m^ 
to remind, him on the appointed evening, should 
he not see mc in thfe mean time. 

On the day appointed^ we were tolerably punc-* 
taal, yet we found a considerable company of 
ladies and gentlemen already assembled. I re<« 
marked a superb sideboard of plate, as we were 
ufihered along by servants in new and elegant li« 
veries. Curiosity and astonishment increased at 
eyery step: double foldii^g-doors, lined ^Vith 
gften and gold, opened into a handsome draw- 
ing-room. 

My name being announced, Mr. Byrn was 
ready to receive me; and leading me up» with a 
half whisper, said^ the lady of whom he had 
taken*the house, furniture, &c. bad done him 
the tionour to stay and perform the honours of ^ 
the house that evening. He then introduced me 
to a very handsome woman, with a remarkably 
line prepossessing presence, and elegantly dress- 
ed. Her name I could not immediately catch, but 
I found that mine was quite familiar to her; and» 



262 

sifter a general introduction to the whole compa- 
ny, anionj whom a count and a knight or two 
were mentioned^ I was complimented with a 
seat at the lady's right hand. 

A band of Inusig soon struck up, and the be- 
witching charms of several beautifdl women 
made it impossible to resist the temptation to 
dance. On a challenge from my fair hostess, I 
pointed (faintly) to my gamelcL^ " Oh! never 
rhind;"she said; **I have heard, from your 
friend Bjrru, of yonr agility in dancing on one 
legwittx the ladies at the Cape, and 1 hope you 
,wiH notrcf^sc to your country*women' what you 
spoiled so freely with the Dutch lasges." There 
was no refuwng such a challengej'tind £ did my 
best for a few dances, <;laiming long intervals. 

Between the dancesi I found myself much at- 
tended to by some of the more elderly gentle- 
men, who seemed earnest in pressing their eulo- 
giums on the liberality and generosity of Mr. 
Byfn: endeavouring, by «ide^wind questions, to 
team how long Ibatd" been acquainted with, him 
in India, and adiiiiring his good fortune in hav- 
ing so soon acquired a handsome property there, 
I li^t^ned coolly to all that was said; and, be- 
ginning to smell the rat, I answered cautiously 
though with apparent caFelessnesS. 

After a while, I learned who our lovely host- 
ess was, no less than the celebrated Miss Kenne- 
dy ; but I could no way make out their allusions 



263 

to Byrn's great generosity, or what his drift 
cpuldbe. It was evident that^tbere was gome 
false play, and I bad no Soubt I was introduced 
to give it a coveriug. I determined to expjore 
the mystery, if possible, before I went a\yay, 
and then conduct myself accordingly." I found 
it too delicate a matter to open my mind, to any 
one, but I listened attentively to all that wjjs 
said by Byrri, Miss Kennedy, the company at 
large, or the friends who accompanied me : to 
the latter, when they ivhispered any surprise at 
the extravagant costliness of the whole, my an- ^ 
swer was, " Vive la bagatelle, never mind, who's 
afraid?*' aind I entered as much as' possible into 
the full gaiety of the evening. 

We sat down to a most costly supper at brie 
o'clock. I was seated close by my hostess ; the 
glass circulated briskly,, and my friend Byrn be- 
came very jocular : at length, thrown a little off 
his guard, as I suppose, he desired nie to take 
care of hh.wife and help her to some pine-apple, 
of which he knew she was fond. This might 
have passed as a jocular expression ; but a gen- 
tleman, getting up, said that, as our kind host 
had himself let the cat out of the bag, he should 
propose the health of the bride and bridegroom, 
Mr. and Mrs. Byrn, in a bumper: this was done 
ivitb great glee, and Mr. Byrn with the ci-devant 
Miss Kennedy returned thanks. During the 
loud hilarity that succeeded, I asked her seriously 



^64 

j if it were true thai they were married. " 

she replied. " I am sorry for it," I rej( 
She replied, "You alarm me."—" Come,' 

j I, " take a glass of wine with me to prevei 

(■ tice, while, in a few words, I advise you to 

mon that courage which your situation ii 
must have given you, and do not let it b( 

f * that you are in the least discomposed; < 
wise, Byrn wijl be jealous of my disci 
what he wishes to conceal." I then assure 
that it Was my firm belief he was not wc 
shilling, and that he had some bad d 
against any property she had in her posset 
that I acquainted her thus early, to put h 
her guard and remove every impression of < 
given to him on ^he score of my acquaint 
which it was evident he had been base er 
thus to endeavour to establish^ I added, " 
lose no time, jump up as in choice spirits, 
lenging the young and lively to recomn 
dancing, while your husband keeps the. 1 
circulating, for the honour of Ireland, with 
who prefer it." This she, with good ma^ 
ment, immediately executed ; and, duriflj 
bustle of moving, I desired, her to consult 
any of the gentlemen she could depend < 
her friends, when, if they thought it polit 
had no objection to avow all I had said an< 
pose him immediately. 



.265 

In aboot half ah hour, three ^htrmiQg yonm^ 
romps came dn ; and, saying they irere deter « 
mmed I sboaid indulge each of them . tvith a 
on&*legiged dance, fairiy foorced me aloBg with 
them. This afforded an opportunity, after liie 
first dance, of stepping aaide for a few miiiutea^ 
wfaen I was iafbrlned tihe result of the eoasulta- 
tion wa% to let every >thing pass quietly oo, to 
prevent bis suspectkig lie was discdfvered, until 
measures cbnUi be iftkeii the ^lext mornii^ to 
prevent his using that power, which, as her hus- 
band, (they 'had ^een macDied that same iayJi he 
could now claim over all her property of phdie» 
jeweb, furniture, cam^e, and horses. I pro<- 
mised to come forward at any time and oonfront 
Uni, if he denied his lies: to me concerning 'his 
i^ther and the remittance from Ireland, opposed 
to bis lies to her and her friends, of his coming 
home from India with a handsome fortmne. 

Fsomtbeipariiicalars ^ his deceptions, which 
I became acquainted withafterwald8,it appeared 
that, -when he landed at Portsmouth, as a gentle^ 
man from India, he found means to introduce 
himself to Lord C*-*— -, who chanced to be a(t 
the same inn, giving his lordship to understand 
that he had been very successful in India; that, 
as the settling his affairs would detain him some 
time in London, a place he was a stranger to, 
and being a young man, he might be likely 
enough to seek pleasure among the ladies; but 

VOL. I. A a 



from the acconcits he had heard, he was fearful 
of being taken in and ii\)ured ; money he re- 
garded not, provided the party was agreeable 
and he could place confidence. He therefore 
earnestly requested his lordship would oblige 
him so for as to give the address of any lady he 
could recommend. On which, his lordship, v«Ty 
good-naturedly, {thinking it might be serving 
an o/c/ acquaintance as vriell as ^ new one,) wrote 
Miss Kennedy's address, recommended by C — , 
• Notwithstanding this introduction, the lady 
declined ireceiving any civilities from hini for 
three or four days, until she learned, for a cer- 
tainty, that he came'^passenger in such a ship 
from India. In these few days he managed to 
fall desperately in love with her, admiring the 
delicacy and prudence of her conduct so much, 
that, provided she could be content to retire in- 
to the country and live within the moderate for- 
tune he had brought home with him, which he 
acknowledged did not exceed thirty thousand 
pounds, he would marry her immediately and 
reckon himself a very happy fellow. She thanked 
him for his liberal offer, such as, in her situation, 
she had no reason to expect ^ and observed, that 
nothing could be more agreeable to her than the 
proposed retirement, but she was fearful he might 
hereafter repent so hasty a match. On his far- 
ther persisting, she informed him, in order to 
remove every appearance of deception on her 



267 

part, tbut she was then indebted, to various 
tradesmen, upwards of 1^00/. ; that their confix 
dcnce in her was great at preseht, but, the in- 
stant she was marpied, they would expect to be 
paid; that, although she appeared to roll in 
affluence, and really had very great and liberal 
friends to support her, yet her establishment 
wasproportionably expensive and involved lier 
in debt. 

This afforded Byrn fresh matter for admiring 
her ingenuous conduct, and he declared his rea- 
diness to pay all she owed immediately after 
their marriage : as a proof of which, he desired 
to see her principal crciUtors. They were re- 
putable tradesmen, who made inquiries at the 
India-house, the Jerusalem, and at his apart- 
merits in the city, where they were satisfied of his 
identity as an officer just arrived from India. He 
had likewise spoken of me as his very intimate 
friend : they had accordingly made some distant 
inquiries concerning me, and from the character 
of one judged of the other. From all this, fear- 
ful of giving ofJ'ence by being more particular, 
and satisfied in themselves, that, unless he was a 
man of.property, he would be running into ruin 
with open eyes, it was considered by her and her 
friends to be Joo good an offer to be rejected. 

By dint of mere impudence, therefore, he had . 
carried his point thus far, and it now occurred to 
thera, that he had talked of sending all the plate 
A a 2 



to hare his arms engraven thereon. His plan ap« 
peared, therefore, to convert all he could into 
6a9b, and make oif. To prevent his having any 
opportunity 'ot time to do mischief, he was ar- 
rested, the next day, at the suit of her principal 
creditors, and told in plain terms the reason. 
Finding himself detected, he no longer pretend- 
ed to carry on the farce of being a man of pro- 
perty, but attempted another, equally untenable, 
which was to persuade his dear wife that it was 
pure love which made him desperate. 

Being soon convinced that his dear wife was 
not to be cajoled a second time, he threw him- 
self on the clemency of her creditors, saying he 
was ready to do any- thing they or bis wife re- 
quired of him. Her fears were, lest her visiting 
frieuds should bear of her having a husbaiid, and 
become shy on that account. He was therefore 
kept close in a spunging-house for some time, 
until very strong articles were drawn up fpr him 
to execute, with suitable bonds that would lay 
him in jail for life if forfeited : by these, he re- 
nounced all claim whatever to her or her pro- 
perty, and bound himself to leave the kingdom 
for ever. To enable him to do this, she obtained 
for him a commission in a regiment stationed in 
Africa, for which she equipped him very liberal- 
ly and some of her creditors saw him safely 
embarked. Thus both the marriage and finale 



were managed so well, as to be kept secret 
without injuiy to the lady's reputation. 



CHAPTER LV. 

Reconcile my old ship^mate B— *— to his family ; 
my reception at the stcretary-of -state's office. 



My application and attention to my friend 
B— ^ — ^"s affkirs. with his relations proved favour- 
able. I mafie then; acquainted with what he had 
endured, and that I w^is persuaded he Would per- 
severe in a complete seclusion from his family, • 
unless some advances towards a reconciliation 
were made him through me. I found they had 
suffered a good deal from the uncertainty of 
what was become of him for several years; nor 
did I acquaintthem where he then was, until I 
perceived a strong inclination on their part to be 
reconciled. This made all thinj?s easy, and I 
had the pleasure of introducing my friend to the 
bosom of his own family. 

I had been a few months in England and re- 
peatedly c^U^d on Lord Hillsborough, then se- 
cretary-of-tjtate, to deliver letters from gentlenxen 
A a 3 



970 

in India, m bigh difeuations tberCt ^^hich I had 
promised uot to part with but into his lofrdsbip'^ 
own hands. Though jthe time of my calling for 
that purpose was early, and I had dressed myself 
in my best, as a compliment I thought due to his 
fordship, I was regularly told, by the porter, that 
his lordship was not at home. At length, I be- 
came as indifferent about the delivery, as they 
seemed to be about the receipt, of the letters ; 
and, without getting out of the chair or coach, 
as it might be, wlien passing that way, I said I 
had letters to deliver, but would not leave them. 
Resolved at last to bring it to some conclusion, 
I called in a backney-c*oacb one day, as I was 
■patsing on other business ; and, getting owt, I 
<kmanded, in a careless kind of authoritative 
tone, if his lordship was at home. ** No,*' was 
the reply. ** Then let me see some person who, 
in his lordship's absence, tittends to give an an- 
swer on business." By this time, there were 
seven or eight footmen gathered ; and I observed 
them eyeing my dress, which wras plain enough 
that day, and I suppose they likewise noticed 
my common hackney coach, calculating what 
kind of answer I merited. Raising my voice, I 
ordered them to shew me into a room and send 
someone of the upper servants to me. This 
was done : his lordship's gentleman attended, to 
whom I observed how often I had called and for 
what pnrpo^; adding, I was going out of town 



271 

attd laigfat be absent for montbs, so that,, if I 
could notileliver the letters from his lordship's 
friends' then » it wa&unc^rtaiQ how loiigit might 
be. i WES desined to be $eat4^d fo^ a roiaute: h^ 
soon 4ret«jmed with his lord9bip'*s cjoipplixaents, 
reque$nng J would wait a few minutjes longer, 
being then engaged with the Marquifi of Town»- 
head. 

Wfaea I .deliyerc^ tbie letters, I ac^uaiajted his 
lordship with the cause of his n.ot receiTiiaig theqi ^ 
sooner. Having read oae letter, he politely' ^aid 
that, he found his was tbe greatest loss, as I was 
paniimlarly r^&rred to for giving him fuUer in- 
formation on sulgects therein naentioi^c^* This 
appeared curious enough to me, yfi^ had ni^ver 
understood there wa3 any such reference, or on 
what salyects* I could only 3ay» his lordship 
^uld be welcome to any informatii^ in my 
powei^ I wa3 desired to amuse myself with a 
beautiful l^viary of curious birds, that the lately- 
deceased Lady Hillsborough had been fond of, 
white bis lordship perw^ the letters* 

He kept me nearly an hour and a half afjter- 
terwards, in close conversation on various su^ 
jects relative to India; requesting I would call 
again whenei^er I had an opportunity, or wished 
to see him. I again hinted the difficulty I had 
experienced in obtaining the present interview. 
He smiled, observmg there would be no diffi* 
culty in future^As hM servaota would now knoiv 



9t2 

that I came rather to confer than solicit fa- 
vours. < 

I could not forbear 6iniling, in turn, at the 
conceit which shot across my mind, that a no- 
bleman of his rank should consider an invalid 
half-pay lieutenant as the person conferring ob- 
ligations on the premier of England* I an- 
swered, that, at any time his lordship might 
wish to see and converse farther, I would at- 
tend his commands. 

Retiring to my poor hack, I could scarcely 
keep my countenance at the obsequious aitteu- • 
dance of the same fellows, who. had at first 
measured me with their eyes oa my entrance 
into the loby. The porter in particular, with 
his slate,, requested the honour of my address: I 
indulged him with my name and place of abode 
in the country, leaving him to affix what rank he 
• pleased to the cockade in my hat. ^ 

My friends thought me much to blame in not 
calling again upon hislordfehip: but, as I never 
received any fresh intimation, I could not endure 
the appearance of dancing attendance, as if a • 
solicitor for favours. I do not pretend to justify 
this; it may be reckoned a fastidious pride, 
which I had no right to assunae.- Be it so: I 
shall not dispute it, and have only to say, that, 
through life, 1 have*^so often experienced the 
same principle governing within, that I can ac- 
count for it in no other way than its being the 



273 



nature of the animal; and, having travelled on 
very fairly without &uch obsequiousness^ I have 
nev^r lamented it. 



CHAPTER LVL 

Happily married; irreparable loss of wife and 
child within a year. 



Scenes and struggles, far different from those 
which I had ever been accustomed to, were now 
preparing for me. Without disparagement to 
any others of .the fair spx, I was most happily 
united to one of the best and most amiable of 
women, with a mind so truly angelic, so tvon* 
derfully pure, that, though there may be, others 
[I hope many) equally so, I feel confident none 
ever exceeded, in all the female virti^es,'my be^ 
loved Sarah. 

One short year, only, was allotted me to enjoy 
such perfect domestic felicity as it would be 
difficult to parallel, My wife, my child, .were 
both suddenly torn from me within the month 
after she was brought to bed. Those, and those 
only, who have experienced such a loss, know 
how to appreciate my mental -sufferings on the 
occasion. 



S74 



CHAPTER LVIL 



Unsettled ; commence underwriter at Lloyd^s ; m 
losses, yet give it up : marry again ; engage 
largely in farmings and in an extensive liquor' 
hmness ; misfortunes ofmy^ wif^s father. 



I HAD commenced farnling, upon a small 
scale, on the spot where I was born ; to which I 
took so strong a liking, that I had engaged for 
another farm, pretty near where I lived, vvbea 
my domestic happiness was so completely 
destroyed. In order, therefore, • to divert my 
thoughts and prevent a gloom from settling on 
my mind, I gave up house-keeping, and with 
my horse and sen^ant visited different counties, 
continually changing the scene for a few months ; 
until, tired of so sauntering a life, without any 
fixed object, I returned to the metropolis, on the 
invitation of a relation older than myself; who, 
being a considerable underwriter at Lloyd's, 
pressed me much to engage in the same way, as 
an advantageous . employ that would whole- 
somely fill up my time. 

I attended to see the nature of it, and was in- 
troduced by him to various merchants and bro- 
kers, not merely as his relation but as a practi- 
cal seaman, well acquainted with the nature and 



£75 

risU of different voyages; a knowledge; at that 
time, rather scanty an^ong the underwriters, 

I was favourably received, and have no doubt 
but I might have done well; but mere hazard of 
money for money did not accord with my feel- 
ings. And, although I never feared buffeting 
real storms and tempests, I soon began to find 
my pillow was not so easy and pleasant as it had 
been, owing to imaginary storms in my dreams. 

I was convinced the mere making of money, 
without soK^e personal prowess or merit of active 
ingenuity, . would never maks me happy. On 
the other hand, the chance of being entirely 
ruined, now that I was -an invalid and rendered 
incapableof my former exertions, damped my 
spirits. In short, I discovered I was not calcu- 
lated for a gambler; I therefore made my bow 
and quitted Lloyd's, leaving my relation to settle 
the profit and loss of the little I had done. For- 
tunately, this turned out better than could have 
been expected, all profit and no loss^ which I 
believe few underwriters can say. 

The spring and spirit of exertion seemed to 
relax after the conclusion of my matrimonial 
comforts, and I indulged a longing wish for a 
renewal. Nor was it long before I turned my 
thoughts that way, and found another blcfoming 
helpmate, who proved a worthy successor of my 
first wife ; but, unhappily for us both, the mis- 
fortunes of her family proved a great drawback 



«7«' 

tm our felicity. At the time of out marriage, 
it was my full intention to employ myself in 
farming only, and I was bailding and fitting up 
my house, on a newly-eingaged farm, according- 
ly; but circumstances occurred, that induced 
me to engage in an extensive liquor-b\isiness, 
with a younger brother.* Thitiking it improper, 
when in the pursuit of trade, to sport my carriage, 
"I laid it down, though I continued my farming. 

WitJiin a few months after our marriage, my 
fethcr-in-law became a bankrupt for more than 
sixty t"bousand pounds. He was my banker at 
the time, and a letter by the post was the first 
intimation I had of the likeKhoodof such amis- 
fortune; it enclosed a bill for something more 
than the' balance due. to me, with these few 
words ; " I send yoii this, which a short time 
will explain." In the hurry of sending it, the 
"letter was unsealed, but it came safe. 

The thing was too evident to need much ex- 
planation ; and, taking a post-chaise, I told my 
wife what she must expect to find on our arrival 
at her father's. It proved so bad a failure, that 
the unhappy man ne\'er could procure a certifi- 
cate. He had, however, behaved so honourably 
to me in remitting what I had entrusted him 
with as my banker, that, in addition totheclose 



* This was one of the most eventful mistakes of my life *, 
which for the chance of saving others from certaih ruin, evputuallf 
proved the cause of most of the hard struggles! afterwards endured. . 



«77 

c0Bflection I hiKl formedv I was desirous of 
^Ting him and ihj. family every assistance in 
my pcfwetf considering him as an unfortunate 
but an honest man. I did not hesitate, there- 
fore, to aid him with money and credit, tp ena- 
ble him to trade in tome borrowed name until 
his aflFairs could be settled. For a long time, I 
found him punctual and correct, and was happy 
to be thus the means of enabling him to sup- 
port his family. . . / 



CHAPTER LVm. 

Arrestee fcr 1200/. by a man I nevei* saw nor 
heard of. 



The first check I received was rather extraor- 
dinary. To the nature of his cottcern't was an 
entire stranger ; understanding that, from his si* 
tuation a^ an uncertificated bankrupt, sectecy 
was necessary, I relied entirely on his honour. 
But I did riot rplish being roused out of my bed, 
atone o'clock in the morning, by an express 
from London, with a letter from him, dated 
Wood-street Compter, informing me that a writ 

VOL. I. B b 



278 

was out agamst'me for 1 900/- at the sail of some 
man with a harcl foreign •«ame» which I bad 
neuter heard of before; that he himself was ar- 
rested for a siuiiliir sum by the s^me person; 
and that the officer would be down in the coun- 
try the next forenoon to arr6st me, which he 
thus warned me of. 

I was as much surprized as at the first intima- 
tion of the bankruptcy, and inquired of my wife 
if she knew or ever heard of a man of that uam^. 
She replied in the negative; and, dismissing the 
' express, I went to bed aigain ; but, my endea- 
vours to get to sleep being ia vain, I arose, or- 
dered my horse, and rode upwards' of thirty 
miles to breakfast with a relation, whom I in- 
formed of th^ business as far as I was myself ac- 
quainted with it. On his inquiring in what 
manner I meant to proceed, I said my intention 
was to request hini to accompany me to the 
Compter, inquire the cause, and give bail if 
necessary. On his remarking that he thought it 
a bold proceeding, I observed that I had, on ail 
occasions, found it best and safest to face my 
danger. 

Calling on another friend in pur way, we pro- 
ceeded to the Compter; and, inquiring of the 
clerk if such a writ was issued, understood that 
an officer (then present) was justgoing.off to ex- 
ecute it. I said I was the person |\gainstwhom 
the writ was takeo^ and, having heard of it. 



t19 

••• 
cani^ pitpaired to give the neceaeary iml^ Thi9 

done, I inquired If «tltey ka^ any thing of th^ 

person that aded out the writ They said he ap« 

peared, hy his dial^t. to be a foreigner, and waa 

attended by an attorney. They well remember* 

ed the man, from the shabby figure he made 

when swearing to davits of IWO/* against three 

different gentlemen^ and parttenlarly remarked 

bis shoes to be so much worn that his naked 

feet appeared through them. 

I next inquired for my father-in-iaw» Mn 

R , and was sh<wti to his apartment : from 

him I learnt that this man had been employed 
by him as a servant ; that he detected him in 
robbing him to a considerable amount; and that 
the fellow, being apprehensive of the conse* 
quence, bad, by the aid and advice of ap attor* 
ney, sworn the debt against his master, merely 
to obtain time for escape during the arrest And 
farth6rm<}re» from ar knowledge of his master'a 
situation, he conceived that the only two per-« 
sons likely to bail him were myself and the bro-^ 
ker who managed his business : to procrastinate 
the bail, he had sworn to similar debts against 
us, and it answered his purpose, for we never 
heard anything more of the scoundrel. 

I thought then, and still continue to think, 

that some remedy should be provided to guard 

against snch vexatious and false arrests ; for, as 

the law of arrests for debt now stands, a man of 

Bb2 



reputation and property, in an exHn^^ line of 
business, may be riiiMd from the iiy aiy 4ob^ to 
his credit by a false arrest to a hurge amount, 
ivhich any malicious wicked villain, not to be 
found afterwards, may ohuse to sw^ar agaiafit 
him. 



CHAPTER LIX. 

Threatened to be arretted for 4500/. my father-in" 
imc^s debts; serious alternative of sacrificing a 
. considerable property or hanging him. 



I Din not relisb so free a participation of ano- 
ther man's troubles ; yet, bad as this had been, 
worse soon followed. Having indulged him, 
from time to time, with such running cash as I 
could spare, as Well as my notes at tW4> or three 
months, which he provided for as they became 
due at my banker's, I gave him notice when I 
should want it again, and he had in general been 
punctual. But one day, when he was to me&i 
me at an inn to repay me gOO?, I received a let- 
ter from him, ac(juainting me he was obliged to 



9»1 

keep out of the way, for fear Jest bis broker, Mr. 
C , should arrest him. 

I had freqiientiy« when in town, dined with 
Doth at a tavern, and so far was acquainted with 

C . I therefore went directly to his housj^, 

to inquire the cs^use. With an affected uncon- 
cern, he turned over the leaves of his ledger 
until he came to an account, at the heail of 
which stood my own name ; and, pointing with , 
his finger for me to see it, he said, ** The ba* 
lance of this account, which stands in your 
name, is 4500/, and odd ; which, if your friend 
does not pay me very soon, you must.*^ 

At first, 1 hardly knew how to keep within 
bounds; but, as soon as I could qoUect myself^ 
I asked how he could suppose me so egreg[ious a 
fool as to believe, that, merely from his placing 
my name at the bead of an account, I should 
become liable to pay it. His answer was, that 
my notes, which I so frequently gate my friend 
to purchase goods with, made payable to hini 
(C ) and others, would prove my being con- 
cerned, &c. At this time, I knew he had two 
notes of mine, for 160/. each, which I acknow- 
ledgedn^must be paid as they came due, and, as 
to any thing farther, I set him at defiance. He 
desired me to consider coolly of the business, 
and meet him on the ensuing day ; observing, 
that it would be better lo settle it quietly, as, al- 
though he believed me to be a man of property^ 
Bb3 



it*inigfct injure my credit in an extensive line of 
business. I understood the threat, and, promis- 
ing to meet; him agreeably to his proposal, I 
Yetired to my inn for half an hour, to consider 
what was best to be done. 

I had some bills of my own coming due the 
next day, which, from the disappointment of 
the 200/. were not quite provided for. I could, 
at a word, have procured this money from ma- 
ny ; but, in th6 situation in which I should be 
placed if C—- put his threats in execution, I 
could not reconcile myself to borrow. It was, 
however, necessary to provide for them, and at 
last I applied to the merchant to whom the larg- 
est note was due ; telling him, that, from a sud- 
den disappointment, I was not provided for his 
note, and requesting his assistance of 150/. for 
the purpose. This was done directly, he laugh- 
ing at my squeamishness in asking for it. 

When I had thus settled my own money xa^ 
ters, 1 again retired to consider : the intenti^l^ 

C was evidently to alarm me with thrf fear 

of injury to my credit with those connected 
with me in business, I took my measures ac- 
cordingly, and went round to every merchant 
with whom I had connections, and acquainted 
them with the exact state of things. They were 
pleased with this openness of conduct, and ot 
fered every assistance as to giving bail^ ike. 



ft«8 

fihouM C— — be hardy enough to execiute his 

threats. 

We met at the appointed time, when he told 
me lie had consulted his attorney, who was clearw 
ly of opinion I was liable to pay the whole debt; 
but he added, as he did not wish to injifre my 
credit, that he would make it as easy as possi- 
ble, by receiving it in such instalments as would 
be most convenient. I cut the matter short, as- 
suring him, when I did pay, it should be alto^ 
gether^ but that I did not mean to pay one shil- 
ling of it without being compelled ; and, as to 
any injury he supposed my credit might suffer, 1 
would now inform him I had guarded against 
that, having benefited by the threatening hint he 
had given the day before ; that I had already 
called upon all whom my credit concerned, and 
acquainted them with the business ; moreoTer^ 
thai they had authorized me to tell him, instead 
of being uneasy^ they were ready to give m^ 
^ly necessary support, by bail, &c. I added, 
he might therefore follow Iris attorney's direc- 
tions as soon as he thought proper, and I had 
only to request him to proceed against me as a 
gendeman who meant to meet the question fair- 
ly. His disappomtment was evident ; and, find- 
ing he could make no impression on me as to the 
book-debt, he said he either njisunderstood me 
or I was greatly deceived as to the number and 
amount of my notes which he had by him ; for. 



s«4 

on examia^tiotir he ibi^nd he had'Dote9^;Df'mi&e 
to the amount of 1400/. I said that was impossi- 
^le» well knowing there were no other than the 
two which I had mentioned. What was my sur- 
prize, then, to see him open his pocket-book and 
take out notes, z» my name, to that amount! 

I requested a moment's pause, and asked if be 
received those notes himself from the party. 
He replied afiirmatiViely. I examined them; 
and, though they were well enough executed to 
mislead an indifferent person at first sight, I bad 
no difficulty in discovering the hand-wri ting. I 
then observed to him, that those which t ac- 
icnowledged were made payable at my banker's 
and the others were not. To this he answered, 
that the person had told him I did not chuse to 
have so many of those notes carried to my ban- 
ker's ; that they were, therefore, made payable 
at his compting-house; and that he had fre* 
]q(uently had such notes before, which were ge* 
ncrally taken up a few days before they became 
due. I assured him the notes were not of my 
writing. Which, by a close inspection, he might 
convince himself of, nor had I any knowledge of 
their existence. " Why, then," said C — ^, " if 
the money be not paid for aU these notes, the 
forger of them shall hang." 

We were both silent for ^ome ti^ie. He then 
began, ** Sir, I know that the lease of the soap* 
bouse and of the place where he lives were 



985 

bought in your name, and I suppose you liave 
them as securities for. your money. — " Just so." 
— " Then, sir, I make tliis proposition : Jet 
them, with what is on the premises, be made 
over to me in lieu of the notesj or the ]^ty, if 
to be found aiive, shall be in goal before this 
time to-morrow."—" Mr. C , thip is so un- 
expected aadvery serious a discovery, that J will 
not undertake to give an answer before tp-mot- 
row morning." -^ •• Will you promise me, on 
your honour," said C— , "thatypu will not 
by any means give the person notice to get a- 
way." I assured him I knew notwber^ he wag; 
that I had wished much to see him, but under- 

st99<l be w^§ afraid tg miVm ; tli'st T Ulicvcd 

his wife knew', and if possible I meant to see him 
before ten o'clock the next morning; and that I 
would not, on my honour, acquaint the person 
nor any one else with any matter or thing that 
might urge him to flight, before I methim agaia 
at the time appointed to give my answer. We 
then parted. 

There was no ddubt as to the fact of what 
this uoj^appy man had done : inquiries why h^ 
bad so done w<:>uld now prove useless, the conse- 
quences being inevitable if once made public. 
With difliculty I procured a meeting ; he trem*- 
bled as if going to receive sentence of death, 
and but little passed at the interview. I returned 
to my wife, who was on a visit at her mother's^' 



286 

and embraced. her anil my child with Considera- 
ble agitation, but declined accounting for it, re- 
tiring to -consider wl^it I ought to do. I had to 
sacrifice property to a considerable anM>unt, or 
hang my wife's father and bid adieu to domestic 
happiness ! I mad« my mind up to relinquish 
property for the {>reservation of domestic peace 
and comfort.. I might here be accused of a 
want^f sensibility for the family. But to ob- 
viate any charge of this ki^id, I think it proper 
to remark, that the whole family of the name« 
'are extinet; therefore none can suffer by the 
perusal of this Chapter. . 

CHAPTER LX. 

Quit mercantile concerns; retire solely to farming \ 
differentie of living in the country within the last 
fifiy years. 



SbQN after this, I gave up my large concern 
in the wine and spirit trade, retirini; to my farm, 
which I grew more and more delighted witiv- I 
resided for several years on my native sp>ot, en* 
deavouring to improve in the practical know- 
ledge of farming, by the aid and information of 
some of the best plough-fanners in England. 

My leisure time was occupied in en«leavouring 
to bring forward and promote such plans, socie- 
ties, &c. as I thought would be conducive to 



887 

public benefit and convenience, aiid moat likely 
:o harmonize and bring together families and 
aeighbours who knew little of each other but by 
oame; thus improving the understanding by an. 
extended knowledge of men and things. 

The part of the country I am speaking of was 
within fifty miles of the metropolis, yet it was, 
comparatively, but little known. Looking back 
about forty years, I do not recollect more than 
eight single-horse chaises in the whole district, 
consisting of twenty-seven opulent parislies; 
and there are now few farmers, holding 200 acre^ 
of land, who do not keep their chaises, and some 
their four wheel carriages. Women and young, 
people had little or no society but among their 
relations; and the convivial meetings of the 
men, either at home or abroad, consisted chiefly 
in trying whose head was hardest at drinking 
flip or punch, sitting all the time enveloped in a 
thick atmosphere of tobacco-smoke. 

Atone of the earliest public meetings I at* 

tended, after becoming a resident, about thirty 

iPeople were crowded together in a room, the 

fceiliug of which I could reach with my knuckles, 

md all but one were smoking. A farmer came 

1, fresh from the air, wishing to speak with the 

entleman who did not smoke; and, having 

massed with difficulty to the back of his chair, 

01 opening his mouth to speak, he was half 

Irangled by the fumes. After several minutes 



288 



attempting in vain to say What he wante 
abruptly asked the getitteman, if he cou 
main there without smoking In his own de 
and, on his saying, •* Yes, pretty well, 1 
Hunwix, by use.*' — ** Why, then; sir," 
Hunwix, ** you may bid the D — 1 kiss yoi 
I merely repeat this, to convey a strong( 
of the suffocating sitmosphere these g 
men of the country could sit and enjoy 
selves in. 

Mixe^d societies of sexes and families 
chiefly confined to meetings at fairs, and 
horse or jack-ass races in the sunimer. 
were but two or three families vyho ever th 
of treating the young people ^ithadance. 
ri)ads, likewise, through most of the pai 
were almost impassable, and were consider 
the farmers as the best security against a i 
their rents by the landlords ; since, froi 
fear of breaking their necks or catching an 
which was reported to hang on every bush 
few ever visited their estates more than on 
their lives, and many not all. When tiie 
pike-road, therefore, was first introducer 
farmers conceived the country would be ru 
and, as my father was the principal mei 
obtaining the turnpike, I have often hean 
much censured for it. It is true, that ra* 
the f^rms have been raised to double,, t 
and some quadruple, the former rents, v 



my remembrance ; but this is not so much owing 
to the landlords coming down to the farm, aa 
to the tenants ridinf up tortfae landlord and bid- 
ding against each other. Nor has the rise of 
mnt, when taken fairly with other ciroumstaacea^ 
operated against the farmer's interest; for, 
speaking generally, I am persuaded the fanners 
throughout the district gsm more money yearly, 
at the present tipie, than they did at the fornaer 
low rents. Whether they accumulate and ^e 
as moth is a different question ; btit whefe can 
be foand another district, of more thah twenty 
miles in extent, without manufactory, commerce?, 
or even thoroughfare, where they live half so 
generously and well; Nor do I think that any 
of them would like to exchange their pr^stfit 
conveniences, and pleasant, social, mixed, meet- 
ings, which harmonize and smooth the rugg^ 
path of life, for all the fancied advantages their 
fore-&thers had in the rent of the land. 

I am delivering my opinion as it was fen of 
twelve years bacR, when I left the country, arid 
do act mean to include those farms which havd 
been let at the extratagant high rents of Jate 
years prevalent all over the kingdom ; for, I con- 
sider many of them as ccJtitracts made between 
fools and madmen, which must terminate in 
ruin. 



VOL. I. C C 



CHAPTER LXI. 

Anecdotes of worthy clergymen; poetical order for 
wine; suitable answer. 



It may appear a little singular, in so rich a 
corn-country, formerly well stocked with game, 
•with no great men to obstruct any fair sports- 
xticja, and so. near the metropolis, that so few 
clergymen should be found to reside on their 
livings. During the many years I knew the coun- 
try, I do not remember niore than three constant 
residents at >ny one time, and those were on 
livings of the lowest value in the district 

It is not my wish to criticise the motives of 
that reverend body, who^e general as well as in- 
dividual character ought to be upheld with every 
possible degree of respect. I merely mention 
the fact ; and, as a kind of collateral proo£ iiv- 
sert the following copy of a petition, to which I 
was a subscribing petitioner, sent to Lord Thur- 
low, at that time Lord High Chancellor of Great 
Britain. 

•* My lord, 

" We, the inhabitants and parish- 
ioners of Little Stambridge, in the county of 



£91 

Essex, beg leave to make known to your Iord« 
ship the disagreeable situation which your peti- 
tioners ever have been and still are (but for out' 
hopes in ^our lordship's well-known attention 
to unprotected merit) likely to be continued 
in, by the non-residence of our rectors. The 
living of this parish being now Vacant, and in' 
your lordship's gift, we humbly presume to re* ' 
quedt the same in favour of the Reverend J. 
Ellis, a curate, who has resided and done duty 
in this neighbourhood, as such, for more than 
twenty-»even years; a clergyman -whom we all 
respect for his virtues and on whom we can 
depend for residing with us. But, if given to a 
stranger, we are sorry that truth obliged us to 
declare, he senda us whatever curate he can get 
to do bis business cheapest; assigning, as a rea<- 
son, that the country is too unhealthy for him 
to live in, and the value of the living (ISOAa 
year) too small to allow more^han 157. ayear 
for a curate. My lord, we could enlarge much 
on this subject, but are Fearful of intruding: we 
will only beg leave to make this remark, that 
all the twenty-seven neighbouring parishes in 
this district being in the same predicament, 
served by curates, (three, four* and sometimes 
five, churches to one curate,) we have little or 
ho relief if we ride to any neighbouring church, 
for it is gallop and get forward with them all ; 
and, from the little^respectability of some of 
Cce 



999 
{h^ix 9tei^c,fcj^,. we.cwuMjt 9Ay V« have |b$^ 

i^veiy in^iridual ;ia ^. pari«h. jtb^t p^s tythe^* 
^nd are;8iU })l4ui humlfle fairme^ witl\ Uttlejor 
|to ac<}uaipuiiic^ with gfeat men* Bul,^mboId-» 
eqed by the big^ ideas they ^nterUia of your 
lordship's cppsider^te goodness,, they f^raestly 
solicit your lord^ip will be pleased to grajit 
the rectory oj this parish to the Reverend J. 
Ellis. ' ^ . , . . 

" A ud your petitioners^ &c* &ۥ" 

We were x^ successful ; ftnd tUip worthy cler-^ 
gyaum rem^in^d a poor cujratet uutil a coii|;sid<^ 
rat^ neighbouring geotleui^a»«fi^aier» Mf. Pocik 
ertoQ, from pure regard to his character, made 
his life comfortable by presenting him tp tbe 
Uving of Sutton, ip his gift. I i^oice ii^ this 
opportunity of d<ung justice to. the mjerit bolh 
of the dopor and receiver, . , 

I should not do justice to a worthy deceased 
rector, were I not to make him. an exception to 
my general remark. There are some few who 
y^t reniember him, and all who do^ can bear tes- 
timony to the truly benevolent good character of 
Doctor Ton;linson. A pleasant anecdote of this 
gentleixian, when he. turned a d^af ear to what 
he did not wish. to have forced back to memory, 
njay not he unacceptable, . ^ 

The doctorwas considerabl^f advanced inyears 
3UCI very dcaf^ An oldcQllege-chum-acquaint- 



993 

ance had, for many years, made a convenieDt 
poitit of visiting the doctor, or rather a visita- 
tion of a few weeks to the doctor's hospitable 
mansion, where he had always found a hearty 
wetcome, although, being of the lealcy sort, he 
was not the best suited for a sober man's compa 
Dion: but the doctor's good^natu re overlooked 
what he did not wish to have seen4n his old 
chum. This gentleman, arriving at the doctor's 
on an evening when he had company, with ma- 
ny of whom he was acquainted, was in such 
high spirits from the circling glass, in addition 
to what he had gathered on his journey, that he 
could not refrain an attempt to be witty and pass 
a joke at his friend's expence. 

The doctor was engaged witlvsome ladies at a 
card-table, while the gentlemen were regaling 
with the bottle. The visitor hinted his inten- 
tion, and was advised against it ; bnt, perseve- 
ring, he moved to the back of his friend's chair^ 
and, raising his voice loud enough for the dec- 
tor to hear, he inquired if his old favourite 
black-eyed Betty (who made the doctor's bed 
while at college) was alive and well. The doctor 
would not hear, and continued tlie gawie with 
the greatest composure; but the ladies could 
not forbear ti tier tng and laughing, which encou- 
raged the visitor to repeat his inquiry a little 
louder. The dpctor, rising deliberately from his 
chair, said he was sorry his chum could not 
CcS 



make it more agreeable to stay longer, l>uj h^ 
wpuld ordejr the serv^tntto bring out his horse 
immediately ; and, taking up his silver beJl frpni 
the table, he rang until his house-keeper ap? 
peared, to whom he gave directio;is about hi^ 
chum's horse bemg ordered. ou t.^ A ^ sopo as the 
poise of the bell woqld permit, the visitor wished 
to explain ; saying his friend misunderstood him» 
ixothing in the world being farther from his 
thoughts than being in a hurry to go away, as he 
bad come purposely to stay a week or two with 
hin^ as usual. The doctor, however, still turned 
a deaf ear, begged his friend to make no apolo- 
gy about making so short a. visit, and again set 
his bell to work for his servant to bring the gen- 
tlernan's great-coat, as he was in a hurry. At 
every interval of ringing the bell and giving or*- 
der to hasten bringing the horse out, the visitor 
attempted an explanation; tut the reverend doc- 
tor, with a composed pleasant countenance, 
(while the whole company beside were ready to 
burst with their endeavours to refrain from laugh- 
ter,) as often repeated his request that his friend 
would not make so many apologies about his 
stay, fairly hurried him out of'the house, saw 
him mounted, wished him a good night, and as- 
sured his chum, that, when he could make it 
more^igreeable to stay longer, he shauldbeglad 
to see him agaiu. 

To judge of the clergy in this part of the 
country, half a centuiy back, from a jingling bit 



9»$ 

of poetry! have by me. migfait bofc a^^ptiar so 
candid, and I insert ilr merely as a laughable 
specimen of« the^ retart^pQeticoL My father was 
in the wine and tobacco trade^ smd reie^ved the 
fdowiogaotefromaciiratd j|i$tMrrive4 in tS^ 
coaatry^ wbo uad^sloosdhe wa4 tmAvt a little 
rhyming. 

I. _ ^ \ 

Captain Harricitt 1 am told. 
You sieU'wine xS^^i^aAAi 
Good-fiaTOuKed, ^^mt 411(1 MM&lth, 

If you'll seiibA itt^.a(l|9M9^B i& ^ ^ * ! 
Without amy tainperi^; 
ru pay you foj^' t wM.iC iAVUMi^ . 

9w . .. ^. ;' !' 

I likewise stand in much need 

Of someludiaA Wted». 
Vulg. diet, tobaisco hymmy^i^ 

I hav;e smoked some frttmymi^ 

And belt^Terme 'tis tirue^ 
I never smoked belteDfrem^Wf. 

a. 

Pray send me six pound, 

Madempi squ^ve op reutid» 
It signifies nothings a« all ; 

And come when you will, . 

I!1L pay you your hill 
Whene'er- you think proper to call. 

'fothi3^t1ielblU>WHig.aMwepw!a»MM. • ' 



996 

Reverend sir^ 

1- 

Doctor— — and his curate 

Have made me obdurate. 
For they wanted wine, bright, old^ arid do forth; 

Though no coin in their breeches. 

They came with fair speeches. 
And promised to pay for*t what it was worth* 
S. 

Now^ my faith being strong 

And tliinking no wrong, 
I trusted them^ both with brandy and wine; 

But believe me, good sir. 

Without pother or stir. 
They never came near ta pay me the coin. 
8. 

To urge, sir, I'm loth. 

Bad reflections on cloth. 
And a c\oth that clvam^jme divino ; 

But a curate, you know. 

May. rove, to and fro, 
Pray then where must Hook for my rhino 9 

However, to prove that more was said of the 
old than was meant to be attributed to the new 
comer, a postcript was added, signifying that 
the answer was only in conformity to the old 
adage of the church, viz. •* Nopecunia, mpa- 
Urnoster:' And, to make amends for the poetry, 
the wine and tobaiK:o followed soon after* 



fi»7 



CHAPTER LXII. 



Pka$^n^ and useful put Uc meetings promoted; a^ 
necioiesqfurieh maniknppovements easily made^ 
if undertaken properly ; people id the cotiTitry ns 
profligate in principle as they are in ciHes^ 



It can hardly be conceived what difficulty I 
at first had to procure from twenty to- thirty 
subscribers, at one guinea eacti, to establisb an 
assembly for tiie Aviater-eeason; yet, before I 
ieft the countxy, there waa oae'itt most towns 
in the district. 

I proposed next a book-society » tbe very Bound 
tfi which was. at first laughed at; but, by the 
persevering aid of two clergymeo, one of th^ 
established church and tbe other a dissenter^ it 
succeeded; aiTording, for many years, amuses- 
ment with instruction, until at length I bad the 
satisfaction to observej tber^i were many appli- 
cants for admission on |i vacancy, when the 
number limited Wia9 complete. 

Nearly about the same time, 1 plapned the es^- 
tablisUment of a weekly market, there not being 
one nearer tha^ twenty miles ; but it required 



^96 

management to overcome the many obstinate 
prejudices opposed to it, I persuaded some 
gentlemen-farmers in the neighbourhood to agree 
to dine together every market-day, or forfeit a 
small sum each for absence ; the forfeit-money to 
go to the re<;;koniDg. This little manceuvre an- 
swered 60 well, that, at the close of the year, 
when the first agreement ended, those who had 
regularly attended found so many pleasant ecun- 
forts and conv.enieHces attached to it, that they 
very readily agreed to extend the meeting, by a 
plan of association for the prosecution of rob- 
beries and other offences committed on the pro- 
perty of the subscribers. A comrmittiee of this 
aisociatioxi were to meet every market-day and 
dine together, subject to forfeit as before. A n J, 
this being an open committee for any subscriber 
to the association to join, if he thought proper 
to agree to the forfeits, it gathered strength most 
rapidly; and the plan itself, 'being much ap- 
proved, was soon adopted by many considerable 
towns throughout the county. The town, where 
this new market with the association was holden, 
refiped considerable advantage, and there was 
scarcely an individual in the whole district who 
did pot receive some benefit from it. 

This may have too much the appearance of 
sounding one*s own praise, yet why should I not 
be as just to myself as to others? I will there- 
fore continue to claim credit for such improve* 



299 

Dents a&J was the principal means bf introdu^ 
ring; i^nd, possessing but moderate other riches 
to bequeath my children^ it is due to them to 
make good my claim to these smallexertloos^for 
which some few of my quondam rich neighbours 
envied me much Hiore thai^I ever envied their 
greatness. . 

This brings to my remembrfiLQ.ce a smart retorjt 
to one of them» who, pluming himself on his 
property^ was rebuking an honest tradesman for 
not attending to him so much as be expected: 
sayiflg, •• Why, fellow ! do you not know that I 
rise every morn ing worth — — thousand pounds?" ^ 
" No " answered the man, archly, " I really did 
not exactly l^now before you told me; but, by 
G— ! that is ali you are worth." Yet I have 
seen tliis man (who was neither loved by his kin- 
dred nor respected by his neighbours] come into 
a large company, when nearly the whole would 
start from their seats to bow to King Log. 

Such is the strange infatuated folly of man- 
kind! ever ready to make obeisance to riches, 
though without merit, even when they know^ to 
an absolute certainty, they have no chance of 
lifeceiving the smallest benefit from the party. 
This description of men I have ever regarded^ 
llnd am confident ever shall regard, with an eye 
if superiority, when I discover them swelling 
mith an assumed consequential pride, derived 
rom riches only. Yet I respect rank and pro* 



, SOd 

p^rty as mudvas any man, where the possessor 
makes a beneficial use of them or himself. 

For time immemo ria!, a dangerous nuisance 
had existed at a ford, which was impassable 
when the tide came np. To avoid this, k was 
necessary to ride soA^nlifes about, or await the 
fall of the tide. As the attempt of strangers to 
pass it, (for if was a place of considerable tho- 
rongiifare,} when the depth of water was doubt- 
ful, or at iiight, was attended with greaf 
danger, it seemed rather ext^ aordmary that no 
]^ubltc-spirit6d triaft had endeavoured to femedy 
^ an evil so generally complained of. It was the 
more so, as t^^ gentlemen of property, magis- 
trates of the county, who had siiccJessively lived 
within sight of it for a number of years, could 
neither go out nor return home, nor have friends 
to see them, without being subjected to danger 
or confined to time. 

It affected me as littfe as any one in the coun- 
ty-, but, being requested, by some respectable 
individtials to take it in hand,. I convened a 
meeting, suggested proposals, and procured an 
estimate for buildinga Ijirfdjgc arid forming a long 
causewayl Finding the amount too great to be 
raised by private subscription, an application 
was recommended and made accordingly to the 
Court of Quarter-Sessions, for assistance from 
the county. The court consented to build tb.^ 
bridge, the committee engaging to make and 



301 

keep up dili causeway by prirafce sabserij^tioiis^ 
8d tbat^ in a fev mpaths^ I kad the satisfactioii 
of seeing this daogeirous nuisance abated, by a. 
bride bridge asskd a commodious long causeway* 
While the man^ (a magistrate,) who, living 
nearest, was to receive the greatest benefit, was 
so much mortified, and his pride so considerably 
hsrty to tbinfk a person of little or no property^ 
compared to his own^ had taken a lead in brings 
ing it forward and finally efiectiog it, that he 
puniished himself^ for several months, by driving 
through the mud and water> rather than travel 
over the bridge mtb his carriage. And such 
wbiiiisical self*tormenting beings ara some men, 
that he added to his own maortificatibn by ten«> 
deriog a subscription of five guineas towards it, 
when he found the plan succeeding without his 
add and against his threatened opposition at the 
sessions : his offer, however, was declined by the 
committee/ 

A counwy-life is not expected to produce 
much variety. It has likewise n general charac* 
ter for greater simplicity of manners and inte- 
grity of heart than in cities and large populous 
places ; yet, in the course of several years, during 
wliich I was endeavouring to improve myr 
self in agricultural knowledge, I occasionally 
met with irididehts that tended to impress me 
with vexation, at discovering as much duplicity 
and deceit (considering the numbers) in the 

VOL. I. D d 



•"* '-va r>^ tijund. la the iBsxro&iiiI&- -i 

^r:^. a:. ,;jr m mj erperiefice Bcaictta ne, 

*~**^ '' *^^ vice are oof attached to one parucc- 

'•*-^c:rj|)!)on of men mare than jinotiicr; tiiej 

**c!uiijt*f sraijoaa'x nor confined: simpit 

**^*"'^* ^o<K^ ta£5< Xc. .S:x!. are pleasant sounof 

^ -^^^ *^<'< in rt^i^.-\ i^f»v4irc neither better nor 




.^^ 



ft.^*^- . ; . ;^.-._ _-.- -^^ »r-i. ..— ^r: yyrT 









•303 

tions^ but ttiere were no tidings of him the whole 
day. 

As Thurston lived at a cottage, in a bye-place, 
at seven or eight miles distance, I had directed 
one party of the pursuers to enter the cottage at 
dusk; and, keeping all within quiet, watch for 
bis coming home to his wife the following night. . 
This was done, one man sitting within and two, 
watching his approach without. Thurston, how- 
ever, had passed the two on the outside unob* 
served; and, lifting the latch, opened the cot- 
tage-door and walked in without speaking, hea-^ 
vjly loaded with a naked dead body on his back, 
fastened over his shoulders by a cord, the bite of 
which he held with his hands in front. It was 
fortunate, perhaps, for the man waiting in the 
cottage, that Thurston was thus encumbered and 
unable to make resistance; and, in that state of 
encumbrance, the man seized and made him sit 
do^n on a wooden form, or stool, to wait the 
coming of one or both of his colleagues.. This was 
not long; and, on procuring a light, the dead 
body be was loaded with proved to be one of 
^ose hogs he had stolen, when alive,, from the 
farmer, and again stolen from the premises of 
the publican as soon as he had liberated himself 
Ccom the hand-cuffs and the cage. When this 
dead hog was reported to be taken from the pub- 
lican, the suspicion fell on the publican himself, 
tbat^ he had secreted it to save its being claimed 
Dd2 



S04 

and taken from him by the farmer. Nor was the 
real culprit in the least suspected of this felony, 
irntil apprehended with it. 

The prisoner now desired to make a free con- 
fession of other crimes he had committed, and 
among them a murder. Being first admonished 
to take care and well consider the consequence, 
lie persevered and declared, that, in company 
with another man, whom he mentioned, they to- 
gether murdered the house-keeper of a farmer at 
Danbury-common, This murder had been com- 
mitted some months previous to the time of the 
vobbery, various examinalions had been taken, 
but no discovery made of, the perpetrator. Thar* 
ston gav^ a minute detail of the circumstances; 
a warrant was issued, and the party he accused 
was apprehended, bi'ought before tne, and 
charged by hiip as an Accomplice. The circttm* 
stantial account he related was corroborated, in 
many parts, by his absence from the place where 
he should have been at work, at the time the 
murder was committed, by his being seen in that 
neighbourhood agreeably to his statement; and 
by the state the murdered woman was found in, 
with a description of the goods in the bouse, 
corresponding with such accounts as bad before 
beea deposed by the people who first saw the 
state of things when the murder was discovered. 

The examinations occupied three days, as 
many witnesses wefe sent for who lived at the 



305 

disfadce cf from twelve to juxteea miles. At 
every ejiamination^he declared before the m.a(i 
be accused as his accomplice^ in the most solemn 
manner he could express himself^ that they really 
committed the murder. In answer to my exhort- 
ing him to beware. of committing another murder» 
if, as the accused said, he was innocent, Tburstoa 
used this strong expression ; '^ Sir, I know I am 
a lost man every way> and must soon answer for 
my many great sins before Almighty God ; and,^ 
sir, if you were God Almighty himself, and I was 
to answer face to face, as I now do before you, I 
would say the same, that this man and I com* 
mitted the murder." They were committed ac- 
cordingly for trial: in the mean time, however^ 
be redanted all he bad thus advanced and con- 
fessed about the murder. They were tried and 
both acquitted; Thurston was then tried for the 
ftlony,. convicted, and transported. 

This was a country-swain ! I know of others 
equally atrocious, and am fully convinced that a» 
much wickedness exists m the country as in 
crowded cities. 

As it relates to my own difficulties, I must 
also, mention one* sony specimen of ingratitude, 
as well as to shew the small dependence to he 
placed in friendships with those whose minds 
and actions- are principally governed by avarice 
and motives of self-interest. I set it down as 
au axiom^ that an open-hearted liberal-spirited 
Dd3 



306 

tttm may lie i&wn anofong rattJe-snabes with as 
much safety as attempt te otakivate ftiend$bips 
or form connections with men of ooretdwd or 

dastSffdUy disposkions* 



ateariadctaftttass 



CHAPTER LXIII. 

A country duel; ingratitude; a London dud^ with 
its happy conclusion. , 



W»ii*E I resided in I formed an inti- 

Biate acquaintance, that seemed to ripen into 
friendships with a gentleman respecOable in. his 
profession as a ^medical maiv a literary man of 
considerable intdligcucej and one whose smooth' 
9oft mimner of talkiag (though, it. formed a con* 
trast with my own hluot mode of speech) im- 
pressed me with favourable ideas of him, «nd I 
considered our repeatedlyravowed friendship to 
be mutually sincere. That he was satisfied of 
the sincerity of mine was evincedy by bis sid- 
ing an express to request my attendance on aa 
affair of honour, having no one else so near, 
(twenty miles,) on whom he could safely rely, 
fpr so his letter mentiosied. 



307 

I answered thb triid ttf fnciidship^ by katiii|^ 
my mftymj children^ md busiii^8> at theha^ 
zard of being obliged to leave the fciogdom iu 
the possible event 6f the'qaarrel; tlivs proving 
that bis reliance was not anfoimdec)* it i» tnie> 
that the bashftxlQeea . of his ^pponeiil> on my 
w^ting upon hiin^ made the matter mi way di£ii« 
colt for me to aettle, much to my friend's iMift^ 
faction; but that was impossible for me U> know 
before hand. 

Not long after this^ being engaged in an ex^ 
pensive undertakings I was a little straitened f6lr 
tash^ and applied to an attorney to procure me 
100/. for a few months. He informed me, that> 
this particular friend of mine had lately told him 
he bad 200 /. to put out> and had no doubt there^ 
fore bttt I might be accommodated by him. I 
applied, as certain of a ready cheerful accommo^ 
dation, and wa& not' a little surprised at hi» puT^ 
sing up his mouth, with " My dear friend ! ho^ 
sorry I am ! but I have lately hud out so much 
money, I cannot oblige you. I am grieved, very 
much grieved indeed; for, in the hazardoui 
undertaking you have in hand, I have no doubt 
you are straitened enough." I turned hastily 
away, without deigning to inform him that I 
l^new his excuse to be a falsehood. 

Repotting the refosid to my attorney, he 
damned him for as 'arrant a Jew as any he was 
ever acqMinted with; atid Advanced me the mo** 



\ 



S08 

»cy himdelf. However^ to probe him a Ihtk 
fairther, I wrote to him to know if hjC would be 
my security^ should it be wanted^ for that sum. 
I had an answer replete with '' dear friend^s and 
very good wishes to serve, but his dear-bought 
' experienoe bad taught him to be cautious." The 
silent contempt, with which I have treated this 
man since^ has been all th^e resentment I have 
shewn: nor would I have ever mentioned the 
circumstance, but that, in giving an account of 
my struggles through life, I could not well avoid 
it; for, in the undertaking for which I needed 
the money, I certainly laboured under much 
difficulty. 

• This counrtry*duel reminds me of another, in 
which I was concerned in London. A respec* 
table relation, older than myfself, received a 
challenge from' another gentleman, in conse- 
quence of some serious ahercatioa and oppro* 
hrious language,, on both sidesi^ at Lloyd's coffee* 
house. I could not refuse, whea called upon, to 
attend him, although I had long before declared^ 
that the two last things I wished any frieud to 
iffikme, wese the. being, executor to a will or se- 
cond ijn a duel. 

The place of retidezvous was at the King's* 
Arms tavern, Cornhill, whence we were to drive 
into Kent. My relation, his antagonist, and 
myself, were punctual ; but we had to wait more 
than an hgur foj^ the arriYail of the othes second. 



309 

And sach was the mveter^cy of the parties a| 
the time^ that I feared all my efforts to keep 
thein from blows would have been ineffiectual. I 
was, at last^ compelled to threaten each in turn^ 
mvi I obtained a propiise from them to lemaiti 
seat^ on opposite sides of the room^ odd not to' 
remove froiA their thairs without my consent 
until the arrival of the other genftl^iiian. 

I paraded be|ween them; and, after a short 
fiilence, I requested to hear the origin of the 
dispute from each, without interruption from 
one another, in the hope I might find some bet- 
ter mode of satisfying these angry merchants, 
than by blowing out each other's brains. Yet it 
is likely enough they might have, wasted a good 
deal of powder without injury, being equally un« 
skilled in- li^e me of fire-a];ms, I graced the first 
offence to the word lie find the .retort ^similar, 
then to mutual accusations, threatening*, the 
retort valiant, and a challenge; all which, with 
some address, I did away, by persuading them 
to a retrograde motion, unsaying what each had 
uttered against the other, and rubbing off, as we 
proceeded, until there remained not a single 
word to qoarrcl about/ But I acknowledge, that, 
without a grand auxiliary in the aH*powerful 
word j/v I doubt whether I should have succeed- 
ed. The other gentleman arrived just at the 
conclusion of thfs part of the rencodtre; and, 
understanding how matters then stood, joined 



310 

heartily in smoothing down all remaioiog diffi^* 
culties. 

We then ordered knives^ forks^ and a clean 
table-cloth, as substitutes for swords, pigtols, and 
a carpet. Claret, Madeira, Champaign, and Bur- 
gfindy, succeeded ; and^: with this ammunition^ 
so close a firing was kept up for three or four 
hours, without a man falling or flinching, that 
we, the seconds, pronounced our principals^ who 
shbok hands and parted in perfect good humoufi 
to be men of tried courage. 



CffAPTER LXIV. 

Ptirckase an island, overflowed by the sea seven 
feet deep in spring-tides; build a wall, nearly 
three miles in circumferencey to enclose it from 
the sea, with suitable buildings for a farm\ 
nature of the soil, S^c. 



My residence was oix the banks of a naviga- 
ble river, where I kept a sailing^boat for the 
amusement of fishing, 8cc» On these excur- 
sions, I had frequently noticed a sunken island, 
(being covered by the sea at half-tide,) contain- 
ing between two and three hundred acres of land. 



311 

which I thought it possible to enclose from the 
sea. I h^d sailed and rowed over it; and, when 
the tide was low, I had walked overit, the soil 
appeamig rich and good. 

T^ gentleman, to whom it belonged, dyings 
^ all hi^ estates were directed to be sold ; among 
the testy this was pat up and excited some laugh* 
^er, no person conceiving that any bidfding would! 
be made upon it. To the surprize, however, of 
all present at the sale of the estates, a few bi3« 
dings were made and I bought it for 40/. I 
purchased it in the month of May; and, when I 
mentioiied my intention of embanking it rounds 
to shut it in from the sea, and soon after really 
begun to employ men for that purpose, my 
neighbours considered it so wholly impracticable^ 
that they good-naturedly were divided in opinioii 
respecting ^the undertaker ^ one part considering 
tne as a madman, while the other set me dowa 
as a fooL Possibly, some might think me both; 
and^ all the circumstances fairly considered, I 
believe the latter opinion would have been near* 
est the truth. 

My only doubt, at the time, was the strength 
of my pocket, and I freely confess my own im* 
prudence on that account; such speculative under* 
takings being bei^t suited to those who have suffi- 
cient property to spare, without material injury 
to xbeir family should it not succeed. I had to 
adventure the larger half of my property, yet I 



9it > 

(eft IK» Isonfident of success that t aevti* he^ii 
tatedw 

I sent to the fens in Uneoloabiiie, and other 
places, for men suited to th^ work. I theit 
iff amed a biiildixi^ thnt inigbt servie afterwards for 
a stablej^ fixed li higlk enough id prevent the tide 
from flowing bto it^ kept a bo$it to attend, and 
emplojred a Isian to keep a kind( of imttliDg^ 
booths to supply mj workiiien viith good Loodoa 
porter^ fcc« and also to affi>rd shelter in bad 
IreajJier. \ i 

1 Jn July 17i^1rI]Bede ahegianing^ and tnth< 
^December following I had raised a wal^, or em- 
bankment, of ieartfa^ thirty feet thick at its base^ 
batteihig axvay atan an^e of forty^five degreed to- 
wards the sea^ until it was six ieiet thick at the top^ 
and^ight iliet high; the foundation on which I 
fixecl it being npore than two feet above the level 
5of the lest of tte island; This wall was more 
than t\lro miles and a half in circomferenc'e> sind 
earried over seyeral deep rills or out-lets. ' Thus 
fiir, we had gone on rapidly and safely: the two 
ends of the wall were about 140 feet apart> sepa- 
rated by a deep^ ravine, through which Ae tide 
ebbed and flowed, with a current and fyXL simi- 
kr to that which passes through the great arch 
of London-bridge, but stronger. Approaching 
thus to tlie most hazardous part of the under 
takingi, I tried to persuade my two confcractors 
lo xts^ 6(^me. stxottg timber in the work^ which I 



SIS 

offered to fiiniish exdnsive of mj .a gr cei it nt 
with them; bat they revised, aMoring me they 
couM do it better withoat. . . 

On Chrifttmas^day (tbe tide Baiting best for 
die purpose) we attacked it with all the force 
we could set to work. The exertions of manual 
laboor weie a&tontshing; by the measurement of 
some of the best men's work, no horse eoold 
have earted away the earthy ioam, withm the 
same time^ which one man spitted and loaded 
into a banrow and another man. wheeled away. 
The. tide roise^ but found the passage stopped: 
we coQtianed raising the moand; bvt^ for want 
of the timber I had recoiAmeaded to stifien and 
strengthen' it, its own weight operated against it, ' 
squeezing the earth out at the foot as fast as it 
was loaded at the top» The spring-tides began > 
swelling and' rising higher every tide; so that, on 
the fixth from my tut Ding and shutting the tide 
out| all this great body of -earth was swept away, 
with scarcely a vestige of it to be seen; and. the 
difficulty tea-fold iaereased/from the greater dis^ 
tance I had to fet^h other eart^. 

The contractors, to whom I had let the whole, 
appKed for more money. I had already ad- 
vanced them consideraMy more than the agree- 
ment^ without a word like a refusal : all was at 
stake. I determined most resolately to advance 
no more for them to sport away at my risk^ 
althooghii knew they considered me as enlyleri 

VOL. I. E e 



3U 

depending oa their knowledge!^ and^ thul I could 
not do without them. I told tfaem plainly my 
determination^ that I would not advance another 
shilling until it was completed according to agree- 
ment ; and that^ if they were jafraid, I w^ not^ 
but would conduct it and be my own engiaeer 
and manager. Finding,! was not to be bent to 
their measures^ and fearful of the events they 
fxan away ^indebted lQ5l. to the men> to whom 
they had under-let the work. 

In this critical situation, I found myself early 
in January 1782, A set of more desperate uncoD- 
troulable beings than these sea- wallers cannot 
well be conceived. Highly incensed at the loss 
.of 125 /• by their foremen^ Jt was up ; easy matter 
to pacify and induce them to proceed in the 
work. But^ daring as they were^ they knew I 
was not afraid of them^ and' I knew they had 
sufficient confidence in any thing I pronpised. I 
refused to hear any thing they said in, a body; 
they then chose and empowered . tliree men to 
. treat and engage for the w]|)ole. I nt first of- 
fered to give them the same tei|ix» which I had 
agreed to give the/two ciontractorsj which were 
double what they were to be paid by them. 
They were afraid to undertake it at thdr owa 
risk . of succeeding^ but would work fop. me at 
the same . prices they had worked for the cou- 
t^ractors, at my risk and under my direction. 
To this I readily agreed; and^ to^kefp them to 



315 

steadiness and good belitfviour> as ISkewiiie to ntU 
mulate them to the fullest exertion^ I volnntarilj 
promised them/ (bcteide their pay for such work 
as they were to perform at my risk, whether I 
sticceeded or not,) that, in the event of finally 
succeeding to turn and shut the tide out com- 
pletely, by their steady exertion, I would then, 
i]S2L bonus, pay them the 125/. due from the 
contractors ; but that any one, neglecting by 
idleness, drunkenness, or other bad behaviour, 
would forfeit his share. This gratuitous assurance 
cheered their hearts, and gave me such a com* 
maud that I managed them as readily and easily 
aB the best-diaciplined troops: 

The season of the year was much against me« 
I bad to fell my timber in a wood, thirteen miles 
from my island : I cut down trees, from ten to 
fifteen inches in diameter, making piles of them 
from twelve to twenty-four feet in length. With 
an engine, I drove them in two rows, fifteen feet 
apart, across the ravine, or deep out-let, and as 
close together in the rows as we could drive 
them. I secured them together by girders, or 
beams, across^ within five feet of the bottom and 
tbree .feet of the. top, keyed and bolted on the 
outsidf?. ' This was my coifre-dam to bold the 
eartfi in ^he centre of my mound, as a strong 
co|ig||hean, to the wbd^. 

Ijf^thje seventeenth of January, aH was ready 
for anotbier sharp, contest with the sea, to deter- 
Eea 



316 

mine^ by force of arms, who ^ould conqner and 
keep possession of the disputed property. I 
took the cornmand myself: my troops were all 
stationed before day-breuk, our euemy thenre^. 
treating in order to advance again with greater 
force, (the neap-tides being over and the spring- 
tides commencing.) 

' The morning was cold and frosty : a. dram and 
three cheers was the signal for attack. Knowing 
the obstinate perseverance of my foe, and that 
oar contest would be long and strong, I repress- 
ed the ardour of my troops a little at the onset. 
Every half hour I suspended the attack ; and, 
from several barrels. of strong porter ammonia 
tion, which I had provided ready on the spot, 
and elevated on a small tower made of earth, I 
issued out half a pint to each man ; and to such 
of them as had not provided better for them- 
selves, my bread, butter, and cheese, were wel- 
come. I served it all out myself, with a cheer- 
ing kind of language suited to the people; by 
which, I verily believe what on^ of my officers 
a master-carpenter) for the time said, viz. " That 
I had more work done for a few barrels of porter, 
with a little management and address, than many 
men would have obtained for as many hundred 
pounds." ^ 

The enemy advanced against us and perHMttd 
in the attack , for several hours; when, Kamg 
proved the strength of our works and lailed, be 



317 

ifetreated. At the severest part of the «trttggle> 
(high waler^} I advanced in front, with a waller's 
tool in one handy and a pot of porter in the others 
when^ : repeating the words that are related of 
King Canute, I saidy " Thus far shalt thou go, 
hut no farther:" adding, as he began to retire^ 
that, although a conquered foe> I bore him no 
enmity. We their- gave him three lusty cheer8> 
drinking the King's health on such an accesmon 
to His Majesty's agricultural dominions. ^ How« 
ever, being well acq;uainted with my opponent's 
manoeuvres^ and that lie was reeruiting his 
strength daily, and might probably return in> his 
fullest force, aided by his old and powerful ally, 
Boreas, I was obliged tq keep ifly troops in full 
exercise of raising and, strengthening, my works 
for some time after, defeating him, with a strong 
guiurd to watdi his motions at mghl. By these 
means, I obtained and secured my island from 
the sea; and so .far^ at least, proved the practi« 
eability of the undertakifig. As to the prudence 
of it, unider my ciribumstances as I have before 
mentioned^ I have but Iktie to say- 

Havi&g thus t^ned a small part of the* sea 
into dry land, I Ifoon built a . comfortable farm-* 
house foy my bailiff and tl^ worJcmen,. whom I 
employed in filling up the small rills and making 
&gP||Htche& where neceseary. But it was some 
nwths before the land would bear the weight ofi 
hones^ aM it would have been much better if I 
. . Eea 



318 

had kept na more than a pair of them, at work 
for some years; but I was not then aware that 
the i5«perabu»dant salts would have continued so 
long in the earth, to the injury of grain-crops. 
The soil was rich, being an accumulation of rot- 
twi vegetables, which grew up every summer and 
fell in the winter, with the weight of a silty sedi- 
jnent from the water. This was evident to the 
sight, by drying a spit of the earth when dug, as 
it would then readily separate into thin layers, 
scarcely thicker than a wafer, yet clearly exhi- 
biting every branch, &c. of the vegetable salt 
weed, even to the distingaisbing some of their 
species. 

I c^tainly flattered myself I had secured a 
comfortable competence, and felt gratified that 
xny little fortune was the work of my own hands, 
and as honourably obtained as if I bad gained it 
by the spoils of war or any other mode. 

Too eager to reap the fruits of my enterprise, 
I rushed into an unproEtabk ex^nse of plough- 
ing the greatest part of &e kind before it was fit. 
I thought to have sweetened it the sooner by 
working and exposing it to the various efements, 
but I was deceived. If I had left it to its own 
operations of diying, cracking, and getting rid 
of the superabundant salts, by a gradual draiaiDg 
from the rain, &e. and been eoiUent tiM^^ 
small produce from feeding of sheep £or a %w 
years^ I should have done much b^ter^ without 



subjecting mysdf to the hQiiiUktiognH^kasa&t«> 
ness of borrowing money aod the provoking in^ 
convenieaces atteodisg it, oo^ qf which I have 
already laeiitioaed* 



'^CHAPTER LXV. 

The corn-factors contest with the farmers; ortgin of 
the contractors^ 



About ihis^ time^ a serious contest arose be-^ 
tween the corn-factors and farmers^ in those 
coanties that send corn to the London market. 
The attempt of the factors^ to raise their com* 
missiods from mx pence to nine pence a quarter,, 
was as ill contrived and as badly managed^for a. 
number of sensible men, as it is possible to con-^ 
ceive. Had they taken a littk trouble to explain, 
the matter, and satisfied a few of their friends in* 
the coantry that it was reasonable and just, I am- 
persuaded the point might have been carried 
with little difficulty. But they issued their re- 
solves, (such as passed in their private commit* 
tees,) as mandates which the faimw* were obliged 



to obey \ but John Bull has a moi'tal dislike to 
compulsory arguments* 

I attended all tbe early naeetings in my own 
county an4 some in the adjoining; and, with a 
few exceptions, a more strange heterogeneous 
medley of characters, for forming strong and 
efficacious resolutions to comrect and bind the 
whole as one body, could not well have been 
convened together. As an assembly of men, 
mostly unacquainted with each other, collected 
from different parts and varied in opinion as to 
what was best to be dpne, there was little proba* 
bility df their ever making a firm stand against a 
complete close body of intelligent men, united 
by the same interest. . Besides this, aconsidera- 
ble number of the farmers 'were under pecuniary 
obligations to their respective factors; and this 
circumstance probably deceived the factors, in 
the &rsit instance, as to their power of coercion, 
wiiich I have no doubt would have had its full 
effect,, if the factors had.condesc^ided to use 
persuasive means. The farmers, as a numerous 
but dispersed body, would havebeen of no avail ; 
but, agrettng (by chance) to nominate and appoint 
a committee, with full.powers to> act> they did the 
only thing that could enable them, to make head 
against their opponents. 

I was one of the committee,.and we fortunately 
Iwtd a chairmaa who united great abilities wth. 
unconquerable perseverance. Yet I am well sa- 



3S1 ^ 

tisfiedj if the old corD«*factors hftd held out & lit^ 
tie longer^ the new houses^ thai were brought 
forward by the committee and set up agaiast. 
them^ must have fallen* For, notwithstandmg 
the resolutions of the farmers committee, as to 
their own individual conduct, and their strong 
recommendations to the great body of farmers 
to support tiie new houses by leaving some ba« 
laoce of cash with them, the fact was, that the 
greater part drew for the full amount of salea^ 
before the customary time of the factors re«* 
ceiving it from the purchasers. If, therefore^ 
instead of opposing and striving to lessen tb«> 
consignments to the new aom4aotors, they had 
encouraged the sending consignm^its to tbem» 
they mus;^][iave been oyerwhehned and crashed 
for want of capital; and the farmers, in genexalj^ 
would then have believed their failure was owing 
to the want of a sufficient conmiission. Thia 
was on the point of happeniogj. lyben the* old 
factors unsaid what they had for months advanced 
in the public papers, as to. the insufficiency oi 
the commissian, and recanted, by resciaditig 
their resolutions and soUciling the farmers, indi« 
yidually, to return to them at the old commis-^ 
sion. It was a victory obtained by the farmersj^ 
from the want of firmness, confidence, and i»nani*^ 
mity, among the old factors. 

This struggle led my thoughts, back to the 
origin of the corn-market; which, as kv beside 



myself can tiow give an accounjk of, may have its 
uses in being recorded, as well as Shewing from 
what trifling beginnings great matters may arise. 
. About four-score years back, corn-factors, 
meal-men, and middle-men, as now designated 
and well understood, were then unknown. My 
grand-father was then a baker of some repute in 
the city, and it was from my father and his two 
brothers. I learned the following history of the 
commencement of corn«'faclormg| and thence 
the other two. 

At that time, when the consumption of com 
wa% small ccmipared to y^bat it now is^ in the me- 
tropolis, tliere was no description of people that 
stood between^ the grower of com ernd the baker. 
The farmer brought his samples up to^io^n; and, 
taking them to .Bear-quay, near the Custom- 
house, met the bakers, who were the principal 
fctiyers of bread-corn, and there made their bar- 
gains with each other. It is unnecessaiy to de- 
tail concerning other grain, which was * sold in 
the same direct manner to the otlier purchasers; 
and it is thence that the present corn-market, in 
Mark-lane', is still called Bear-quay market. The 
farmers, according to circumstances and situa- 
ation, put up at different inns, 8cc. when they 
came to town : the Green Dragon and Bull Inns, 
in Bishopsgate-street, were two among others to 
which the farmers resorted. The landlords of 
these two inns, in particular, were men in good 



323 

esteem, a^d by 6iabit became well acquaintid 
with the qaaUty and -value of 4i<M-ii.; iasoiniicht 
that the farmers, who used theit boitaes^ woidd 
request of tbent,^ at times when they ha4 not 
sold^ to ta^e the sapiples to .BearrqtiMiy on the 
following market-day and sell for them^ paying 
afterwards for their trouble, jBic. The farmer 
soon found that this made a considerable saving 
to him, in preference to staying in town until 
the next market-day or making a,nother journey. 
At length, the farmer^ finding that the inn- 
l^eeper sold the corn as well as be oould^ and can« 
fidiog in his hQ6t> tliougbt he might frequently 
save his own time, as well as the expense of the 
journey, by sending the samples up to the inn- 
keeper to sell aijid do the best for him, agreeing 
to give an allowance of three pence a quarter for 
the inn-keeper*s commission* 
This was the beginning of corn-factors* Mr. 

J and Mr, S ■■ were the two first; there 

was B, third, who began nearly at the same time, 
whose name I do not recollect. As this mode 
proved mutually advantageous, the factoring 
business increased, and it was not long before 
these gentlemen found that the keeping of an 
inn was but a secondary consideration; and, as 
men of discernment, they quitted it to devote 
their time entirely to factoring. The son of Mr. 
S had bcjen bound apprentice to my grand- 
father, ^ a baker; he wanted a year or more to 



^4 

•Ml^e of iiis limej when his father required bi 
assiBtaace in the corn-factoring-line. That poiD 
Was easily settled^ and he exchanged a busines 
on the decline for a new and more advantageon 
ettploy, in which he succeeded with high exem 
pkry <^dit. 

Tbebnildiug of the present corn-market is josl 
within my own remembrancey and shews hon 
i^pidiy the numbers and business of corn-factors 
must have then increased* The meal and teiddle- 
-men followed^ and now the poor baker^ who 
ranked next to the farmer^ purchased his coni| 
und sent it to the miller to be ground^ (who 
then considered himself oblige4 to the baker for 
-employing him,) is the last upon the list from 
the growerof corn, through the factor, the miller, 
themeal-rman and middle-men^ until he bakes and 
delivers it to the consumer. 



J 



3fS 



CHAPTER LXVI. 



Progress of vegetation on land first taken from the 
sea; gold medal from the Society for Encourage* 
ment of Arts^ fyc. 



My \iope& and fears, about the produce of my 
isbrnd, ebbed and flowed successive^ &r several 
years. The growing crops, while in the gr&ss^ 
prombed wdH ;. wheat, barley,, and oats, branched 
kxiOriantly and set fairly* I haye known many 
capita] {amsers, when walUng over my island 
ouly a month before harvest, declare they had no 
doabt but the crops they then examined would 
prove good; yet^soon after, they wbald begin to 
die at the roots, and, of those which continued 
alive, the grain shrank as it ripened, and the 
wheat had all Uie appearance of being mildewed 
or blasted* The oats and barley yielded rather 
better, but not much. I also tried beans and 
pease, which did not repay the seed. The 
articles, that succeeded best, were rape or cole 
seed, brown, mustard-seed, and rye^grass seed; 
the samples of which were of a snperior quality to 
most, but the quantity was small* 

VOL. I. Ff 



326 

For the first six or seven years after taking 
my island in from the sea, I lost a considerable 
sum of money. If I had permitted it to lie un- 
disturbed all that time, or only sown rye-grass, or 
fed sheep, I should not only have saved materia 
ally, but am persuaded the laud itself would have 
been in a better state for the gi'owth of com. It 
was an untrodden path, and I had to find my way, 
without a guide, as well as I could. 

I have made these observations, in the hope 
they may possibly be useful to others who may 
engage in similar undertakings; And I rather 
think it a reproach to this country, that so many 
thousand acres of rich valuable saltingJands 
should lie waste, which might be enclosed at a 
moderate expense where adjoining to the upland. 
Suck new land would immediately let ifor sheep- 
pasture, pay good interest for the money em- 
ployed to embank them in; and, at the expiration 
of a ten or fourteen years lease, would prove as 
valuable corn-land as most in the kingdom. 

It was my fortune to set tfie example, for 
wbieh the Society for the Encouragement of Arts 
and Sciences were pleased to honour me with 
their gold medal. On my attending to receive it, 
a worthy deceased baronet,"^ a member of the 
«ociety, was pleased to say the successful under- 
takmg merited knighthood, and inquired if it 
would be agreeable to me to be introduced to His 

• Sir Joseph Andrews. 



S27 

Majesty, for having so increased his territory. 
I could not forbear smiling, as I thanked Sir 
Joseph; observing, it was not my ambition to 
become a poor knight, but that f would remain 
content with the humble title of a half-pay inva- 
lidlieutenant^ as best suited to my circun^stances. 



CHAPTER LXVII. 
A family rescued from deep distress. 



I HAVE already, remarked^ that a country life 
caimot be supposed to afford much field for 
adventure or anecdote; yet the following may 
be reckoned an unpleasant exception, wherein I 
was called upon to exercise a portion of courage, 
in the rescue of others from a situation very 
dissimilar to what I had ever witnessed, and for 
which I was totally unprepared. 

Of all the criminal passions which have been 
known to actuate the human race, there is none 
which appears so unaccountable and unnatural 
as that of connections among men. A circum- 
stance of this kind appeared, too evident to admit 
of doubt, against the father of a fine family 
Ff2 



328 

of childreQ aiid the husband of a -Ionian es- 
teemed handsome. His wife^ apparently deserted 
by lill the world, sent for me, imploring my 
aid, by calling forth the most disagreeable reso- 
lution I ever could expect to have been called 
for, in order to rescue her and the family from 
the consequent disgrace and fatal ruin that would 
ensue, if the husband suffered the ignominious 
punishment which he deserved. It was a call 
which, probably, few beside would have acceded 
to and adventured. Although intimate widi 
the family from childhood, I never , entertained 
the least suspicion or heard a syllable from 
others, until informed, at some distance from 
home, that such a circumstance was notorious^ 
and that two young men had been taken before a 
magistrate and sworn to the fact. I was truly 
grieved, and on my return home expected to hear 
of his commitment. 

On the following day, being in a large com- 
pany at a fi'iend's house, the conversation after 
dinner, on the women retiring, soon turned on 
that deplorable unhappy business. All were sur- 
prised that he was hot in custody; and, while we 
were lamenting for the family, a note was brought 
me from the wife, requesting me to meet her at 
her sister's on an affair of the utmost importance 
to herself and family. I read the note to the 
company, most of whom thought the smallest 
appearance of being atiy way concerned in ad- 



329 

yising might prove unpleasant. I considered it 
to myself thus : " A woman, whom I have long 
known and respected, in distress, with a young 
family, calls upon me for aid whea left defence- 
less by the rest of the world. : She writes to me, 
that she has no one else to rely .on; and shall I 
be such a coward as to refuse attending herf" 

I went directlyy and found her waiting in great 
and an^iious distress. She confirmed all I bad 
heard, and^ to my extreme astonishment, ia- 
formed me she had long known he was so ad- 
dicted, (even within a few weeks after marriage,) 
and it was foo melancholy a truth to be denied ; 
that all she had now to hope, was, if possible, to 
save the family from the additional disgrace of 
his being hanged ; that this could only be done 
by his flying the country, which, unless some 
friend whom he both respected and feared,, would 
assist her in representing to him his situation and 
danger, it was not all that she and her children 
could say would have any influence on him to do. 

I confess, this was the first time that J ever 
hesitated whether I could comply with a lady's 
request J observing thus to her, " If .your hus- 
band had been guilty of a robbery, or even a 
murder, I might think myself justified in giving 
the aid required and have braved any danger 
that might arise, without hesitation, in compari- 
son to the present request; but, under his infa- 
mous situation, it is different. It is not a pecu- 
Ff3 



? 330 •^ 

niaiy or penoaal danger that deters; there is a 
more odious oae, the difficulty of 'afproaehing 
witboQt the risk pf soiling one's own reputattgp ; 
however, I cannot hear to see a faAiily in so 
cruel and forlorn a situation^ and refiiae giving 
them such assistance as they think may relieve 
them from the extreme disgrace that threatens." 

Confident in a character the reverse of this 
po(»- wretch, that of an unbounded affection for 
the iair sex, I feli no fear from imputations of 
that kind, and jf.iherefore accompanied her 
home. Being told I wanted to speak to him, he 
entered the parlour with an air of usual familia- 
rity, in an apparent state of intoxication, his 
wife present* I stopped his advance, by thus 
addressing him: '^ It is not that I think your 
life worth preserving; for, as to the community, 
it wene better lost, and the saving it as to your- 
self I consider the greater punishment; but, 
from pity to your aged father, your wife, and 
xhildi'en,' to save them from the last disgrace 
which your ignominious death may bring upon 
them, I recommend you to make your escape, 
before the outraged laws of nature and your 
country are put in force against yoo. From 
compassion to your family, and not for yotirself, 
I warn you of your danger; begone!, while it is 
yet in your power.'' During this speech, which 
I made as concise^ and pithy as possible, he stood 
motionjess in the middle of the room; his eyes 



SSI 

glaring as ready to burst from the sockets^ his 
whole countenance having the appearance of a 
manfft the agonies of death from strangulation; 
and, as I quitted the apartment, he sunk down 
on the sopba. 

Leaving directions with his wife what was best 
for her to do, I hurried back to the company I 
had left, my spirits much agitated, yet well satis- 
fied with what I bad done; Let others weigh 
prudence by grains and scruples, I never yet 
scrapled to go where I thought duty of any kind 
called me. 

The following day, a warrant was issued to 
apprehend him, (I was not then in the commis- 
sion,) but he was gone and fled the kingdom. 
The next thing was to get the poor woman's 
aflFairs settled with the creditors, and fortunately 
she was known to them as the most active in the 
business. On investigation^ their affairs were 
found very bad, and I recommended her to ap- 
prize all to. whom she was indebted of the exact 
state of things. I assisted her through the whole, 
and represented her case to the creditors, who 
agreed to such co^iposition as it appeared to me 
the effects would produce: lastly, wlwrn her own 
brothers and her father-in-law deelthed .being se- 
curity for the payment of a composition by in- 
stalments, I joihed a wortby-heaited neighbour 
in giving our notes for the paymeint of the 
money. Without this, the house where they lived 



S52 

ond carried on an established ^business must have 
been sold, and the prospect of a comfortable 
maintenance destroyed. 

This prodlHced all possible good to the family, 
at the time ; but, to confirm it, I was again called 
nj)on abbut a year after. The wretch had beea 
continually distressing his family for remittances; 
when, after an absence of twelve months, his wife 
informed me he had returned to England, with 
a view, as she believed, of alarming them into 
a grant of greater pecuniaiy assistance ; adding, 
that, unless I once more stood their friend, by 
seeing or writing to him in snch strong terms as 
might compel him to quit the kingdom, they were 
fearful of the consequences both to himself and 
them. This induced me to write the following 
severe letter* 

'' I have jitst returned from paying 
the last solemn duties of a friend to your much- 
respected and worthy, but pitied and lamented, 
father; and, being strongly solicited by your 
friends, who yet wish to save you from the last 
ignominy that a presumptuous infatuation seems 
to threaten yorf* with, I am induced to take this 
melancholy opportunity'' of endeavouring to 
awaken you to a sense of that duty you owe your 
wife and children. I am under th« necessity of 
reminding you, that a little more than twelve 
months back, urged by the pleadings of your 



S3S 

wife, and a desire to alleviate her sottowb and 
those of your aged parent and your children^ I 
saved your life : for^ if you had remained until 
the morning after I gave you the needful advice^. 
I firmly believe nothing could have saved it. 
Pause, then^ for' a moment, and take a retro^ 
spective view otf your own situation at that time, 
with that of your wife and family. When your 
life was thus jNreserved by quittifig the kingdom, 
you had health, strength, abilities, good clothes, 
with some cash and only yourself to maintain* 
On the other hand, you left a wife so deeply in- 
volved in debt, that nothing but the generosity 
of British creditors, strongly exdted by her un- 
merited yet strange accumulation of sufferings, 
joined to the exertions of a few friends, could 
have possibly saved her and your five children 
from being turned out of house and business. 
Thus was she rescued from immediate want, and 
allowed by those creditors to endeavour to pro- 
cure a livelihood for herself and children, by 
giving her credit through another person's name. 
Surely^ yod must be devoid of all manly resolu- 
tion, or you would certainly, at such a time, 
have exerted yourself for a support. On the 
contrary, you hav6, coward-like, meanly solicit- 
ed to be supported with the bread from the 
mouths of youf children, regardless of their 
wants, instead of endeavouring to repair the in- 
jury you have already done them. Repeat not 



334 

such an idlelie> fts to say you:canftot get emijloy ; 
there are. clerks, shop^men, waiters, porters, sol- 
diersj aod sajlqrs, wanted ip all countries, aiid 
the worst of tliese lots is preferable to sottish 
idleness. But, admitting that you <;ould not get 
employ, the moqey, which I am. informed you 
have already received, . ought to have maintained 
you for three yeajrs. It is elearly suspiected 
thatyou are returned to Eqglfmd;. aad> if found 
ottty nothing can prevent your being, brought to 
justice. The creditors^ suppoi^ters, and friends 
of your wife> have also come to a detenuin« 
ation, that, if tbey know she: gi^esJ you any far- 
ther assistance, they will withdraw their aid £iN)m 
her. Thus circumstanced, you . qat^ . on}; save 
your life by perpetual baai^bn^nt | 

^*^ Adieu; may God direct you! &c." 



'3S5 . 

it • . • 

CHAPTER LXVlir. 
Courting in .the suds <U midnight. 



As a kind of s^i off against the foregoing dis*' 
agreeable Occurrence, the Reader will think the 
Following more consonant to the natural course 
)f things, though he may not envy the luckless 
vight. 

Preparatory to a family-wash, my servants 
?ere all retired to bed, leaving only a maiden 
rister of mine up, who undertook to call the ser- 
irants at an appointed hour. At nearly twelve 
>clock, she roused me, by declaring there was 
jome person or persons endeavouring to force 
)pen the back door into the kitchen. Being as* 
{ored, by the steady correctness of'h^ account, 
hat there was some cause of alarm, I was soon 
Iressed ; and, taking meet lips^ with me, I went 
lown stairs softly, and hlid not Waited long be- 
bre I distincjtly heard an attempt to open the 
loor. Leaving the light in an adjoining room, 

moved as quietly as possible towards the back 
loor, which was bolted. In about three mi- 

* A Danasciurblade bro»d«word| Aat w«i made me a present 
ftbe £ast Indies, and which was kept in my chamber. 



»S6 

nntesy aqother attempt was made^ «nd«l,c]earl7 
heard some person on the outside breathing bard. 
Undrawing the boks m quick as possible^ I sallied 
out: the moon shone beautifully, but I could 
not discern any person. However, being well 
satisfied that some corporeal substance had been 
there, and could not be far off, I hastened round 
the corner of the house, where I found a tall 
feUow standing close up, with his back against 
the end of the house. I advanced smeet lipi in 
such a line with his neck, that, with a back strokcj 
I could have struck his head off in an instant; 
and of this, he seemed well aware. 

By the moon's light, I saw he was a tall strap- 
ping fellow, aild was uncertain whether he bad 
comrades or not. I ordered sil^ace at the peril 
of his, life, conveyed my prisoner in, secnredthe 
dopr, and fastened his bands behind him. I 
then qu^stioped his intentrions : at first he refused 
giving an^count, xkH^h finding that ^would noi 
answer, ,}^e said he courted one of my maid* 
servants, and, understanding that to be washing 
night, be had wsdked nine miles acrosa the eoun* 
try to see her. 

The servant lie mentioned was a likely smari 
young woman, to whom I aent my siatejr to iw 
quke if It wa3. ttue* She denied it : ordering al 
hands up, and being assembled in the kitchen 
she again denied any knowledge of him. Or 
this, I led him into the parlour^ directly under ixi] 



own b6d-room, secured bis hands add fefet, ftnd> 
locking the door, tdok the key with me to bed. 

Rising early in ibe ^i^^cii^iiif^ I fonnd Mrs. 
Betty in tear^; and, dropping on her knees, 9he 
acknowledged her swain, imploriag my forgiveness 
of both. On openmg the 4oor of the j-oomiu 
which my prisdner Mas <K>tifitied, my olfactory 
nerves were so offended, that, guessing the plight 
the poor fellow was in, i directed Sirs* Betty 
to take in a pail of water, mop^ 8cc. to eleanse 
faer spark with as wet*! as. ibe room, s» some 
punkbment to herself. And, when released ft-ont 
his durance, ordering the man a dram, I gave 
him this advice, that, if ever he again came 
courting' to my Ikhisc, tb come in the ^ay^timey 
walk boldly np to che door, kno4»k like a^min^ 
aod not come sneaking intbenigbi like ^ thief; 
especially as I gave vtyfemal^servanis^pemiff- 
sion to ravite any lionest fiweetli^art, 4:li«y were 
oot, ashamed of, to dinner 'Oa a Sunday ^ odier 
convenient time, on condition that liu^y admitted 
them only at the front door, and w>t ai^iMggfle 
them in backwards in the dark« These injunc- 
tions being attended to, with go0d <;ondUct- for 
one year in my service, «pon their -marriage I 
always gave them a wedding«^nner; and, 4U2- 
cording to t^eir other aierits, farlher^ooimragft- 
went. 



VOL. I. G g 



338 . 



CHAPTER IXIX. 



Again a widower; marry again; act as a magis' 
irate; country zoitches. 



.1 WArs .a widowtr at the time of the last anec'^ 
dote^ having beep married ten years to my second 
•wife^ when she died of a consumption! leaving me 
4hree chiJdrei}. . . 

.^Man was Dot bom tq live alone. Having ex- 
. .perienc^d much comfort in the married state, 
.and qy childi^n.irequiring some careful female to 
mmAge 9<lid bring them y^, I soon determined to 
look outiagi|ii|. I bad vanity enough left to tbiak 
I .qiwld apcfp obtain a. good wile; but thedifficulty 
Vias to.,procii|re ..a ipother for my children in the 
same p^t^p^. ^. Hqwever^ I wasAot long in m^iug 
■ano^r chqice,^ and it is lio small merit to my 
present ..wife to have: proved herself a good and 
affectionate mother-4iHlaw to those children, who 
are all doing well and reflepting the highest credit 
on their parents as well as themselves. And I may 
as well add, in this place^ that, of six children by 
my present wife, four are alive and as promising 
Jtt the hearts of parents pan wish. 



539^ 

i had been fveqveiidy solidted to act as a ma^ 
gistrote, hat as repeatedly refused to liatea to it 
while I had any .oonccr» in the liquov-tradea. 
When I declined that aad eng^d with joy 
islaod, I' was again jrequested by my neighbours.;. 
but, still wisliing to be excused, I observed it 
better suited men of more independent property^ 
vhose decistdns carried weight; while every 
UoeUiead, who considered himself richer ihaa 
the magistrate before whom be had business^ 
wodd think .bis property entitled him to Aew any 
airs be pleased^ which might be produciive o£ 
uopieasantness. 

At lengtiiy as my prospects from my island 
grew better yearly, and the country was in real 
distress for want of aetive mag^trates, I con* 
seated ta undertake a task that I well knew, 
from the state of irregularity and disorder the 
district was in, would bie a Herculean one. The 
necessity there would be ta ptOiish many during 
idle depredators, theit had long hat*bourcd about 
the country without a visible mode of living, the 
number of smugglers and unlicensed pot and gin 
houses that required to be suppressed, with many 
others who bad long set all law and order at 
defiance, would demand all the resolution I was 
master of to bring back, by lenient or (where 
necessary) severe meansy the various defaulters to 
a just sense of the duty which every one owes to 
society* I likewise knew^ it wpuld require equal 
Gg2 



firaoiB^ss totpfotect the pcHNr^in. ibrii vgbts, 
(which, behi^ ibw in comparitoiiy: oi^t'to be 
held the move sacrtd^)- f«om tbe.inju^ice df simie 
oftheit. «mplojers>aiM|};thi3. tooirequiantjopiiies^* 
fidve reihovals' of pampers by (jpamahHoSi^etBf so 
ofteo dcme from iHtpte/ reseutment, or/mteregtsd 

. To these ' matters I settled tty mind fitmly and 
iMd)utdT^ determined, to< the be^t of jnjr jttdg<< 
stents not to deviate from the padi of strict j«»- 
tioe. How I carried thosie resolutions inte 
effect^ the county ia the best judges Thatniiny 
thought themselves offended I have no doubt: 
those parish-'offieers who were net salfei^d to 
tyrannise over the poor ; die constables of twenty- 
-seven parishes, in am extent of twetttjwieveR 
miles^ who had long been in the babit of shattie* 
fnl neglect of duty, connivahee at pnbiic^boiise 
tippling, and other misdemeanouw; die paWi- 
pans, who suffered gambling and encouraged the 
idle and disorderly ; the pilfering depredators and 
idle vagabonds of various descriptidns ; all these 
might complain, as individually feeling the curb 
that checked and made them shrink from a fear- 
less resolute arm of justice, ready to correct 
where necessary. Yet I am persuaded, that 
even those individuals, who might compfciin of 
what particularly affected themselves, woiild 
allow, with regard to others, that the greatest care 
an4 pains were takeh to advise^ persu^de^ admo-* 



mAviindlUrTeoauake und try, by lenient OiesL^ 
sores, to raaMdIgr ^^ ^^1 coniplfiiiied ot^ befaie; 
theslMNigp4tei0f jttstioe ira^ iaiwd« • 1 

Hie tiidigmft eon^mmt vnasnre of •mple 
jitttiee md ptofiactioa agniiitfe Ae wrcmgfid rich 
an^ ipower&l, wbQm I- fii^it 'eodeavoiirtd .to-eon*. 
Tifice of their error^. PQcoMmeiHling ample satis-^ 
faciiM to the »||iired partj^, m tf .doiie from' 
their owB; ooQificiioot ift> pre&ffence to its being* 
done bj^ aa ordofb Yet I was* sometimes oom*- 
pelied li» aee.sleni aothority^andeRren. order iitfo: 
castodjp^ obstinato refiaclory persons^, wbo^ iroo^ 
pride and conoeit of their streagA of potsej I. 
h^ve, haown. audaciously bid defiance to jastice^> 
declaring they knew they could affor.dlO;spend 
more hoadreds of .{founds: thab the magistrate 
could tens. . 

One' of this d^oription^. having outraged all 
d(^eacy in contempt of court, and whiMe com- 
mitnientj being fiUad up^ I was about to sign, 
findii^ ,that I was in earnest, made bU submis** 
sioQf sw obseqoioasly mean as his conduct before* 
bad been audacious to the court. . Ignonintly 
coaceivii^jtbat sabmission implied kneeling, he 
was proceeding to drop on his knees^ If 1 had 
not prevented: it>, informing. hiai,.tbati althooj;h 
the court was determined to SBpport its. own prfo«r 
per authority^ for. the .oredit ^nd * good* of ' the. 
country aii4 not from per9on]Bd>cbniie4uence,.yet« 
. . G-g8 • \ ;/.• . -: 



342 

they VfiAiedr not tcr dee any mmtimgnJie Idiiwit 
«» law as hewtti Ibea proceedilig to'doi- 

I was told aftcnrards^ by soms joC hisaMi^- 
hmnfy tbat it had^ daac lam woadnprfUiteMte; 
aiiid^ iiurftnxg: him in oampanyjtta gastlcaaiiB's 
iHtme not long: after,, he nuftiired, JMobirly 
•Boogb, how I cam6'l» &k on^iiiniiin^prcfeMioe 
to Qther9> who he briieved weKt Mi u ImA^ 
liii09d£« His. qttoittotf oiaus^ a ^ Mittltt imifid tht 
«9»paay ; and^ by w^y o( answ^f^ I iAe^' Mm, 
aK^osiDg be bad: on bi« farm a • fteroei #0 oMiif 
hogs, ^t wanted wringing at die notf^ wMier 
he wonU not wctegtii^ 4»i]gbe^i6m;K He taak 
it in good papt> saying he.'wonld ask' ^flfoipar^ 
qncs(;^>ns. > f ' ' '■ 

The: first yeair disl^ I aeied was imfy' laborious, 
all up-hill work with but little assistai^Ge;- the 
tmo old ttagistmtea<in' the tteigbbourhoQcl b0iiig 
, sdkinm aUcf /to^ attmd. j^ter tbatr, it hi^muf 
sn^b mnra. easy and ^leassstt^ by tile additistf 
oimi^ikmam, wboy ta aisound jiidgtnent> iit* 
tsigntfj 'dad abiUti^ ^n<:ided in opinion widi 
me, that no msn ehonld aceept the offieewiih* 
out astending to it saffieieatly «o 4Qk^4b« tenantry 
justice. 

It Buty easily be sopposedy that the' colnitry as 
well a» jnetiGOpolitan magistrat^ss bate cwfious 
idnipiaints made totb^n. The foH^wing is an 
ittstance* j(ka elderly wom^ acean^pMiied by 
her daughter, came to my house, complaining 



948 

that' her nei^boon aocased* her df being m 
mtch, and that she Jiad teats in her arm-pitSp 
miik which she-vooklecl' jnonog wps. She there- 
foie requested I would examine her and certify if 
it were' sa or not* "This was. before, my &mil]^ 
who joined' in a laagb I could 0ot refrain from. 
As soon' as I could well compose my countenance, 
I assured her that, without -examination, I was 
satisfied there was no wilohraft about her; but 
that, if there was any in , her funily, I rather 
suspooletl the. dailghMr, (a/coMljF rasy^ebeeked 
gidaboiit eighlMii^ wfaMe- bewitcbiiig«pdwaMi 
thongfat.stmtig^eiioagh to imhiceaa ejMtmaiittissii 
if she chose to soUoit it. 

This bringa to remombraaoe a ciroaiMtBice 
thai OGonied betiseei| . tWrty and forty yeara ago> 
suficiendy: lOTont tp be proved by. some, uopw 
living, : who wqro apeoftatars* An dM wonan^ 
suspected of being a wifcb, was. takan^to'liatm** 
Widge^iry, in Essaa^ a&d» in the: tiew ef lmn« 
diedsL of peieoBs, wea reaBy *made mmAm, tied 
by a rope to thesteitt of abiaat, to prove whenhet 
sbe was a wdtob; I was* not tbe^e myself^ bat « 
broAesi^wow liiriiig, wea; The poor eM creative 
uarrowly esa^eddrowniBg. 



S44 



CHAPTER LXX: 



Trip to France; premivmf(fra road^kdrrow; pub-- 
Ihhtablesfor'the prrt^rtati&nof^itttss; gbm- 
vatitmscnmuintarmng'tkepbor. 



A FEtK years^ fureviaiis, tor' tbe^ n^olbitioii ia 
Fmnce^ Ibad^QCCMiou to cxQes^owte. to .Calais; I 
to^dkd Ihfioiigb .Sraiioh fJadder^" ^lM%iLc. 
and returned by the way of Oonkirl^,^ ' - i. . * 

I pvolentf not Ht nmlce any renasfc^ concemmg 
old Francei as itwas tlicb,.yetveaiiiiMhelp iuh 
tidog the aglonyiiiig. <^iuig|Ba}p»MlttQed.ui ibat 
u&bappy csountiy in- 90 Aot^ a^ .period €f ,tifli«. 
'Eh« fteklandfftbroBgh Handei&nvreddigfatfii^ 
phasatttaodtraqpilbgp t0 ihe^eyeof an agricuU 
tumtf ittiMiiMh^.tbat Iroould. nc^cceiy. rdbia 
froar eoveting imy,.aeigbbo«tr» laadar^. Irom^ aa 
apfa»toii< that & oonU/faffiii xhemnibettBu Btiitr 
howe^et klviiing tii^y wei?e;jthefi>: the finest estate 
in the whole country wonld n0t tempt mr. to 
aeeept it noivif obliged to reside there; for, 
without security,, what i»> property ? without pro- 
tection, wher« is liberiy ? 

The Society for the Encouragement of Arts^ 
Ice, again honoured me with a premiun for the 



MS 

iiiventioii of a rosui*iiMnow,^hy wUch a pair of 
horses, mlb a nam and bdj^, could perftrm more 
in one day and maek tetur, ia tearittg v|ft the i 
high qoarterb and filKng the- d^ep tats with the 
gra^el^ than fifty mcfii cootd do hj sutbhidgi 

la. the same yiear^ I paltlUbed: Tabfes fyr |1m 
preservatioa and improvement of landed estates^, 
and fear the proihoCloii aid fft<5lfeftM oiiikgroWth 
of timber i»pon thiiit, TUm gave ouicfa umbrage 
to many of ray farmiig ntighhoiiri^ ^o, coaitU 
dering it in a tvMOg llgH tbooglk it Isktiy ^to 
injum iAkAr imtttm, by enahlisg ibt kndiord «o 
see add^ kaeWikit dlflerenee hetiiife» a good ami 
a bad tmML 1 fcel well tatiBfied, bowaivar, 
tbat^ ^I htfd not itippressed it oM of regpect to 
some iftr(mhf oeighbooii^ die gooA tenant woald 
have been benoikad and tho bad only have tuf'^ 
fbred. 

Hatiftg $Am beftownd tomo thoagbt snd tt^ 
teution on the betl' ttiode of ttaintnu^ng the 
poor^ I had tome hmndredt of addiciiet to the 
public, printed and given away in my di6irict> 
in the hope of promoting beoieiit-aocleUea. >The 
following atetract will sufficiently convey my 
thoaghtSyStc. 

^ At a time when to mamy new sehemes 
are in agitation for the better management of the 
poor^ while objections are raited against them aU> 
and yet all acknowledge that some alterations 
and improvements are necessary, I beg to be in- 



S0 

dulged wkh making a fiav :^MWfv»tWP3 om iwa 
points, wUch. ought tfo^ bts.GOoaidkrfid psevkmsly 
to the estiabligbment pit aAy nevf mode^. and a 
proper attention to wbicb might decide the pre- 
ference doe to <mt ajbdve another.. Tbfi^ points 
uip the righti of thepoof und t^e <a«{/foril of the 

f Witbreipect lo the p^w man'srig^f^I pre- 
sume tbey are paHiriilly: tN layn^ wiitb-tbe ricb 
iQaa'fl* Sfet the prince and ibe ba^ketrmaker to- 
gether to a desolate i6famd> audit 13 certain the 
i«nfc of the fdrmerini^itt not: bet sa gooda plea for 
enpeiiority' m the skill ojf the lauer«^ Bot>iaa 
state of citilited soeiety^ things neqessariljc and 
wisefy alter from a stale of pnmitlve natf le, and 
the rights of the poos maa must: b^ ewmated 
differently .for the geacral benefit of; society. A 
willingness to labour is all the retnm that can be 
tegi^yod of a poor man in osde£a6 se^ui« a con- 
tiiifiaiie^.'Of the.bttmble e9JegriB9ents belonging to 
bia statioUf If, either by age or sickness he be 
rendered ineapable of laboui;, or if no work can 
be found for. him, be may still demand some 
share from those who, witbput laboaXj ace. sap- 
plied with abundance out of the general stock. 
It is not enough to provide for the poor by keep- 
ing them in the cheapest manner possible^ they 
are to be maintained in the possesion of their 
comforts* 



3*7 

*' Whmt are the poor fnaa'ixomforts? Th^y lie 
SQ a smaUcompasSj aod. therefore ougbt to be 
the more saered. Otie great source of co«tfort> 
to the poor mao, is bis wife and children : if be 
be not o¥er*bordened by « them, desplsied and io*- 
aignificant as he.niay be abroad, he is of some 
conseqaence at borne. There he fiads those who 
care for Urn, obey him, add come or go at his 
command. He is not withotit a sense of the 
moral chanties of. father, son, and husband; 
and, when sick and dispirited, it is the greatest 
of his comforts to be attended upon by those 
who love and n^ard him. There may be some 
danger of sinking, even a stout heart by the for« 
ctble sepasMion of husband and wife, parents 
and children, in .time, of sickness and distress; 
nor would ooe smriely wish them to be . entirely 
iodiJferent to each odier. 

The poor nAiu, even in his poverty, lores to 
cherisb some idea of ^o|ierty; to say „ my house, 
n^ garden, «y furniture; aiidy when his whore 
domestic , establishmMit goes to . wreck, . on a re- 
moval t0 a.workhoiifie, it.ii^ natural for him to 
grieve at the loss of things that, by use, were be* 
come valuable to him^ -He does not like to con- 
sider himself oi^y as a lodger, or a guest, though 
in a much finer mansion than his own. J{e does 
not, .^itb satiifiacdpo, wear dothes, thoi^ warm, 
that be^ng t^ the oommanity -and uc^ to him$elf« 
Aad are a.ot these virtuous pr^udiqes ? 



«48 

^' The poor nian is still eomfoHed aadir hb 
poverty, wliile he thinks Umsetf ftieff. Xhis 
freedom of his^ God knows t is djaQomscribed bj 
such a number of imperioos KdrcumstBiiees^ that 
jn effect it i$) reduced to little; bat be ^pleases, him- 
self with a possession arnagoified ky> imaiginatioo, 
and is gratified to think he. may gootttaod eonie 
in^ work or play, at his own^option. He Ukes to 
be the judge of his own wants aodto provide for 
than after his own planner. He even .chooses 
lo bare tbe determiiiatiQn whether he shall boil 
or bak^ hie ^ionday's dinner; He cannot be easy 
under ooafineaient^ abhors the thoagists of being 
put wider lock and keyy thinking no man de- 
serres a prison who has- not committed a cnine^ 
To be a cipher in -the state «ad dierefore thcogfat 
a slate, according - to the idea of some mad- 
headed political theorists, does- not hurt bim al 
all; bnt be has a*aioi<ftl did ke to arbitrarjr role 
cxercisfd orer all bis aeltons. 

^ Lastfyj the poor man filaeeB sopm;^ bis com- 
forts (often it ttiatft be aoknowkdgod too many) 
in sodal and convivial attjoyments.' The bare 
memion of these, in a poor man, atrik^manj 
with the idea of ffceat crimiaafity, aod (he ap- 
pallations of drunken and idle \a9e JiberaBy be*: 
fi^owed'with great ia^BgnalioA* To get ^kwAi 
end «quaiider at «i ale-«honse what ouj^t io 
maitttmn his fasMly, js nndoabti^ sreiy wreag 
in a poor man ^%at ikMf after a bard ^y-s work 



84d 

dr weclk*s kbctof^ he should love io rekx li 
little in that place which affords an hour's impor* 
tance to his hearty i^ surely so natural that it 
tannot deserve nitich censure. Th^ evening chat 
at a.nei^bour's door^ the Sunday <sburch-yard 
politics, the holiday fbstitities^ tile rustic games^ 
sad athletic eitereises^ are as "weleoone to the 
laboolet ad the opera-house and Almack's to the 
peer. And who will say that th^ pleasures of 
the former are not as ratictial as tho^e of the 
latter? 

" if the^ observitf otfs af e adn^Hted arf imii, I 
hope a phui|* founded on the frienfdly societies^ 
for veddering Ibe penkptkny pari^ or pstrishesj 
wliQ are rii«4 inciitfedy more iildeptkndent and l6s8 
burdensoitie to>thd1r parishes, and tot promoting 
ifuch a beneficial aad'pUSknthro'pio design^ will 
be adopted^ un'til govenfllitent^ in its wisdom^ 
iball thitfk [/roper tdf eMhllsh a ^ittilsr of better 
ttode.*' 

the pTtfpoi^ phtn4liett fa)io#erf. i sent num«^ 
bers of theni . to the pVidbtpal mcfnlbers of both 
houses of parliament, in hopes they ought be con-* 
Sderedworthy-of parliamentary iloVice. It might 
be presumptuous m tdt to suppose thfat the 
nfeasu'res ado|p'fed*stncej by government^ ori^i* 
lotted in my suggestions; should they have aidei^ 
in ^ steeliest degreci the knowledge t>f it woUld 
have afibrd^'dn^ m^ch gratification'. 

vot. Xm ' H h 



350 



CHAPTER LXXI. 



The hland improves in value; sink three wells for 
fresh watery but am disappointed; discover a 

. surface of the ^arth, at the depth oftwenty-tm 
feet. 



" The crops of my island annually tnc^^ased In 
value^ but I found myself much at a loss for a 
supply of fresh water* From: the general depth 
i>f the wells in the adjacent countiy, I thought 
it likely I might strike on the same level of gra- 
vel and sand which supped their springs. So 
far, my conjecture prov%d right; but I was dis- 
appointed by discovering a spring of salt water 
instead of fresh, and I mention it here merely on 
account of a curious circumstance discovered in 
sinking three wells in different parts of my 
island. 

At the depth of five or si?c feet, we found a 
strong blue loam, which continued about twelve 
, feet with little or no variation. In sundry parts 
of this, loam, we found single oyster-shells, rather 
larger than common, which became soft when 
exposed to the air. * Below this, we had different 
strata of earths of various colours ^ among thesei 



351 

there was one of as light a colour as pipe-elay, 
but not a stone in. any of them. At the depth 
of two and twenty feet fron^ the surface of the 
island, we came to a thin layer of a blackish, 
spongy-like substance, which, when dried and 
examined, Very clearly shewed the roots, stemsy 
branches, and leaves, of various vegetables. A 
number of pieces of sticks were foand close 
above this layer, countenancing an opinion that 
it bad formerly been the surface of the earth. I 
do not pretend to investigate how that surface 
became nearly thirty feet below the present high- 
water mark, but such was the fact. Beneath this* 
dark-coloured layer was a tolerable mellow earth,, 
that readily fermented with-acids; and five or six. 
feet lower, we came to the spring. 

In the three wells, which were at considerable 
distances, we regularly found the same strata and 
appearances; but, whether the change that has 
taken place happened since or before Father 
Noah's time, I must leave to those who pretend 
to see farther into a mill-stone than I do. How- 
ever, it is pretty evident the change cannot have 
taken place within the last eighteen hundred or 
two thousand years, from four tumuli, or bar- 
rows, of earth, upon ^he upper surface, in the 
centre of which I found, human bones,^ charcoal^ 
and other vestiges of sacrifices that had beea 
made at the time of their burial; some parts of 
iron instruments of war, such as spear-heads. See,,; 
Hh2 



369 

ffitjfi blokea nnSs of Roman pottexj; and %hh, 
^dded to the ^inpommon pai|i6,thet must hav€ 
been takjcn to form the two largest pf the ttufnolii 
pf materifila not to be found in ttieneigbbonrhoodi 
clearly prpyed that the persons -so buried must 
bave been pden pf great consideration at the time* 
In all prob^bilityi some 6f the earliest invaders of 
(areat Briiain; the creeks and inlets serving as g 
good sbf^Uer fpr their vessels^ as well ^s sectiribga 
good retreat in cai« of a defi^^ti 



CHAPTER LXXII. 

A dreadful ^re; house and oj^m all burni ; mve 
my family from the windows, in the dead of the 
night. 



Eaaly in the spring of the year 1790, the 
growing crops on my home-farm, as well as the 
appearance on my island, being favourablei I 
thought of painting my dwelling - bouse, (in 
which I was born,) which it bad wanted for some 
time. 

On the »xteenth of, March, a preparatory 
scouring of the wainscot was begun in our osnal 



S53 

sitting-foom, in order to clear it for the paint. 
We had previously removed into a middle pai^ 
lour, into which the stair-case entered below. 
Out servants being rather fatigued^ we went to 
bed somewhat earlier than usual, a little before 
ten o'clock. Between twelve and one, Hay wife 
was awakened by the crying of one of our child- 
ren in the adjoining bed'Chaniber ; and, while 
slipping on a garment to go into their rpom, she 
thought she smelt iire, and jogged me to make 
known her fears: however, being often accus- 
tomed to false alarms of thieves, fire, 8cc. I paid 
no attention, gave a round turn in the bed, and 
was asleep again in an instant, fiut her shriek« 
on opening our chamber-door, at^ thehead of the 
stairs, to satisfy her suspicions) too certatnlj 
convinced me that something was wrong. 
Springing out of bed, I ran to the door and 
found the stair-case, with the room b^low, all in 
flames* The door was instantly closed again, to 
prevent the draft of those flames irom entering 
our chamber. The vent that bad thus been 
given, by opening the door, having afforded th^ 
fire additional strength, it raged and roared loud: 
enough to frighten stouter hearts than women, 
are in general s^ipposed to- possess; but, in this 
instance, my wffe shewed uncommoa. courage^ 
She flew tq ihe childrenV room and to. rouse the 
two fefflale-servants, while I staid for a momenta 
to consider the best means of saving our lives* 
Hh3 



3^ 

There was no other way to escape than out at 
the chamber-wiodowsj one of which I bad jast 
thrown up) thinking to lower myself by a sheet 
in ord^r to fetch a. ladder for them; butoiie4>f 
the maids^ rushing by n^e in b^r fright^ was 
going" to precipitate herself out at this window. 
Convinced^ by this, that ij; would be moat dan* 
geroas to leave them, and not being certain I 
«hodid readily find a ladder^ I forced her back 
into the ropm she came from, and asssared them 
all I would either save or perish with them. 
Having thus determinedi I took two of the beib, 
with, the beddingy and threw them out at the 
window, and, from a large clothes-press in the 
chamber, added several arm-fulls of household^ 
' linen to the h^^ under the window. 

My wife, by this time, had brought the child* 
ten to our room, but refused to leave them, in- 
043ting on their being saved before her. The 
maid^servauts 3tood on no such punctilios, but 
were screamiag and striving which should get on 
the outside .first. I obtained a support for my 
left foot on a narrow projecting ridge, over the 
lower window, holding by the inner part of the 
sill of the chamber-window with my left hand. 
I then received one st a time, and by my right 
arm lowered the two servalT^s Dn the heap of 
bedding, &c. without injury. I iock the ohild^ 
ren next, as handed to me by their mothCT% and, 
while one vmd steadied the other upon (he hea)7/ 



355 

I cottU jast manage to lower the children suffici* 
ently for them to be reoeired safely. After low-* 
ering my wife in the same mamier, I returned 
into the chamber to see m^ more coiild be 
saved. From the doi^Ue^esto of drawers^ I 
soon threw out such dturera as were unlocked; 
the others I seiased, by both handles^ bunt the 
locks^ and saved what they containcdt 

My loii^ began now to be affected ; aod^ from 
the increased roaring of the fire and the diMrting 
of the flames through the crsviees of the door^ 
I thought it prudent to retmat from an enemy 
too powerful to contend with. I therefore lpw<» 
ered myself from the window^ much to the sfe^ 
tisfaction of my wtfe^ who was mueh alarmed a| 
my not following them immediately; my clocbesi 
which had been throwa out at the window, were 
collected and I harried them osi aa ^ykk as pos^ 
sible. 

The 'file had iK>t yet basst osit^ but waacen-* 
fined willun the house*. I had Moe t» help 
besides my wife and one of the- maids ^ the other^ 
being in her shift ooly^ was put witk the ehaldreis 
iato the small houae at the bottom of the garden^ 
to clothe herself with any thing she could find 
and keep die cWldren safe* My mao^servaot 
had been sent, with a pair of horses from my 
home^fisrm, a fortnigtH: before^ to assist in 
ploQ^ung at my island: a servant-boy only se^ 
soaitt^dj ^i!ho waaatitt fast esleep m a room at the 



356 

extreme end, over the brewhouse; Calling him 
np, I hurried him off to alarm the town, at a 
Hiile distance, for assistance. My nearest neigh- 
bour was a miller, who, from the piercing 
screams of one of our maicb, together with mj 
hallooing after I quitted the house, I thought 
must have heard. I expected him every moment 
to come to- our assistance, but it appeared to be 
nearly bxi hour after we left the house before any 
one came.' 

In the meati time, I was lamenting I could not 
get' to a bureau and book^case in our common 
sitting-room, where my niost valuable papers, 
with various iiiin^tes and inemoranda of my tra- 
vels and remarfa; were deposited; birt, my wife 
reminding n)e that sundry account<-book3 had 
been moved, together with a writing-table, into 
our best'parlo^l! ^t the farther end of the bouse, 
I conceived there might be a (Possibility of saving 
one though na£ the* other. I ran to the stable 
for some dtroi)g» insti-ument ta break open the 
outside shutters of the windows, and fortunately 
caught hold of a pick-axe,, with which," at the 
first stroke, I split and opened one of them, de- 
molishing the lower sa9h^ at the next blow. I 
felt as if possessing the strength of tv?enty menr 
I sprang through the* wHidow into the room, 
saved my books and {Papers that were there, and 
could have saved the furniture if any man had 
been: on the outside to receive them; butibe 



B$7 

fnghti^I threatening prospecti wkhin the adjoia-* 
ing itKusy jQade the attempt, too hazardous. In 
the centre of the partition^ between the two par-* 
Iour9, theris were double folding glass doors, to 
throw the rooms occasionally into on?; through 
th^se^ the flames were s^eo raging atid rolUng 
over and over, like boiling liquid fire* Every 
ipasm of gl439 appeared like a burning sun, dart- 
ing its rays too fiercely for the eye to cope with, 
md tbreatei)ing every motpeut to burst through 
and overwhelm me: I aiademy retreat in time. 

The fire now began to find its way through the 
roof mid windows, AU we could do more was to 
remove the things thrown out to a greater dis- 
taoce from the house. . While thus )>usiedi and 
before any assistant camfi from the town, th^ 
flakea o£ fire had fijlen among my out-buildings^ 
which, being surrounded with dry straw and litter 
for the cattle, mA having hay wd. com within, 
sooa e^ngbt fire» and spre^ <l wide destruction 
over all my premises* 

People frou» the neighbouring town now eame 
flocking down by hundreds, but too late to ren* 
der any essential service* I looked roiind, found 
my faoiily $a£e, dropped a tear, and thanked 
God it waa no worse. My exertions had been so 
greats that the night>*cap« though my head was 
exposed to a, keen frosty air, without a hat, was 
as wet ns if soaked in warm water. But I pow 
found myself as reduced and iveak, as before I 



3SB 

had experienced an almost supernatnml strength; 
until my neighbour brought me a bottle of wine, 
which I drank off and regained strength. 

In London and other large cities, it is not sur- 
prising tb hear of people so depraved as to plun- 
der and steal from ^uin and distress; but, in a 
count ry-rillage, more than forty miles from 
London, I did not expcct.it; yet, so it was: 
many articles, which were seen and known to 
have been saved, we're stolen before day-light, 
and the doors that led to an arched vault were 
burst open by other ruffians, who stole a consi- 
derable quantity of my wines and other liquors. 
I^ was obliged to get a few of my neighbours to 
watch over and guard the little that was saved, 
while, wrapping myself round with a blanket, I 
gave such directions as were most likely to save a 
little more. 

Two years before this, among other curtail- 
ments in my expenses, I bad lessened the amoDDt 
of my insurance, and a fearful thought occuned, 
whether I was insured at alK Christmas-quarter 
was the period of renewal, and I had for years 
been in the habit of leaving the payment of the 
premium to- the agent of the fire-oflSce, in the 
country, who, crediting me for the amount, sent 
the receipt by th^ newsman, who took the money 
back. But I now recollected I had beard of 
no such receipt, nor had I paid the money: liow- 
ever, I thought it prudent to keep thia matter to 



359 

myself, but I trembled for it inwardly^ imtti I 
saw the publican at whose house the newsman 
put up. On inquiryi be informed me it had 
been left with him several weeks^ but, as he (the 
publican) owed me more mopey, he had neglect-- 
ed bringing it until he was provided to settle ^the 
balance with me. I readily admitted the excuse, 
and this recovery of what I feared was lost re- 
conciled me greatly to what I really lost, ,which 
amounted to about a third ^f the whole. 



CHAPTER LXXlil. 

Kind attention of neighbours; rebuild my house ; 
favourable prospect of my island. 



My neighbours came with pressing kind offers 
of accommodation at ^ their houses. Having, 
from early youth, been habituated to determine 
quickly in cases of emergency, I was not long be- 
fore I rescjired what was best to be done in this^ 

An old brick waah-house, at the bottom of a 
yard, wj^ the only building sated, except a part 
of the stable. Consulting my wife^ we agreed 
to fit that up ^,sooa as possible, and to live in it 



8€(0 

♦hite the house was re-buil^ing^ weSl ktioiringj 
that, unless I w^s constantly with the bricklayers 
and carpenten?, it would not be readj for habita- 
tion by the following Winter. At one end of 
fte wash-house^ I made a snug littk cabin for 
onr bed-chamber, of that which before was a 
sand-bole, Hud the remainder served us for par- 
lour, kitdien, and hall. 

* While Ihia was getting ready, we ateeepted the 
kind ihvitatioiik; of out friends for ourselves, the 
youngest child, and a maid-'servant. The hospi* 
table attentions we received from those friends 
we divide that timfe among, can never be for- 
gotten ; they are engraven deep on the tablet of 
my memory. Yet we were eager to get back to 
the rtiined spot, to inhabit Lilliput-hall; so true 
it is, there i$ nothing like our own home though 
ever so homely. 

I had aliteady paid largely tot learning dome- 
thing abdnt building houses. Which determined 
me }o be my own surveyor $ and^ keeping con- 
stantly On the sp^t with mf workmen, I erected 
a sightfy strong brick house, fotty > feet hr front 
and thirty-five deep, with ai^-tfian^ conveniences 
as mOsty and had it ifeady to receive us by the 
Michafelmfas followmg. What renmined to be 
finished I got dohe in the wmter, flatting ©/• 
self, that, having recovered ftdm suck a fiery 
orded, I might posstbly pass the remainder of 
my days in a honete bnilt frtmi theruiiis of a fire. 



1^* 



Ml 

wni enjoy the fruits of an island raised. f^om ttie 
sea. But t was doonied to experience still har*^ 
der trials^ and prove hoyf fallacious all my hopes 
and expectations were. 

The prospect of my rape-».seed^ mustard-seed> 
and wlie&tj growing on my island in the January 
following our calamity by fire, was so very pro-* 
mising, that I would oiot have sold these ex« 
pected crops only for less than GOOA and I 
had every reason to exp^t that each strccceding 
je9f would proy« better and betten- At ilny. fate, 
it wa^ now sufficient te mEintain me in comfort, 
and I could bttve boasted^ that, humble as I was 
as an iDdividnal^ few, , beside myself, had created 
their own estate and so increa^d the riclieg of His 
Majesty's kingdom, as to make - thousands and 
thousands of ears of corn grow where none hatt 
grown before. Bat, aks ! how soon were all these 
flftttenng prospects orereast ! 



I .!! . I .»:^i 



VO^.* I. 



SQ& 



CHAPTER LXXIV. 



Inundation; complete ruin; meeting of creditors; 
generous conduct of friends. > 



Within eleven months after having myjMTo- 
perty devoured' bj the flames, and narrowly 
escaping with owr livea^ I. ^!^ destined to see the 
remaining all of mj little bard-eamed property 
swallowed up bj the ocean^ without a power to 
help . mjBelf 4 and^ while standing with folded 
arms on the highest part of the embankment of 
tny island^ I looked- down on the raging watery 
element swelling; it^lf to a height that had never 
been known before^ and over-topping mj walls 
as if in search of what I had formerly wrested 
from Its dominion> seeking to revenge itself by 
the destruction of that property the fire couM 
not reach^ I too ^assuredly saw I was a mined 
man, but gave bo way to^ despondency* Hard 
and unequal were my struggles against two such 
outrageous elements as seamed combined against 
me. Though beaten^ I lias not subdued; my 
spirit remained unshaken, and, in those distress* 
ing moments, 1 resolved to endeavour at recover* 
ing the island for those to whom I was indebted^ 



368 

ratbertfaaa abaadoait, withcnit a struggle, to tbe 
remorseless rage of the eaemy. 

I gave tbe neisessary orders for what I meant 
to execute; aad^ retunvng home^ at night, when 
I retired to my pillow, consulted what ought to 
be done relative to my own and the interest of 
others. The result of my determination WOf^, to 
follow the same advice I bad frequently given to' 
others, when consulted under the pressure of their 
misfortunes. I slept soundly for a few hours, and 
the next day put every thing in- train. 

The msanner :of this> and the consequent re* 
sdU, will be more readily given and understood; 
by a copy of my letter to Saoxuel More, Esq* 
secretary to the Sodety for tbe Encouragement 
of Arts> &c. ia answer to a letter of inquiry from- 
bim, than by any lengthened account I might 
attempt to write now : it flowed then in the full- 
ness of my heart. I give it with the preamble^ 
as printed afterwards by my friends for distribu^ 
tioA. 

" From the various and contradictory ae- 
, counts which had been circulated relative 
to the damageii sustained by Mr. Harriott,, 
by the high tide^ oathe Sd of Febiuaj^y 
last,' on the land* he had enclosed froml 
the sea, and for whieb the Society foe 
thfe Encouragement of* Arts, Jtc. bad;* 
adjiudged him their gold medal,, a leUen 
li^ 



S$4 

was ^written to bim^ isquesting to know 
the facts; aad the following ctfcam-t 
fttotiiial acooUnt of his sufferings, wnhin 
these . bflt twelve moniBs^ was trass* 
' < . mitted to 

*^ Samuel. More^ 

♦' Adelphiit *r Secretary io tkt Svcittyfor the Eneowoge- 

♦• March t2, i;?91. , , ' /' ^tnent tif4rl9, tfc. London* 



'^ To Samuel More, Eejq. 

« Sir,. 

'* Th^ kittdaess and Mendihip ex* 
pbessiad in your letter claim my warmest acknow* 
ledgements; and^ as you request to be informed 
ci the real state of tny misfortunes; I will^ endea- 
vour, to place- it in as clear a point of view as 
piCHSsible: for, having'notbing td reproach myself 
with in regard to sufcH accamukted tnirfortones 
33 I Taavef experienced io so shcirt a time, (aecidents 
which bnman sagacity eoyld ndtber foresee nor 
prevent,) I have no reason to be ashamed of brfog 
unfortunate. On the contrary, I feel a secret 
seetaBfaction in having endeavoured to do my dnty 
as a man whosC' views kre not wholly confined to 
tlm-spot, and bow my head, without repining, to 
tl^e disposal oF Providence; 

>^ It was no longer ago than the 17tb of MarcR 
last, that I haduhe heavy misfortune to have my 
house. Ham, and out- houses, all burnt down, 
with difficulty:, saving otir lives. My loss from 



565 

this (above my insurance) was great to- a m»a - 
who never covid boast of affluence, yet I looked 
fonrard with a pleasing confidence. My island 
(so lately embanked from the sea) was beginning * 
to repay me most bounteously; it cleared me 
300/. the last year> with a promising appearance : 
of great increase for- years to come. I had re- ^ 
built my bo«5e> &c. and got mf famaly together * 
again. 

'' in thi» situation of my aflairs, the second of 
tins month produced a tide on our cbast, higher ' 
bjr a foot than is remembered by the oldest man * 
lining. My island fell a victim to its ravages:: 
above one-fourth of the wall^ or bank^ bad set* 
tied nearly a loot more than the. rest; this Was- 
iatended to have beea raised eighteen inches last : 
smnmer, if my loss from the-fire^ and tlie conie-*. 
qaent attention to rebuilding, had not obliged 
me to defer it. This delay occasioned the Ioss« 
of ray island: the tidey flowing seven or eight 
ioi^faes deep over 150^ rod in length of waHing,. 
flooded the whole island. Attending to the fall' 
of the tide^ I found my island left full of water^. 
too fatal a proof o€ the stnength of my wallsj. 
though it satisfied me there was no breach^ 

" By extraofdinany , eiiertions^ (the more so* 
from the harassed siUiation ^f my mindt at the^ 
time>I diaaned the^ water four, feet below the 
susface of the land^ia a few days% I then had 
the walls sni^veyed>. and an estimate' made a£: 
lis/ 



what it -would require 16 repair them.atid sfeaire 
tteisbndYrom a similar acctdent. Tfcifiaaiounted 
td.5fla/;.>t least; I had it not, and could not 
think- o€ bontming ivjithout d gteaUer certafarty 
of .parent than V coidd pccJtend to ; for> if my 
iskiid shouldAbacoiue a total los&, I kn^w I had 
not sofiiicJent beside tbJ^pajr what I owed already- 
I itherefoiejdid :notthiiik .myself at liberty- to by 
out money that belonged to others without tbeir 
co^*Mi«^tboMgh tk> save the miserable Wredi of 
my owii iortune ; and, as- there wds a neeesaky to 
come to a speedy dctermkationv I resolved on 
seodiag tx> those to whom I owed a siim <lf money 
exceeding, 1207. and. requesting their meednyoa 
Wednesday, tte 9th instant; taforming them the 
reason, and that: I would then lay before' diem a 
fuii^dftle^i^i my affairs. 

. *' We mtet. Tliis wa$ the firac time j«niy life 
I; distxteted' my own fortitnfde: attempting to 
speak^ I fiEOtnd myself im^apahle of utteraace^ 
my ieelings overpowered me and I was obliged 
to leave the room abruptly. I. can only say, they 
were the .feelings, of a lather (considering his 
misfartunes as iai&c;titig his children) that over* 
came me* . ' . r 

• ^' 1 have' belen^nr i^arions engagements by sea • 
and bmd^;./I w«i iii» the second eartliquake off 
Lisbon, 'tn:i's0Vieital. others on the Island of'Suma- 
trayibei^^M to a ship: tifiaft had the j^gae on 
hoard; i*.Turk«yj was ship^r^bked off Plymouth 



367 

after an absence of two years^ wounded and ren- 
dered incapable of farther active service in India; 
yet nevpr knew the want of courage before. In 
every other situation ' atid point of view, I could 
encounter danger and difficukies with resolution. 

"The state of my affairs was thus: I had", by 
fire and ^ater, within one year, lost upwards of 
3000/.; but, if enabled to recover and secure the 
island, my loss would be reduced to about 2000 /• 
laying the damage to the land, from the effectrof 
the scdti' waiter, at the lowest estimate, but it mny. 
prote.cjQiisideriably more. I owed rather more 
thmUQQl^ 9n4 the remainder of my property did, 
nataolattnt to ^pre.than 1400/. beside jpay half- 
P^y ft% ft lieutenant* Having delivered such stater 
moit.of i93Ljr: a^irs, I I^ad the satisfaction tp find. 
my oonduct i^prov^d of. My creditors^ instead, 
of di9Mssi«g« sfnotjied me, and they voluntarily, 
proposed, aad agreed to accept ten shillings in the 
poundv ♦ 

'' Such, sir, is the distracted situ^o^ of my^ 
stSair^s and I do not w<mder at Uierc being various 
KepovtA eooqqripiiig it, though lam aq way appre*^ 
henstvQ of any tp tbe prejudice, of ipy character ;j 
£or,>ia tbfit, .poor* as I api and unfortunate, as-I 
Ime beeOf I fear.not the stiric^st scrupny* 

'* I remain, sif, ' ' ' '' ^ 
"^' Your very humble* setV««it> 



3$S 



CHAPTER IJCXV. 



So/}thittg and liberpl courte^ of noblemen, ladies,, 
and the public ; their benev0lence^ 



Prom a very generoniS attenrtion to my iiiirf»r- 
tnn^s and sitdatron, I was enabled to recover the 
island for myself and to continue undisturbed in- 
my home-concerns. Not content wi«h tbeir owii' 
private contributions, they advertised and wli- 
cited for me in the public papersv the peculia-*^ 
rity of my misfortunes attracted tbe public' 
notice^ and I was honoured' not only with subscrip- 
tions but Iettei*9 of sympathy and condolence 
from noblemen, kdies, and geBlIemen, both 
soothing and flattering to a mind so baras«ed as. 
mine haJ bee0. 

Were I to select any for inser^on, it wonld- 
lay me under some dtiBcuhies in making -Ae s6-> 
fection;* and it might possibly offend botlv those 
whom I made clidice of without theiii cooseoty 
and others, who, thoughomitted, exhibited equally 
strong proofk of benevolence and. goodness o£ 
heart; while tO> iqsect the whole would occupy so< 
mucb^:room, that it might be considered not 
only as a piece of vanity, but an attempt to. 



369 

svretl my book* I tiierefare oout them adtog^ 
ther . 

My creditorar weee bnt few in number* Most 
of theainot only feadKly agreed to the proposal, 
of reiinqoishing'Otie inoiety tif ifaeir cjaims^ hut 
contributM liberally to die vubsersptioa^ aad' 
some went to far 4b to compiimetit mm prmtely 
with the other ffloietgr» Well a» I ikras'acqaainted' 
with the genenmly of a Britbh pabtic, I wast 
Burprbed to kflbrn th« amount of the benefee* 
tioDijiabtartbtd to lo imbiioim ail iadividtta]. I 
therefore thought it but juat to pot a itop ta: 
them by the. feUovnig letter of tbanhi^ which I 
iaierted iiii 1^ pvUia papeia* 



'0 iMnitfef . 



Iforei &j. Stentury to tie Society 
/^ the Encouragement of Arts, $c. London. 

''Six, \ V ./. ; 

. . ** Seuttble of th^ obligations I MtJ 
under to you^ wiib. «eY)eral other gentlemen. 
Members, of die Society for the £oeouragesient! 
of Aris, &o. for opening and patroinsing.o sub* 
scripttof^ on aocbdot ^. the beairy and accumu- 
lated misibrtQaes; I faad^rperienoed, in so short; 
a time) by the xaragea of fire and water; misfor-. 
tunes, which had reduced me, withia large family, 
from a. state.' of decei^t consipelencp, acquired 
by the sweat of iny brow, to the Tery brink of 
poverty; I :^uld appear an ingrate^ werel not: 



37a 

to makd my ackoowled^enu m ihis^ piAlic 
manner. It would be equally unpardonable^ did 
I nat^ at. the same time,^ retam my fateful 
thanks to thoge of my pmafee friends and ac- 
quaiutance, who, m the . hour of trials have 
proved themselves worthy of so sacred a name; 
The man^ who has ever basked^ia tba aun-shine 
of prospering, knows not to a certainty whether 
be has a real friead ;. but, in thib arduons^ trial, I 
have found most of mine.true, and in consequence 
look baok ou. my miafortuaea father, with plea* 
sure than .regret* : * •; • 

*t Sir, had not my neighboittriag friewds thought 
proper to open a private local siibfcription under 
the following honourable mark of, approbation, 
yiz*'* W.e, the. undersigned^ beiii^ perfectly sen- 
sible of the. accumulated l6sses lately sustained by 
Mr. Harriott, do request that he will accept the 
sums annexed to our respective names, as a tri- 
Imte due to his public services in Rochford Hun- 
dred;*' and had not you, sir, proposed opening a 
public subscription in my favour, I never could 
have bought of either* How great,^theiii are 
my obligations to both, when I inform you that 
the amount of. benefactions is 1017 L 9$: 6d, which 
has not only enabled m£ to recoyer and secure 
my island against such outfageous tides in future/ 
but has empoweired me to settfe witli aU mj 
creditors immediately. That their donatbns 
have had such effect, must be the ^'ghest gni^ 



371 

tificatioii to liberal minds;* andj as I nevei cohM 
be taxed wtik being backward to relieve, while 
I had it in my power, I am not ashamed to have 
received benefactions so honoiimbly bestowed. . 

*' To the noble> generous, aoi humane^ who, 
witbout -any personal knowledge, have, from the • 
lepreseptation of my case, most< bonnteonsly re- 
lieved) to you J who brought such a case forward 
to the public; and to my much respected friends 
who. knew me, himI so kindly exerted themselves 
in my fevour; I beg lea^e to return these public 
thanks, together with the blessings of a famtlyj 
who^ from the dire prospect of ruin aad distress^ 
again look forward with a pleasing confidence. 
'M am, 8ir> 

. their and your 

^ost grateittl btunble Selrvantj 
Rochfoid, Oct. 1WI4 John Harriott.** 

' A short time before tbii, I received the fol- 
lowing Qomplimientary address from the inhabi- 
tants of Hoohfbrd, accompanied by a sum of 
money, requesting I would purchase such a piece 
of plate with it as would be most agreeable. 

" The inhabitants o* tlie parish of 
Rochford, sensible of the manyn benefits which 
the hundred of Roahford in general, and this 
town in particular, has received from the various 
exertions of Jjgfhn Harriott^ Esq. of ...... in this 



.tieighboarhobd, e^ecially by the market bVougbi 
forwatfl and estabUaiied bj iiis^ikiesBeveraace; to^ 
^t^er viitb th^ Other public meetings insfitoted 
by him^ tenHiag'ta suppoit the market, the bene 
fit from which fcvery iniUvidjual in thib town par 
'tici pates ipoiore or less; am- 6appy tp congratulate 
•faian, on the hbnourabte and eroiditable termina- 
tioa of his late unavoidable misforttinesi as well 
s& to eiacpces^ tkeii? salrifli^ctioD^ on heairipg^ that 
(aooeding to their wishes^ he iti<sans again to step 
forward as a magistrtte^ and <^ey do request bii 
aoeeptance oC^a fsece t£ plAte, a» » small token of 
their ^tfliw.V >••.., 

To make the above more' ^]«arly understood, 

it may be necessary tosay^ that^ from the final 

destruction of my property^ I declined acting as 

j^. magi8trate> 'fiMmi a sense of propcics^; and 1 

could afterwards have wished to be peimitted to 

tetnaifb, iwhhmt iesi&rmg fl^' officre; but the 

•cwrriest solioitationjs of aeigkbooxs^ witji a letter 

':firom' the loi'd^Keutenant of tiae. ooonty to the 

^aame etketf cduMitotvi^eU be)-refu&edi 



379' 



CHAPTER LX^tVI. 



Having recovered my island, ^nd the crops desiroyed 
and the vegetative powers thrown back by the 
superabundant salts; the prospect of restoration 
dangerous and tedious. 



The growing crops, that looked so promising 
before the inundation, were totally destroyed. 
I ploughed some of the land a& soon as it was 
in condition to bear the horse, and sowed a few 
oats and a little mustard-seed, purposely to try 
xbe^ vegetative 'poweri^ pf the land and ascertain 
the effect which the sd^ water had produced. 
I hoped for- the best, Hut was fearful it would 
prove, as I afterwards found, that the land H^ls 
again so saturated^ with the salts, as to require 
the same tirUe, labour, and expense, to bring it 
round to the state of vegetation it was in prior to 
the inundation .- 

I repaired and heightened the sea-wall all round 
the island,.and ploughed up and fallowed as much 
laud as my agricultural strength would admit, that 
I might be- at a greater certaiqjy as to its powers 
of vegetation the following year. Those seeds, 

voLr I. Kk 



«74 

which I sowed at first, came to nothing, ex- 
hibiting much the same appearance as after I 
first enclosed th« island. The crops of the suc- 
ceeding year confirmed my apprehension, that, 
if I meant to keep and farm the land myself, I 
should h^ve nearly the same tedious expensive 
process to go through as I had before expe- 
rienced. .At this time of publishing my Memoirs, 
(i807,) it may be proper to remark, that the 
island has recovered from the eiFects of the 
inundation; and^ in the hands of the present oc- 
cupier, produces as good wheat as any in the 
county. 

I sickened at the heitrt, through fear of the 
consequences after what I had so lately endured. 
My family was grown too large and my meaHs too 
small to lun the same risk, if it could be avoided, i 
My mind laboured in resolving what was best to | 
be done. My aifairs Jay in a small compass, so | 
. as to enable me to chuiSe, but it was necessary to 
jafke that choice soon. 

The papers teemed with JEivourable accounts 
of how mucU might be done by good farming ia 
America; und various pamphlets described the 
country and the ease with which a person, with 
a large family and small property, might bring 
up their family and provide for them. All this 
would have had little or no weight with me, if 
my own recollectioia of the plenty and comfort I 
Had witnessed in America^ Jong before the re« 

I 



575 

•volqtion there, had not aided in leading me to 
believe such accounts were true. I was aware that 
it would be an arduous undertaking, but I consi* 
dered ^myself, both from general and particular 
knowledge, as likely to succeed as any, and that it 
was a duty I owed my children to exert myself to 
the utmost for their advantage. * 



END OF VOLUME THE YV^VT. 



Prioted by J. Skirvcoi iUldiff Highway . 




E^CriENT TiKElE $ C-A^JB $ K $1011^^ 



STRUGGLES 

^ THBOUOH 

LIFE, 

I 

EXEMPLIFIED 

IN THB * 

VARIOUS TBAVELS AND ADVENTURES 

IW 

-JBUBOPJB, ASIA, AFRICA, and AMERICA, 

~gT ' 

Lieut JOHN HARRIOTT, 

F«f«wr%ff XMl^fa4 ill Enm; mw B«tideirt-Mifiilrate «f the 
rHiJfES.POIJC£. 

IN TWO VOLUMES. 

SECOND EDITION. 
VOLUME IL 



LONDON:* 

ftiMid (far Ot JMitr) tf J. SUnm, itatei(f fllfftmw; 

and paMiilMd bj 

tAXSIMI** BVMTt BBM, AllB OBm, YASMirMnMMV. 

1806. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

tfONt e» tkftve.qfrdnowal , • • • t 

CHAFTElt II. 
Sml^k with myfamUy ; land at' BtMkmoiH ; dUappointmtiU / dUntn* 
to0 Mweif and tum mn'cAafiC ••«•••• 1<I 

CHAFTBR ni. 
Srriot at RhoderiOand ; hire a haute for myfamUu ; prepairtj^ • tour 
l&rvHffA <Ae d^erent Jtofd tt 

CHAFFER nr. 

General oftferoattonf on the tXnited Statei ; the UJut; oenomotif arpemtt^ 
fall* qf Niagara 13 

CHAPTER V. 
i iiiUqf.the Pttitfd ^atea; Cooper and Prieetly's bad purehauqf barrets 
lands i vegeCabU productioru ••.».•• 17 

aft 



1^ 

CHAFTEIITI. 



CHAPTER VU. 

SUnet in AmeriM;thouehU an emancipations currtneki tftlu litftrcRf 
tuaa • . • ft 

CHAFTER VIII« 
IHsisiOnqf Nm England anlfl general 6utU7i4qfthetam9 • • 30 

CHAPTER IZ. 

MHaua^mettfi nun^grau. than arable lands waniqfhap: tUnufut 
allowed i value qffavmay orchards neglected s ttanajkneeis difir 
€ultyiqfdraiiangieantraatbet9feenl7^amdl79^ • • ^ 

CHAPTER X. 

Xhodedeland htalthjf and pleasant s fine women s He produces eeidrad 

-^ betwieen the towns (ff Newport and Prawidences e er w aa t s s dtmOUi 

reHgiani magistrates, their power to marry peopies eiavenfyappte^ 

• anee in cowrts qf Justices value ef lands Bpitsot^s meaani ft 

Newport, and Providence corrected . • • . . . 91 

CHAPTER XI. 

ConneUicuts situation and cUmates quality qfsoU and prodausfKroi- 
vngs farmfs roads s buildings s taverns; litigious spirit qf the tn" 
habitants s religion and its tffects . . • • . . II 

CHAPTER XIE. 

NeaTorks North-rivers genertd description (gf the coantrys eompan>^ 
five state of population wUh Connecticut s dissOuU habit andpnc' 
tices of the farmers ; City qf New Yorks value qffkrms in the 
neighbourhood qf the city s observations and comparison betaem ik* 
taxes in England and the greater evil qf servants in Jmertee: 
Long-ialand as it is and not as formerly s nisrepresented s frtt t^ 
vcrnments abound in lavyers .•••«.« ^ 



cBuuns&xin. 

l^fff Jbn^; /laee qfihs country; m products Sapiftk jfOnA XNm Ul^ 

Tmns, xvUk the ac^aeerU country ; farmiTf pn^ftnnc^ ^ Od im» 

thodito any new improvements ; price iff tandf, varitt^.^ to&s. 

. yoveriy tmd healthineti qf the County qf Mo$t . • • 6^ 

CHAFT2R XIV. 

M muy im mi a ;■ tthuMan j principal rvocnifiKt 9f <Ae cumXrys^kt soUi. 
*u0ar^4napU ; produce by outture: the etMe leu h e aliky than far^ 
merly: PhiiadUpMa; credit due U the auaher§;fbT theirmanage* 
mmt.qfaUpatbUcimtttutiomfpamthment qf death c g mmMtd for 
< hardlabeursdhtmoMone hereon I error in appointing Americmm- 
r^k/igeeetad^ldomatietitMationt inAmoricm • ;• . • 7* 

CILABTBJtZV. > V 

Jkkmare: emaUeatttate in the union i ehort general deeeripiians price 
qf cultivated land • . ^ 8li 

CHAFTBR JIVI. 

3iar2fland;. its small produce qf grain by the acre ; other produce; An* 
napolis i Baltimore ; the expense qf living greater than in London / 
strangers should be car^fid to make specific agreements £ Mrs, Wal' 
ters^ . . ' t. ... as 

CHAFFER XVn. 

Virginia; the climaU and soil various ;. averog^price qf lands lower thai^ 
in the other states herein mentioned ; all the labour in husbandry 
done by Haves ; Chesaptak-bay and principal rivers eMptytfUg into it f 
the inhabitants'nearly as many slates as fret people ; peridciout eon^ 
uquences; Mr.Jffferson's recommendation ; objections to Vtrginiag 
causes qf unheaUhiness j coal mines; high price qf firetsoodi 
sudden changes of the atmosphere; likeness to General Washington 
afaiAurdble iniroduction ; thoughtless conduct qf Virginia planters / 
c6arse qf erhps / their management and short account qf tobacco* 
planting s price qf lands ; negro^lttvet hired by the year . HT 
4 3. 



VI 



CHAFIfiK XVm. 

*3Fb]<f to ttew t?ie hack land* ; set cfffnm Vm Tturk ; o i yM m atf Setoec* 
a dXtint and a physician ; a Gcntoo*s (^pinion ; advoMtHc^'in travd' 
Kngas a dmtoo ; remarks on the road ; Albany ; Skmectady ; crow 
the Mbhdwki interval lands i Ouy-park House} Ur, UUts, a^mige, 
member qf assembly, and taoernrkeeper ; Sir WtOiam Joknon'i 
large estate; Fort Hunter ; the soU; bad roads and bad tiemg; 
Moqf*M taeem and farm ; Hudson's tavern , formerly a drummer in 
Surgoyn^s army, contrasted vUh the widow qf an American gone- 
raii Oerman-Flatf Town; achurch buOt by Sir William JokmUmi 
strange notion of the Indiams concerning it; log'ftrt; log-housa 
-d4ftroyedbytheJndsmu»th€inhaiUanUnmrderedjoalueqflandsi 
fipiatten; Judge Sterling, anecdote qf kirns Squire. Bretten, a 
tovemrketper and member qf assembly; Fort Scuyler; WkUit^ 
Tom i Colonel White and tiUdrmn-bottlci Judge White • 97 

OIAFTEBXIX. 

Rich hack lands ; their high price when eUated ; labour scarce and dear ; 
SngHsh women subject to insanity in the back settlements; supposed 
cause; the church and clergymen ; wn qf an English clergiffMn 
studying law at Whites Town; strange anecdote related by Alm; 
Oolonel Whites e^eount qf the crops ipri^ qf prodsUms ; OtuUe^ 
Vidians .... . . . . • . . m 

CfiAFT^R XZ. 

TreparefoT a Journey through the wilderness ; an Indian bed; the sd- 
tling qfbaek lands simUar throughout America ; thenatural Indtan 
prtferabU tp the white American back-wood Squatters; emtgraUatis 
from the American States to British Canada ; the castse and probable 
consequence i return to White's Town; absurdity qf building and 
ealculating by English ideas in the back countries^ a wide differ' 
encebetween the old land ^Canaash and thgmts . .is* 



Til 



CHAPTERXXT. 

Sire a hatttau to rdmm hy the Mohawk-river ; hrea^fatt at a ApMtterV 
Tavern ; Cd$by-manor; method qf" clearing the rich tecA landi/^ 
tMXtioationi Mr. MyddUe&n't advertitementt, to take in BngUth 
/farmers, expUnmd; Mbhawk^hillfalli; opMon ooneemtug IAotv 
and that the rich level of landt above them wtefofrmerlya take; m 
eanal / paw eome rocAcy rapids ; the pmdert or tku0tdtr toad, l0f •- 
firttpnUep at CromaeWe,hiein/orma$iomjaHe»tate/ivr wie: tad 
character qfmy jSAe boatmen ; a rioulet sinking under ground and 
tee, untU bursting through therocks into the Mohawk j the first eet^ ' 
tUment made by Sir WUHam ^hnaon ; etchings pf seven Indian* on 
a rock; rttum to Skenectady; the Cohoegj Albany ;. Mail-coaehee ' 
to Poughke^sie sJUthy taverns ; sHng-drinking, or sweeteneddraau; 
ftlesegfifrom Poughkeepsie to New York • • • ^ 13S 

CHAPTER XXtt. 

Obtenations on theprogresefrom the-saoage to doUUedli^, and^tht rVf 
trvgrade movementsfrom eivUisotton to the savage state ; character 
nfthe Indian savage ^ . ^ . ^ . » . » 149^ 

CHAFCER XXIH.. 

^aradoticat d^ereneeAn Americans, rOatioe to England and France m< 
g^eernmentss and between Englishmen and Frenchmen, ae indivU 
duabihardekipeqftha FUnchemigrmstt/^omthe West Indies 16^ 

CHAFTSk XXlV. 
Mr. Ir^-'-^, qf New York, in the character ef Capttdn Bobadl^ • 19B 

CHAPTER ZXY. 

ParchoH a fkrm in Rhode^island t suspected' ef beHng a spy; cm. 
boTgo • • • M6 



Vlll 



CHAFTBR XXVI. 

Xngage the Britannia^ transport^ to cxmoty myfamSly to Bn^and; Cap- 
tain Baj/nton, qfthe NauUlm, aloop qf mar, detained an thore bjf 
ttie people at N&vport ; occurrences thereon s toil for England : 
deliver to the miniver a narrative qf plain factSi preoioudi/ to hit 
intervim loUh the American Plenipotentiary. .. • ,161 

CRAF7SR XXVir. 

Vn$eitled ntuation; aplanforpurehating some mUUonsqfacret qflmd; 
embark Jitr the Bahamaa^ land at Na$$au,in New Promdatu 165 

CHAPTER XXVllr. 

^ ConeUe account qf the Bahamae i importance qftheacialands£ kiidifir 
sending convicts thither ; the first settling ef thnt islands j a re» 
dezvous fOT/ pirates, and residence qf the notorious soa^vbber, 
BlacHbeairdi the pirates expeUod and agnfoernsntot ttUiedi extn- 
ordinary propagation (^ their sheg) J weakness and poverty qf this 
settlement in IfM; rapid intprovements^sincei exceUentfish,' plenty 
Of turtle i all other provisions dear; JIT. Sounise «nd his wtfe, thetr 
ilUreaimeisi from M^Kenny, captain qf a prvoaUer 5 undertake 
their cause ; oHige S£Stnniy to make restitution ; liberality qfthe 
gentlemen at Nassau towards M. Sounise . » . • 170 

CHABI^ XXflX. 

jteaoe the Bahamas ;.saU for the continent of ^mierioa; sad disappoint' 
ment .•».-«t.4...*l8S' 

CH^ERXXX. 

Turehase a heofdifkd farm in Long-island; description qf the same; 
noted passage qf Hell-gate ;. dtffieu»yqf procuring help; purchase 
negroes; plan for their emancipation ; absurd notions qf eguaUty; 
attempts to cure it andfaU ; discharge the white and keep none but 
hlack servants : reasons for giving Up any farther attend to farm 
in America • » • . . ^ • • . • 19O 



IX 



CRAFTIE ZSCI. 

UUg Amertem Mgakeri rf<ya w ff My ciMeM XoNf- 

• . • flo» 



CHAFTER ZXXIt. 

ptain Fragatt grmmiam tf Zord XomiC; DukedtX dmi 
Steme$ old qfieer rtaUMdi CoUmd nnmilttm; Gtmerml 



CBAPtUl ZZZHI. 
erica dij gb t lMg fnm ikom «• £^r<«"'/ otrteci teteNM ^ 

•miedfiir kla ortOUanmiMomehaeardqtmijfi^inuUm' 
alA^Mi filDiM in Jftv Fm-Xe iterffv M<* drm^fUi dit* 

CHAriBIt ZXXIV. 

^ Mine j&if Ntftm^; Mriout MiMrgiKiieet Ukdy to hau rt^ 

Frenehmen*i trhmph over an old EngliBh regimental 

• • 2^ 

CHAFTER XXZV. 

i e^tuUiiy ; entertoinmad on board a Frtnehfrifott S89 

CHAFTER X2XVI. 

rih America, in Turkey, Barhary, Ettropean States^ 
cdUerrantanf and in the EaU and Wat India : obftX' 
% slavery i Mntt/br a gradual ememcipation • SV 



STRUGGLES 



LIFE, Sic. . 



CHAPTER I. 

^ons for going to America ; flattering address 
n tieighbours; sensations on the eve of removal. 



as a difficult choice to make of two labo- 
struggles, my. island or America. Ijf I did 
ucceed with my island, my family would 
probably be reduced to beggary:' this was 
idful appearance. 

ade the best inquiries I could, among the 
mericati characters in England, that came 
from Canada or the United States. With- 
1 exception, they confirmed the reports; 
g me, that, with such agricultural know-* 
as I possessed, the advantages to myself 
.11. • B 



and family were certain^ and almost incalculable. 
Ido not blame them; it is "the natural disposition 
of mankind to speak as they wish^ an<l to enters 
tain the most favourable opinion of their oura 
country. And^ when I now look back at the 
distance of fourteen years, and recollect the cri- 
tical period, my mind agitated to an extremei 
my fears and hopes alternately preponderating, 
whetheror not to risk my little remaining all in a 
. fresh struggle to bring my island again to a pro- 
fitable state of vegetation, arid which I could not 
expect in less than eight or ten years, I do not 
wonder at the effect the whole had, nor at mj 
ready belief of their asftertions. 

After several months serious consideration, I 
resolved to collect together and dispose of all I 
had left, and remove where I conceived it would 
be so much more to the interest and welfare of 
myypung family. What determined me at^st, 
*as much as any thing, was the cohsidenMn, 
that, at|mitting I might be disappointed, in em** 
ploying my^lf to such advantage as was held 
out and I expected, still, in so very cheap a 
country as In^ remembered it to have been, at 
any. rate we might maintain and educate our 
children from the income <^ our property; and 
that, as they grew up, their services mrottld be in 
such request, that it would be little or no earpense 
to procure eligible situations, by which, with a 
little help/ they might be enabled to provide for 



ihemsehres. This I reckoned my sbeet-aDdhof, 
to bring up and moor with when I supposed I 
could do no better. It may appear singular to 
many; but I wa$ actually glad to disencumber 
myself of the rank I held in society, which my 
circumstances no longer authorised m^ to l^riifg 
up my children to, the baneful effects of which 
I had often witnessed in others. . 

My design was, first to begia with the warm 
latitudes, and thence travel north for a clime 
suited to tjie healdi of my fimiily, examining 
carefally^ as I passed along, for the other objects 
of my search. With these views> I set about 
arranging my affiurs^ to be ready for embarking 
in the spring following. While a nngle man^ 
au hour or two was sufficteni to prepare for any 
expedition; but I found it widely different with 
a largt family, and most excruciatingly trying, 
after a long reridenoe in the place of my birth> 
to resolve on leaving my native land> and the 
'^vsj government, and friends, I ao much re«> 
vered and ioved. Difficulties, however, never 
yet stopped me from proceeding in what I 
thought right. I was ready by the time I had 
fixed upon^ and engaged the cabin of a ship 
bound for Baltimore, in Maryland. 

A short time before our departure, I received 

the following very flattering address from my 

neighbpu^s, which I prize more than any other 

favour they could have conferred upon me, Ixa- 

B(2 



Ting this strong reason for believing, the senti' 
inents genuifie and from the hearty viz. that the 
world is seldom disposed to pay false compli- 
ments to persons in adversity. I am sensible my 
merits were over-rated, and that they were pleased 
to take the will for the deed; yet I am not the 
less gratified. The address was as follows. 

*' To John Harriott, Esq, one of His Majesty sjus- 
ticesoftke peace for tlie county of Essex, and 
. actimgin and for the .dlvisiw of Rochford, inihs 
mid county. 
.. *'. Sir, 

*^ The time fast approaching when 
^bis country is to be deprived of your society and 
your services, we, the magistrates, commission- 
ers,^ and principal residents, of this district,, sub- 
scribers hereto, who have particularly experi- 
jenced the good effects of your able, spirited/ and 
upright, conduct, in the important office witli 
which you are invested, cannot, without ingra- 
titude and injustice, omit to make you our ac- 
knowledgements. We 'do, therefore, sir, for 
ourselves, and in the name of the .inhabitants in 
, general of this division; who, from the highest 
to the lowest, have been witnesses to the candour 
and impartiality with which you have adminis- 
tered public justice, (and mo^t of whom bave» 
either in your assistance, exertions,, advice, or 
protection, found very substantial advantages); 



5 

return you the thanks. i>f men naaccttstoxD^d to 
flatter. And we request^ that, previonsly to 
yoar departure, you will favour us with your 
company at a public entertainment, that we njay 
have the satisfaction of convincing you, perso* 
nally, how sincerely we wish you bealtb, long 
life, and all the enjoyments that life can afford/^ 

" Signed at Rochlbrd, the 14th day ^f l^Iarch* 1793."* 

Towards the close of this meeting, so fiatter*' 
ing to my mind, my heart overflowed, or it must 
have burst, in delivering the following short re^ 
turn. 

^ My friends, I thank you, most sin- 
cerely thank you, for the honour this day con- 
terred by so respectable a body of men and 
leighbouis; men, who I am confident are notac- 
irustomed to flatter, and, if ye were, I ani too 
poor to be your objects That my endeavours to 
»3rve the county have merited your approbation^ 
s the highest reward I could expect. I have 
Doly to regret that my powers were not more 
^qual to my wishes, and that my present peculiar 
situation and circumstances compel me to leave a 
leighbonrhood I have so many reasons to respect 
md love. May you, my friends, long enjoy, in 
rour native land, that health, peace, and pros* 
verity, which duty to my family obliges me to 
ieek in another country. And, wherever my 
^ay.faxing destiny may lead me, it will ever be 



6 

an addition to my happiness to hear of your 
welfaa;, and cherish in rememforance this ho- 
nourable testtoumy of your approbation/' 

- PoBsibly the insertion of' the foregoing may be 
deemed .vanity. Be it so; for I acknowledge 
myself so far proud as.to have the address framed 
and glazed, considering it the choicest omameDt 
in my house; and I think it would be unjust to 
my children and grand-children to withhold 
either that ^r the following, which, as a compa- 
nion to it, my wife haa had worked and framed. 
It was sent me, a few days after, by a reverend 
clergyman who attended the meeting. 

*' To John Harriott f Usq. <m his finally takingkact 
of this couniry; 
*' The following tribute, justly 3ue to»him 
as a gentleman, a magistrate, and a 
man, is, with much respect, humbly de- 
dicated, by his sincere friend and obe- 
, dient servant, 
"P , March £3, 1793. . T.A . 

*^ Accept the strain, O Harriott, nor refuse 
The free-will offering of a lonely muse, • 
Who, conscious of thy worth, presumes to pay 
The humble tribute of an artless Jay: 
Warm from the heart it flowa, as justly due 
To cando«r, frienddiip, gratitude; and you* 



No servile flatterev fawns or criuges hcre^ 
The sentiment is pure, the line sincere. 
Howe'er, in various views, thy traits we scan, 
(The friend, companion, magistrate, or man,) 
Long from thy talents have thy neighbours round 
Experienc'd pleasure and advantage found. 
Thy social manners are endear'd to all. 
The rich, the poor, the leam'd, the great, and 

small. 
Oft have I witnessed (midst approving eyes) 
Thy conduct still impartial, just, and wise ; 
Thy lenient measures, and thy kind intent, 
More to reform than punish ever. bent. 
Thy converse could at once instruct and please, 
)ound thy advice and upright thy decrees. 
Long on the painful scene shall memory dwell. 
The tendflkmoment of thy last farewel .^ 
>carce c^Hd my eyes withhold the starting tear, 
^nd still thine accents vibrate in my ear. 
)ince then (so fate ordains) thou wilt depart^ 
JO, with the wish of every honest heart, 
That fav'ring Fortune may propitious smile, 
Vnd prosp'rous bree2es waft thee from this isle; 
That Providence may all thy footsteps bless^ 
bd crown thyev'ry e^S^rt with sUccess ; • 

Vith friendly wdcome to the. western shore^ 
Vith social comfort, and with ample store, 
Vith joys domestic, plenty, peace, and health, 
^ife long and bappy^ sweet content and wealth: 



May iHy Idv'd consort ev*iy blessing share^ 

Thy progeoy reward parental care ; 

May emulation still their bosoms fire. 

And ev'ry son be like the worthy sire ; ^ 

May filial pi^ty Ui^ pains iissuage 

And prop the weakness of declining age. 

When the last stroke shall comCj (for come it 

mast^) 
That lays thy mortal part in kindred dust. 
May heav'niy bliss to earchly toils succeed^ 
And joys eternal prove thy. glorious meed. 
Such is our wish, since Harriott will depart. 
Torn from our eyes but never from our heartJ' 

Those, who have never experienced similar 
trials, can form no adequate ideii of my sensa^* 
tions at the eve of my departure* Tb^ cannot 
be more strongly expressed, to corr^ond with 
mine, than in the Ibllawing lines, whicb, on thai 
accbunt, I take the liberty of inserting. 

*' If I could bid thee,, pleasant shades!: farewel. 
Without a sigh, amidst whose ciicling bow'rs 
My stripling prime was past ai»d happiest boun^ 

Dead were I to the sympathies that swell 
The human brea^t« Those woods^ that wbispVing 

wave. 
My father rear'd and nursed, now in the grave • 
Gone down. He lov^d their peaeefnl shades^ 
and said^ ' 



Perhaps, as here he mus'd : * Live, kurels green ; 
Ye pines, that shade the solitary scene, 

Live blooming and rejoice^ when I am dead 
My 5on shall guard you, and amid your bow'rs, 
Like me, find shelter from life's beating show'rs/ 

These thoughts, my father! ev'ry spot endear j 
And, while I think, with self-accusing pain, 
A stranger shall possess the lov'd domain. 

In each low wind I seem thy voice to hear. 
But these are shadows of the shaping brain, ' 

Th(it now my heart, alas ! can ill sustain. - (ij* 

We must forget; the world is wjde^ th' pibode ' V ^ 

Of peace may still be founds nor hard th,e roftdt 
It boots not, if, to ev'ry chance resiga'd, T 

Where'er the spot, we bear th' unaltered mind» 

Yet, O poor cottage ! apd thou sylvan shdde ! 
Remember, ere I l^ft your coverts green. 

Where '^n .my youth I mus'd, in childhood 
play'd, 
I gaz'd, I paus'd, I dropp'd a tear uns^n, 

(That bitter from the fount of Memory fell ;) 

Thinking on hipi that rear'd you, noW fareweU** 



•^: 



10 



CHAPTER II. 



Embark with my family; land at Baltimore; 
disappointment i charter two vesseh and turn 
merchant* 



, In May^ ]79S> I embarked with my family on 
board a ship bound for and belonging to Bal- 
timore^ in Maiyland^ where we landed m safety. 
I carried intmoductory letters to many of the 
most eonsiderablevcharacteis in the Unified Stata 
and British Canada^ as. well as to piiirate gen- 
demen, by all of whom I was received witli 
very polite and friendly attentions : 1 mea» only 
when the letters were delivered; for> as paying 
and receiving visits is rather troublesome to s 
man on business^ I forbore delivering many 
where I deemed it unnecessary. Information as 
to my own pursuits was all I asked^ which> when 
obtained, all the rest would have been only a 
hindrance. 

My first object was to fix my family in a cheap 
and healthy situation, while I travelled through 
such of the United States, northward, towards 
Canada, as I thought most likely to suit; and to 
inquire, examine, and judge for myself, before 



11 

1 made my election. As formerly ob8eryed> I 
conceived I had sufficient to maintain my family 
decently, without employ^ in a country where 
they said living was sill so reasonable, and the de- 
mand for taxes scarcely known. However, the 
first day I landed I bad several pounds to pay at 
the custon^-house, for duties on our wearing- 
apparel, utensilsy furniture, &c. ; and I very soon 
found that neither Baltimore nor any part of 
Maryland or Virginia answered the description 
of cheap living; for, in fact, I could not main- 
tain my family at Baltimore for nearly double 
the expense I could, ceteris paribus, in London. 
These were rather alarming circumstances, which^ 
if I had been a farmer only, might have proved 
serious. 

To obviate these local difficulties required 
prompt measures. Instead of farming, I char-^ 
tered two sloops of one hundred tons eath, 
and immediately commenced merchant, by pur- 
chasing flour sufficient to load them, for the sake 
of obtaining a passage to Rhode-Island, with my 
family and baggage; understanding, from various 
iaquiries> that it was the only place likely to 
realist my expectation of reasonable living. 



12 



' CHAPTER Hi. 



Arrive at Rhode-^lsland; hire a house for my 
family ; prepare for a tour through the different 
states. 



' My mercantile adventure afforded a decent 
profit, beside defraying all expenses of passage, 
&c. and Newport, in Rhode-Island, proved a 
place well adapted for temporary residence. Af- 
ter hiring a house, getting my family a little 
comfortable, and examining some farms, on 
Rhode-Island that were to be sold, I set oflFon 
my tour. 

It would be tedious to follow me in my ram- 
bles, ' In travelling from Boston, in Massachu- 
setts, to Norfolk, in Virginia, I endeavoured, in 
my variously-repeated journeys, to cross-cut and 
examine such parts of the different 'states as 
were most likely to answer my own purpose; 
making minutes where I remarked any thing un- 
noticed or wrong reported by others ; but, where 
men, manners, or things, were faithfully described, 
I noted such accounts in preference to any 
thing I could say about them, such as the geo- 
graphy of the country, the state-laws, &c. 



If 

• 

It is fc6f pro£itsed dnr and solA wiibi; !• thi4 
part ofvmjF. Membicsy ta give tlie beatantl^riieat 
information in my power^ to! all ,(hi^<t wbbnow 
Dr may ia iatuce! eate^taia thoughts of remaidng 
to a eoantry tU^ are 'uiiaci|iiainted vith; - It-may 
mve some from ruin^ bjrprcrealing thmt undei> 
taking i^ verjr^ haaarchHos a rca^oTal; and tq 
:hose^. who should determiaeto.proceedyitiiiay 
be a friendly: goide to direct their steps^ wherb 
:hey are most likely to 9uit themselves/ agreeiJ>Iy 
:o their former habits or wishes for; the futuae. 



CHAPTER IV, 

jeneral observations on the United Stafe&j the 
lakes; V0no7nous serpents; falls of Niagara. /. 



I s9ALt make a few geheral. obsexvations^ . 
¥hich^ though they may appear strange and 
laneceisaary to manyy are yet neediiuL.ta some 
^hou^ands in. Gr<^t Britain.' :*• . 

The Eoglishrknguage is the language of the 
United States of America and Canada; it- is UQi4i 
^etsally undersiood. and. better spoken hy the 
ivhole mass of people^ froAi Georgia to- Quebec^ 

vot. 11. C 



14 

fad tttMt oimwstfy more tban 1900 mife^i) 
thfta bjr tfafe bulk of the people in the. different 
counties of England^ . 

The United States 4>f America are A^i^osed 
ef sejiarate states, each of which claims a ills* 
^inct sovereignty, ar state-govermnent^ fnwi the 
general or federal government of all the states 
uninedy which creates^ confusion and considerable 
difficulty for strangers to understand. 

In Canada, however, men still continue British 
subjects, living, imder the same laws and govern* 
ment they had been used to. To families, not 
averse to settling in a healthy cold climate, Bri- 
tish Canada holds out greater advantages for Bri- 
tish agriculturists to settle in, than the United 
States. A strong proof of this is, a continual 
great emigration from the United States to setde 
m Canada. But the fir^ winter we passed in 
America proved so severe to the feelings of my 
family, as to render it useless to proceed farther 
northward than Rhode-Island, or Massachusetts. 
The laws of the federal government are 
. ptiuttd, and may be bought at most J[>66ksellers ; 
buc the laws of the different states are not so 
readily obtained. In my remarks, therefore, 
through those^ states I. have travelled. over, Imay 
scc£^iofially mention such of tlieir laws as came 
to 'my knowledge. 

' I bave assigned a reason for not goiag fartb^ 
iiorlfa-n^ast thaq Massadmaetts : on^tfae.otherbaad. 



15 

[found im^biii and Marytaad, to the souths 
tvard^ t6o htA to te heahhj^ for my wife and 
young fkmihff beside a; natural repngnaiaqe I feh 
nt the neee^sity of puA^basiag sla^s, which must 
be done by all who propose settling in the souths 
ern states. 

I now proeeed to a concise description of 
such parttf of America as I can speak to from mj 
own knowledge; commencing with a still more 
concise ont-Kne of the wbdie of the United 
StSte^y as is necessary to make the detailed part 
better Understood by many, who scaticely kaow 
more than that such* a country exists.' 

The United* States of America extend from 
31 to 4d degress of borth latitude; in length 
2250 miles and in^ breadth 1040; containing^ by 
computatiot), cme million of si^uare miles. No 
part of the wm-ld is better watered with springs, 
rivolets, riyers^ and lakes, than the whole of 
North America^ The facilities of navigatioa 
Tfttidef the oommanicatioii from the Missisippi to 
the River Saint Lawrence advantageously expe- 
ditious. Sokne few canals are now executingv 
and others are proposed, which, when coaspletedv. 
will open Gomm>uaicatioos> beneficial to the whole 
country ; but this must be a work.of time^ 

Theve is'itothiog in* otbev pavts^of the gibbe 
resembling the prodigious chain of lakes in thit 
part of the world: they may be termed inland 
seas of iresh water. Those> of the iiecoad ot 

ca 



1$ 

tbiidd^lin 9iagoilude; ar#ii^jri«rg04l||rctiit.thau 
tbe greatest labeaia the.e4stem coptinoDt^ .jL«ke 
Superior, is so oatled front its magmtttd^j b^ 
the largest .on the cootioenl^ Lake • Eri^ is nes^rly 
300 mikfr long and about 40 broad* . T^e islands 
and banks towards the* west end of it aie so in- 
fested with rattle^snake?^ as .to reader, it d|in- 
^rous to laiid on tlj^m. . Myriads of . wat«r- 
snakes are Jikewise scqp, basking itx the san>:iu 
^aaner-time^ on the leaves of tfce . water-Ully. 
.Of all. the venoDEKilas serpents thai infest ibis 
)abe^ the his^ing^snake is: the imost repntrkable. 
It is about eighteen ini^C^ h^ig^ sw^dl and 
«f>eck]ed. When. yo<j f^ppsmfth H^ i% suddoily 
flattens itself, and its spotsj which arfe of varions 
colours, become visibly brighter j^hrongh rage. 
At; the same ti^, it blovrs(frpixi..its,i!aQath^ with 
great forbe». a ^nbtfe wind^ said to.beof an<»H 
Beous stoell; and, if drawn in.\¥it^ the breaUi of 
the unwary traveller, it will bring ob ^ decUne, 
that; in a. few months proves mprtal;. aod no 
rettodjr has yet been found tq counteract its 
bandul.effeotc'bui thisi I be]i€tve» to be rather 
prqbleBAA^ical (han certaiti. I^ot on]y the lakes^ 
i}ut«U Uie large ponds^ and their environs, ia 
America, teem with serpents* 
"fThe jnorth-ejast wd of Lake Erie communicates 
mtii liukd Ontario by tfaie. River Ni£^;ara. At 
Ithe.en^ranice .oi' this river is Fort Niagara; and, 
»bonfc.eight«ieii wiles north . pf the fort,, are those 



IT 

» ■ 

lemac&able' watti^fUls, wbidk are reckoned 
among the greatc&t of natoaal cttriosUiet. Tlie 
waters^ wkicb supply the Rt^er Niagara, tim 
nearly fi060 miles to flie novth-west; a»d> pass- 
ing through Lake» Superior, Michagan> Nuroiiy 
and Enei and receiving constant acfiumulatbns 
ia their course,, at length rushy with as^aish^ 
ing grandeur,, doisn a stupeodoos precipiee of 
140 feet fieirpendiculBr; and then, ih a strong 
rapid streaoft that extends to the distance of eight 
or nine miles below, fall nearly as much more> 
tbe river thea losing itself in Lake Ontario^' 

The noise of these falls, in a clear day and fair 
vind, is said to be heard between &r^ and &itj 
miles» 

CHPTER V. 

Soil of tJi^ United Slates; Cooper and Priestly $■ 
bad purchase of barren lands; vegetable produc-- 

tions^ 



Sour pans-of the United Stater are extremeljr 
rocky and stony ; particularly New England; a& 
great part of New York^ and New Jersey. The 
soil itsdfjt. whea it is so rocky and* stony}, and 



'TIS 

.^beiNl.lbe 4and is Jtolerabiy IieireV is mostly of a 
ik^tter quality.^ri. that ivbicb k fVee from st<»ie; 
^3f€ept tW; ifctervaltor libttdm lands^ which, 'be- 
ing fofcmed from $edianeht> stre the richest and 
,j^toQiK the only i-eal rkk Jsmds ia the United 
St§te$:i :for>in geiieraly those that, are -.fcee from 
rock and stone ace either of d light, sandy, faun* 
•gry, nature:; a, gbe^r barren sand, that will grow 
oi^ly piae>.jq^p^r, and faemiock; a cold heavy 
]^m»\%lmt nequires more <{ukivation than th€ 
sctircity of help ia America will allow ; or aeold 
clay, that will produce nothing but scrnb^oak, 
i:iedar^,&c. . . , - 

. Beiween the Atlantic Oeeaiii the Missisippi; 
and the Lakes, runs a long range of mountains* 
made up of a great number of ridges. These 
mountains extend north-east and sonth-west^ 
nearly parallel with the sea-coast, about 900 miles 
in length. Of these mountains, scarcely one 
acre in twenty is capable of culture. The large 
tract of land, that Mesais. Cooper and P^estly 
had agreed for (without examination) in the back 
part of Pennsylvania, and where they proposed 
forming an English -settlement, had a consider- 
able portion of this kind of mountainous land, 
whiih, when they went to explore, they found 
it mp&t advisable to reU;rquis)i at a cos^erable 
loss; for, had it been persevered in, min most 
have been, the consequence to «]I conceited. 
Yet there are some intermediate iands^ between 



10 

iie ridg9s>^ that ar^ good arablis and :gi^ng 
lands, •.:..'.. ,'* 

Speahi^ of the soil of the Unkcd Stated: gel 
mdJiy, of thsrknds betse^a the momitaiiis aukd 
:be Atlaatic> the^a¥era^*^alue is far bekw ttn^ 
laods (tf. £ag]afnd> .Erabae^jiad Spain; but %he 
back laito), ^. the westward of th^ iriou0taiii4 
nay be fatriy said to «qaal that of any doantry. > 

Amodgdte ragetabie prodactibflni are tbe/fol- 
owing. Indiaii coroy a &Eftivd grain of Aineripay 
bm whidh^ it is Mi, al) «be <iltier piarts^ of the 
vorid.have been i supplied ; ^but this asast be ^ 
nistak^^ as in China, the East Indies^ >&c« it ha$ 
>eea known :tiine iadmelnorial. It agrees witli 
ill climates from the equator to latitude 45^ but 
lourishes best between ktitudes SO and 40; The 
>anched Giiinasrcom is o^fftimll grainy oullivated 
)y negTMs in the souihem states^ and affbrds a 
iae food for poaltry. The spiked Indiati eorft it 
>f a similar kind> liiee was introduced iato 
Carolina by a Mr. Johnson, Ja 1688: it flour- 
ishes only in Georgia and the Carolinas; 
iroom-oorn is Valuable, both on account of its 
eed, wliieh i« excellent for poultry, and th^ 
roooi, or whi^ "part, on which the seed is pro^ 
luced, of which the fine ciarpet^brooms, &c. 
re malde. It grows wherever the Indian corn 
oes, is planted at thlt'^ same time and in the 
ime mabner, and, when young, is not unlike it 
1 appearance. 



4t0 

Wktivii, rye^ T)arley, i^nd oaU^ are cvhivateii 
throughout the sfates> some few parts excepted* 
in Pennsylmaia is mkmd oi gfain^ called spdts, 
wiiich gro.ir& much, like • wheat and is esteo&ed 
^od Soif horses: the floor made feom it is white^ 
add iotnetimes^ it> mixed with wheat-flaur for 
Jiread. fiuck-wheat likewise growsy and. is made 
coiuidefoUe use o€ in haok-wbeat eakes.. 

Potatoes. are said to.be aboriginakof Aoieiftea; 
if 80^ they may he ti^Iy coasideiied. as a most 
valiial)ile gift to the- mother country^. Tbey aie of 
jnany ^kiads and are: raised ih .^»at qnantities'; 
yet tfaeiscrops^ by the acre>. wilhbear no com* 
|iarisoa. to our crops in Bngbmd: .ibey reckoa 
£idm forty to ione bundsed bi^els^«.«n acre^ a 
>good crop. The sweety, or .Gaixdinepotatoe^ does 
not thrive well in the northern sMto* 

The ettUoary roots. and plants ajteiaeaiiy the 
same as we grow iiii EoglaDd^ I think they en* 
eel us ia the "iiariety and qiiality ofiktdQey-shaped 
beaJas; our broad g^rden-beansi 6re but little.cab* 
tivat^d* I di4 not see a good caulifloweif or bhn 
coli in Ameriea. I gnr^w some my-self on Leagr 
Island ;; they were bjut moderately good^. y^et such 
as. I sent to tihe Fly-mf^rketjt. at New^York, cre- 
ated some sarprlse ;. as did soipe winter-oabbages> 
the frfiishne^s and size of which, astonished them* 
I seiH several, hundreds of ihese cabbages^, by the 
market-boats, in the spring of the year, for 
which I received nett three poun^ fifteen sbilr 



$1 

Uug« l>er hundr64^,^4 the ^Gv^ivHkny who pur«^ 
chased a hundred of me for four ppondst I 4ouht 
not made a good profit beside his charges. But 
these articles were the produce of my own la* 
bour^ I could get no one eke to atten4 to them. 

There is a wild plant in America, called the 
devil's bit, having the print of teeth in the root.. 
The Indians have; a tradiSoa that the root was 
once a universal remedy for all diseases ; but some 
evil spirit, envying mankind the possession of so 
efficacious a medicine, gave the root &bite, and 
deprived it of a great part of its virtue. 

Of fruit, apples are the modt cconmon; from. 
which a. great quantity of cider is made. They 
^row in great plenty and variety ia t^e north^rft' 
and middle states, and in the interim but. not m 
the maritime parts of ;the southei^n stains. Staq« 
dard peaches are also in great abi^ndapce, but 
they bave.li^Ie or no wall-fruits Aprieots aiwj 
nectarines iM^e very scarce and in^i£Eer(^t; oth^s 
fruits are nearly similar to ours. . 

Of nutsy they have the chesunt;,; Ufi^k wM^^vi^ 
white walnui, biccory^-qu^i butterrnutSy lie^ctH 
nats, : ground-nuts^ anda fevfrih^le^piits ^i| .g9^r« 
dens^ though I met with no bfxle-x^lits gr<»wit)K 
wild ip the wQods. 

Grapes^ of varioqs sorts, . grow sp^ntani^ou^tji: 
i^iom latitude ^o'' .to. 45^ T^ey gfQw wild ant) 
run tOfvW immense, extent,: yot the culfi^ntioa- of 



theib is so n^dcfe fiegli^ted that I seldom met 
with a good eatuig*grape in America. 



CHAPTER VI. 

Extraordinary btnmtth; birds; snakes. 



Of the extraordmafy Kndis of animals in Ame- 
rica; I shdi mention but t^vo, the mammoth and 
theiskfink. Of the first, it is (as related by Ame- 
rican' authors) conjectured that he may still 
extstiti the vast unexplored* regions towards the 
north-west partj/blF the American continent; 
since it is beybnd dbubt that he has existed; 
from the number and' variety of the bones and 
teeth of this astonishitig animal that are found 
in different parts of America. If I could have 
splured the time and Itflforded the expense, I cer- 
tainly liiould have endeavoured to coltect as 
many of the principal bones, teeth, &c. of this 
Mormons animal as possible; as the gatberiog 
together every possiWe remnant of this stnpen- 
idous beast/ so as to, prove its size, form>. &c: 



£3 

woiiklsupplf Ik graad desideratum i<infitittiit his* 
tory* .... . : 

Elephants J have seeti iu abundance, both wild 
mi taakv, im An^» hut th^ boAes and teeUoi> 
which I havieft^eQ of the.inafiimo.thj appear eonr 
sidcrabJjr larger thin those of anj.elephant* Nor 
is it possible to /^onoeive them to be the same 
anima], when we consider that the one is only 
^und ia a hot tnypicaly and the bones, Sec. of 
the other, only in a cold wintery, climate. 
. Tlie. lining mammoth is not found in' the ciri* 
lised parts of America ; it is presumed, however, 
from' his; teeth, that he was ciarniTorous^ Tosks, 
grioden^^ and skeletons, of uncommon mag*^ 
nitude,. have been found at the Salt-licks on the 
Ohio, in New-Jersey, ^nd other places. 
. The Ixuliaiis have a ifadition hauded down 
from their fathers, respecting these animals^ 
which I mention to shew the strong idea^they 
must have entertained of its uncommon power, 
&c. They say, that> in antient times, ;a herd of 
them came to the 3ig-bone licks, and began a 
.universal destruction of the bears, deer, elks, 
buffaloes, and other animals, which had been 
created for the use of the Indians^ That the 
great man above, looking down .^nd seeing. this, 
was so enraged that he seized hi^ lightnings de- 

• Since writing Ae above, (nine years back,) I have been mucb 
gratified in^seeing the skeleton of one of these monsters exhibited in 
tondoi, " 



S4 

seended' \6 Itie <eartit> seated himself upon a 
neighbouring mountain^ (on a rock^ on which his 
ieat aiid the print of hW feet Are" strll to be seen,) 
mid hnded hisr bolts ailiohg' tlietti/ until the whole 
were »lati^efefd ex«;et>t the big bully whb> pre- 
senting his forehead to the shafts^ shook them 
off' as they tell\ but at lefigth/ missing one, it 
wounded him on tbe iside. Wbereon/ ^piingiDg 
rounds he bounded oirer/tbe.Obid, tbeWabasb, 
the llli«6ij«> iftnd fioaHy ovef the g^eat lakes, 
w1>ere^, with other herds> he is said to be still 
Jiving. 

t Some naturalists have supposed^ from the bones 
of this r^marirable scnimaly that itisof diesame 
species as the elephant; others, that it answers 
to the hippopotamus, or river-Hol^e. ' But Mr. 
JefTerson obier<ves> thfat tlie skeleton' ci the 
oiammoth bespeaks an ^ima] of five or six times 
tjie cubic voltttoe of tiie elephtmt, as M. Baffon 
has adfi^itted, and ith&t the grinders are five 
times as large as those of tiheel^hant, and quite 
of a difrerent shape ; adding> that the elephant 
is^ a native of' the torrid zone and its Ticinities, 
%hile khe bones of the mammoth have never 
been found farther «outh than the salines of Hol- 
fiton-river^ a braudu of the Teoesse, about the 
latitude 6(36'' SQf north, atid as far north as the 
arctic circle- . 

...The skunk is the most extraordinary animal 
the American woods produce: it is of the species 



25 

of.tlie po3e«cat, for which^ though different in 
many respects^ it i% freqaeatly' mistaken* Its* 
hair is long and shining, of a dirty wfaite> mixed 
in some places with black spots: its tail is long 
and bushy, like a fox: it lives mostly in woods 
and hedges^ yet I have had several killed in and* 
about my barn and out-offices. It is possessed of 
extraordinary powers, which it exeru when pur- 
sued or thinks itself in danger. On such occa- 
sions, it ejects from behind a stream of water of 
so subtle a nature and so strong a smelly that the 
air is tainted at a surprising distance. 

A gentleman, riding to my house on Long- 
Island, one evening, was saluted by one as he' 
passed it; and so strongly did it perfume him, 
that he was obliged to shift entirely before he 
could be borne with in company. My servanu, 
when they met with a like accident, have been 
obliged to bury their clothes in the earth for a 
considerable time before they could wear them, 
washing having but little effect. On this ac- 
count, the animal is called Venfant du diable, the 
child of the devil. I have known the carcase of 
one that wns killed and thrown into the road, 
(where it laid half the isummer and all the winter, 
looking like a dried cat's skin,) to stink so abo- 
minably when moved, that, a puppy-dog of 
mine having brought it near to the house, there 
was no bearingit, though in the open air. 

VOL. n. D 



26 

The birds of America far exceed those of Ea- 
faope for plumage^ but are much inferior in the 
melody of their notes. The humming-bird is 
known as the smallest of the feathered tribe: its 
plumage surpasses description. I have knowa 
them frequently hid from sight in the blossom of 
a hfgc magnolia. 

There are about thirty different kitids of 
snakes, most of which are venomous, and many 
of them mortally so to the unhappy object that 
is bitten by them. 



CHAPTER VII. 

Slaves in America; thoughts on emancipation; cur- 
rencies of the different states. 



Of the slaves in the United States, I must re- 
peat what a European writer has so justly ob- 
served, that, if there be an object truly ridicu- 
lous in nature, it is an American patriot, signing 
resolutions of independence (and let me add 
equality) with one hand^ and brandishing a whip 
over liis affrighted slaves with the other. This is 
•characteristically true ; yet such, it must be sc- 



27 

knowledged^ is the want of help in America, that 
a person is redoced to the alternative of being a 
slave. to servants or having slaves for servants*; 
and it requires no very great knowledge of man- 
kind to say which of the two evils will in general 
be preferred. 

Iq the middle and northern states, there are 
comparatively but few slaves^ and of course there 
is less dlfl^culty in giving them their freedom. 
Yet a nicety of management is required to make 
it a blessing to those slaves, when they gain that 
freedom which is the natural right of all man» 
kind, and for the granting of which to all who 
are in such a degraded state there cannot well be 
a warmer advocate than myself; but I am con- 
fident it is not the best mode to grant it them* 
hastily, nor all together. 

At Rhode-Island, very soon after the peaci9, 
most of the inhabitants agreed to give freedcNn 
to all their slaves; and the fact is, that, instead 
of becoming indnstrious and living comfortably, 
they became a pest to society. Not knowing 
how to enjoy a sudden burst of liberty, they 
gave themselves up to all manner of rioting and 
excess of debauchery. To themselves, the con^ 
sequence is, that they do not propagate their 
own species so much as when they were well 
clothed, fed, and kept to regular hours, by their 
former masters. They are how idle and lazy to a 
proverb, nor can they be induced to do a little , 
D2 



' 28 

work but at extravagant wages. What mone; 
-they earOy they chiefly buy spirits with for their 
night-froh'cs, when the few> that have been pre- 
vailed on to go to service^ are tempted to joio 
:theiiL and are 80on persuaded to rob their masters 
or mistresses, in order to support these nocturod 
riots, where all kinds of debauchery are prac- 
tised. 

^i There are some few exceptwis, but I under- 
stood they chiefly were to be. found among those 
Jnegroes whose emancipation from the yoke of 
•slavery was gradual. Societies for the manumis- 
sion of skves are instituted in various. parts; they 
jtre prindpally supported by quakers, but the 
-methods .pursiied by many, who are strong en- 
•thnj^asts in the undertaking. We neither just nor 
honest; for, however morally wroi^ I might 
,tfaink it in another pci-son to hol<f a man in sla- 
'iKery, I can have no right to assist in robbing 
/him of -his property, by persuading such proper- 
ty to run away; a practice notorious and frequent 
hy members. of these societies. If I consider it 
a sin in my neiglibour to hold slaves, and justify 
-myself in the consideration that I. have removed 
the sin 'from him, my neighbour might equally 
justify hii^sself in proouriirg laws to compel me to 
embrace lus religious priticiples, because he 
thinks. mine are wrong: and 1 do not conceive 
^the intolerance of one kind of spirit. a jot more 
justifiable than the other. 



S9 

I have digressed farther/ on this head than I 
iDteiided in this place: I sliali have occasion to 
mention the subject 'agaiOy when I may enlarge 
thereon and point out a mode which I had 
begun for the gradual emaocipatioa of all the 
slaves I should be compelled to purchase; or 
go without servants* No man breathing . can 
detest the ^ve^'trade or the original methods of 
procuring them more than I do, nor can fhat be 
too soon abolished; but the emancipation of 
those from slavery, that are already in tb^t state, 
requires a far different treatment. 

The various currencies of money, in the dif- 
ferent states, are troublesome and harassing even 
to the natives of the United States, and still 
more so to strangers. A dollar, in sterling mo- 
ney^ is four shillings and sixpence; but, in the 
New-England^ tates, the currency is six shillings 
to a dollar; in New- York, eight shillings; in 
New-Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, seven 
.shillings and sixpence; in Virginia, six shillings; 
in North Carolina, eight shillings; and, in South 
Carolina and Georgia, four shillings and eight 
pence. All agree that the evil is great, and wants 
to be remedied; but they say, such is the prejiK 
dice of the country-people in the different states 
in favour of the currency they have. always bceti 
accustomed to, that it isfeared>^,were an act of 
tongress passed to enforce a general uniform 
curreaey; the country-people would consider itais 
D3 



90 

htA as tH^ formerly did. the 8liamp««GL iTo 
tbis^ I have iremaentiy takea the liberty of ob*- 
•serving, to eeveral pnembers of congress anil 
•others, that,- if an act were passed for bo book* 
debt) bond, note/ bill, 8cc. to be admitted as 
evidence in their conrts of law, ^ accept «ttch as 
%ere kepC or made in dollars and cents, (which 
ell the public offices and banks already do,) the 
evil would soon be Removed without oilier ooer* 
^on than that of self-interest* 



CHAPTER VIU. 

JOiviiion of New^England^ and general outlim ^^ 
, the same^ 



In describing the particulars of the different 
states which have come withia itiy own observe- 
iion, I shall begin with those of New-Engkad 
and travel on to the southward. 

I^ew-England is. divided into five states, viz. 
New-Hampshire, Massachusetts^ Rhode-Islaodi 
Connecticut^ and Vermont: these states are sub- 
divided into eotmti^s, and the counties into 
townships^ The country is. billy aod, in sam 



di 

moiuit9taoiiS) tilit the moniiUiiui ar« com- 
paratiFeljr small. The vales belwieeh tlie nd9e8> 
while ia a state oJF Batore, exhibit a raniantic 
appearaooe. They aeem aa oceaa of woods^ 
swelled and depcessed ip it^ scurface like that of 
the sea. 

Few countries are better ^tered. On the 
sea-eoast the land is low, and in many parts level 
and sandy. In the valleys, between ike moun* 
tains, the land is much broken and in many 
places rocky. It is a moderately .good strong 
so»l, capable of being cultivated to better advan^ 
tageifhelp could be obtained on any reasonable 
termsi but that is not to be had* The soil, as 
may be supposed, is various. Each tract of dif* 
ferent soil is pronounced good, middling, or bad, 
from the species of trees, it prodncea: one spe-^ 
cies, generally predominating In eac^,. has given 
birth to the descriptive names of oak-land, bird^ 
beac^, and. chesnut, lands ; prae barren, maple, 
ash^ and cedar> swamps, as each species happentt 
to predominate. Intermmgled with these are 
walnuts^ £rs, elm, hemlock, moose-wood, saxi<» 
frage, 8tc. The best lands produce walnut and 
chesnut;. the next best, elm, beech, and oak; 
lands of the third quality, fir and pitch-pine; 
the next, wortk^erry and Barbary-bushes ; and 
the poorest, noAitig but imperfect shrubs. 

Among the fruits that grow wild are several 
kinds of grapes;^ small^ jour, and thicknskinned* 



.32 

The vine-stems are very luxuriant^ often over- 
spreading the highest trees in the forests. Beside 
these^ aiie ibe wil(t cherri^s^ white and red mul- 
l)erries, cranberries^ walnuts, chesnuts, bntter- 
iuits, beech^nuts, wild plums and pears, black- 
berries, huckle-berries, and slrawberrie^s. I have 
enumerated all these, because every American 
writer announces them in such a manner as to 
lead the unwary to believe .that a person might 
almost live in the American woods on fkiit and 
nuts; when, in fact, there is more in the sound 
of these things- than in the risality of gratification 
from them, few or none,, beside the cranbcny, 
chc^snut, walnu% and strawberry,, being wortii 
going after. 

. The' soilf in die interior country^ is best calca- 
iated' fer Indian corn, rye, oats, barley, buck- 
wheat, and.flax« In some of the. farther inland 
parts, wheat ifr raised ; but,, on. the sea-coast, it 
has. never, b^een^ cultivated with much, success, 
being subject tp blasts. Various reasons are as- 
signed for this : some suppose these blasts to be 
occasioned by the saline vapours from the sea ; 
but I cannot agree to this, well knowing that 
many of, the best wheats that are grown, in Eng- 
land, in quantity and quality, are- from sea- 
marshes and lands adjoining tke sea. Others 
attribute it. to the vicinity, o£ Barbary-bushes, to 
A© truth- of which L ciannot speak. But the 
principal cause appeared to .me to be the poverty 



S3 

and sandy natnre of the soil iu geuera], together 
yi'ith exceedingly bad management. 

The price of articles^ mentioned under any of 
the different states, is to be understood as thf 
currency of that state, unless noticed to the 
contrary. 



CHAPTER IX. 

Massachusetts; more grash than arable land; want 
of help; slaves not allowed; valtie of farms ; or^ 
chards neglected; ston^ fences; difficulty of drain- 
ing; contrast between 1762 and 1794- 



Th £ state of Massachusetts h in the latitude 
of from 41** 20' to 42* 50' north; its length 150 
miles, and breadth 60.: Notwithstanding its situ- 
ation so much farther (.10 degrees) to the south- 
ward than England, the winters are more severe, 
and the greater heats of the summers are easily 
accounted for. 

The farms, farm-houses, and every thing in 
the country . around Boston, appear more like 
mauy parts of Englwd than any other state in , 
America. The merchants and genttemen of 



34 

Boston have engaged in agricultural pnmiits io 
a more spirited manner than others; but the 
common Jiusbandmen^ farther in the couutry, 
continue in the old track of their fore-father?, 
notwithstanding the example thus set them by 
the gentlemen of Boston^ and the information 
tendered them by the agricultural society there. 

Massachusetts is more of a grazing coantiy 
than arable, producing very good cattle ; and no 
market in the United States is in general so well 
supplied with excellent beef as Boston; bot, 
where so' little additional help is to be obtaiaed 
when wanted, the farmer and all bis family must 
slave hard the whole of the summer-months to 
lay in provender for their cattle against the 
long hard winters ; like Pharaoh's lean kinc, de- 
vouring all the fat of the short summers. The 
real labour, therefore, to the farmer and his fa- 
mily^ is severe ; for additional hired help is not 
to he procured, and slaves in this state are pro- 
hibited by law: on himself and family alone can 
he depend for getting in his hay and harvest. 
This state of things renders it impossible to fann 
on any large scale to advantage, and operates 
neai^y as much against improvements. 

I found the value of farms, according to their 
improvements in buildings, fences, quality of 
soil, and situation for markets, to be from three 
to eighteen pounds an ^ acre. Orchards, in gene- 
ral, seemed to be much neglected, the old uees 



35 

decaying fast, and very little attention being paid 
to the planting of new ones* 

There are many good strong stone fences^' 
which answer the double purpose of clearing the 
land and making a fence at the same time ; yet 
much of the land still remains covered almost 
with fixed rock or moveable stones. In some' 
fields, jou may see them piled up, looking, jat a 
distance;, like hay-^ocks ; and, where the stones 
are too large to be removed, a few industrious 
farmers dig large holes to undermine and drop 
them in^ or blow them iip with gunpowder. 

Many farms would be greatly improved, if 
tliey had only common ditches or drains mdde, 
and this could only be done where the situation 
was favourable for carrying the water off clear 
beyond them. There is no law to oblige their 
neighbours to drain and keep their water-courses 
clear; the land, in consequence, is more impo- 
verished, by being sodclened with water, than i% 
would with double, the crojpping. 

Long previous to the revolution in America, I 
had repeatedly visited Boston : what a straQge 
contrast after an absence of more than thirty 
yearsi In 1762, 64, and Q5^ it was the extrava- 
gance of fanatic religious folly ; under the cloak 
of which, hypocrisy and vice prevailed to a high 
degree. It. is^ tme, there were no public notori* 
ous hrothels nor any woman of known loose * 
conduct suffered -to reside in the town; but there 



S6 

was ntore private debftuchery thaa • t ever knew 
ia any other part of the world. I could fill pages 
with the singularly laughab}^ occurrences within 
n^yown knowledge. In 1794^ I found a Roman- 
Catholic chapel fiveely tolerated, and was enter- 
tained in a handsome crowded theatre; two cir- 
cumstances, which if I had ventured to predict 
when I first knew the place, (daring as. I was 
known to be at that time,) I should have run 
some risk of being tarred and feathered. Not a 
sjngleJew was able to live there some time pre- 
vious to the revoiiition ; now there is an abun- 
dance, with every species of accommodation, 
bad as well as good, equal to any that can be found 
in the sea-ports and cities of Europe. 

In the market, the difference was this: pi- 
geons, that were formerly sold at two pence or 
two pence . halfpenny a clozen, and often given 
.away at the close of the market, sold> in 1794, 
from two shillings and Itl^ence to three shillings 
a dozens beef and mutton, that I have known 
sold at three 'halfpence and two pence, were sold 
hoj^L seven- pence to ten ^nce a pound; with 
every othei article of provision in proportion. 

^ The farmer, therefore, though he raises but a 
small produce, compared to the size of his farm, 
makes it out by the price he sells at. Himself, 
his wife, son, or daughter, bring much of the 

' fuppliea for Boston market froni ten to twenty 
ibiies round; the number of small rivulets, thai 



3r 

FUQ into Boslon4iarboiir» greatly &cilititliog the 
eonTeyanoe. ' / 



CHAPTER X. 

ithode-'Idand heaffhy and pleasant; fine women; 
iU product; contrast between the towns ofNeaf^ 
port and Providence; servants '^ climate; religion; 
Tnagistrates, their power to fnarry peojJe; slovenly 
appearance in courts of justice; value of land; 
Brissofs account of Newport and Providence 
corrected^ 



RttOD£«I&LAN]> and ProTtdence plantations 
adjoin Massachuselts to the south-west. It is 
only 68 OAiles long and 40 ^ide. TU^ islasid it- 
self is but IS to 14 miles in length, and iittle 
more than 4 in widths 

Being he£l(hy and pleasant, it is a noted re- 
sort for invalids and others from the southern 
states. It is celebrated for fine women^ and I 
think very justly so ; nor are those of the other 
New-England states much behind the Bl^d^* 
Islanders for beauty. The ladies, in geneQs1,;are 
attentive anil industrious in the management of 

VOL- II. E 



3a 

ib^ir fafluHeS) IqiI I ctfQnot say sattuichof the 
sumbers of young women who have uo m^ois of 
livelihood but their industry, or who reside at 
home a burden to their parents; of these I shall 
have to «ay more under the head of servants, 

A copsiderable part of the land of Rhode- 
Island is of a tolerable good quality : the same 
may be. said of Canonieut-Island, Block-Island| 
and Prudence«lsland, ^as well as of nome of the 
smaHer islaiid^^ all lying in the bay of Naragan- 

Tl^e best milch-cows I have seen in America 
were h«re, .^uid, generally speaking, it is a coun- 
try morA foi* pasture than grain j yet it produces 
good crops of Indian com^ good rye and barley, 
very' bad oats, and, tolerable flax. Wheat is sel- 
dom attempted on account of the mildewing, or 
. blasting ; but I am persuaded it is only for want 
of better maoi^ment. Q£ clovers, I have no- 
ticed as large crops as* can &ir]y grow out of the 
' «artfa ; and diis will pteity well enable the agri- 
culturist to judge what the land is. capable of. 
Culinary roots and plants grow in: the greatest 
varjeiy and abundance. 

The -western and north-western inland parts of 
the state are very barren and rocky., of course 
thinly inhabited. In the Naraganset country, 
the l^nd is good for graziiig, where they raise 
great numbers of the finest neat cattle in Ame- 
rica. Many of the farmers keep .considerable 



S9 

dairies^ making butter and cheese -of the ba»t 
Americikn quaKtyy.and ia consider^blQ quantities 
for exportation. OcoasionaUy, you may in«^t 
with dn excellent d^ese, as good as England or 
any other coniitry c/ro prodoce ia the cii$tQiiiary 
mode of dairying : I of comsse excqptt Patme^an^ 
Stilton^ &c. Hogs tbey 'have as. good' aliid as 
large as oah be bred in any paist.of ti» globe* 

Observing, one day, in Nanrpcurls-maricet, thcee 
hogs/ each of which weighed more than sixiwo^ 
dred weighty I mentioned it in company altef 
dinner, as wortiiiy of remari^ ; when Mr* Gtorge 
Glbbs, at wfaosie ;haiise we tieit, a merchant oif 
as mnoli probf^^ honesty, and tategrity^ as aay 
in America; and Doctor Senter, Ik physician. of 
great abiixtiesji not unknown in tbe literary wodd^ 
and an honour to Iromaa natare; both> assured 
nie it was far fxom unconunoa, and thai i they 
had seen a hog in the same market^ not long 
before, that weighed more than eight: huddred 
weight. It should be observed, that these hogs 
are neither bced nor fattened for exhibition^. but 
for profitable safe. . . 

Naraganset is famed, for an excellent breed of 
pacing horses: they.«re strctng and remarkable 
for enduring great fatigue on feng journeys;, but 
they have been so much neglected that the breed 
js nearly extinct. 

The town Of Providence is thirty miles up the 
river from Newport: no two towns, as neigh- 
E2 



40 

bowririg sea-ports, can well fdim a more com- 
plete Gootrast with each other. Newport enjoys 
the finest summer-season in America, while the 
people in Providence might as well live in an 
oveii^ b^mg coinpktdy sorroonded with high 
s*nd^hitls> from which you. are continually an- 
noyed with a sharp dust . and suffocated with 
heat* Newport enjojys a rich soil, Providence 
a sandy pine barren. Newport has one of the 
finest .harbours in America, arid the easiest of 
access from the «ea, with but little use for it. 
;Pi^i<lefi€e bas^ a long river to navigate,, fer fram 
a commodioas. harbour^ yet it is crowded with 
shipping. Newport has the. best fish-miwfcet in 
Amenca^ and Providence one ©f . the worst 
No^tfas^anding so nMoy natural advantages in 
favour of Newport/ yet^ ftom the decay of trade, 
wfakrfs out of repair and going to ruin, houses 
faUkigfor Want of tenants^ with the small number 
of shipping and stillness. of its streets^ Newport, 
compared with its former flourishing state, brings 
to remembrance the idea of Goldsmith's deserted 
village ; while Providence, from the spirited ex- 
ertions of many of its inhabitants, seendslikea 
thriving crowded bee*faiv«. But: there are two 
circumstances in which they both agree; they 
abound, with men of sense, learning, liberality of 
sentiment, and understanding; and they are 
equally destitute of h^p, particularly that of do* 
mestic servants. 



41 

When ymng w6msA so ficr coii^9eeikd as to 
go from bom€, to liv^^ ia my finmly as help- 
mates, (servants they will met allow, tbemsndves 
to be called, nor wiU they stile thieir emplojwr 
master oir Hiigtress,) one of tbeir Bwt inqairiesis, 
which room >they are to have to reeeivie their 
friefnds in when visited by them ; and> wben tbib 
engaged aft help-mates, they will' stUl chocHie 
what kind of help they shall afford. I h«*iB 
known the lady of the house obliged toopfen tbe 
front-door when any one knocked at it, if tfe|B 
Mack seirvant was not in the way; and the lady 
has assuned me, that, though the young w<>i&an' 
who attended her child and did a little needle* 
work was in the passage close by tbe door at the 
time^ she would walk off anct Ieave4l to. the mas- 
ter or mistress of the ^ouse or may other that 
would condescend to open it ;. for she W4mld quit 
the ho«se immediately, sooner than be -seen tlo* 
ing, Of evenr be seqjaired to do, any thing so- 
Baeaiai^ 

To wait at tablb or tea is equally » beneath her 
dignity; and, should any visiting eompw^y wish 
to see tile infant that is under^ tbe «are of the 
young woman, as nurse-maid, I have known the 
child brought to the door of the apartment,, far» . 
the mistress of the house to receive from her, but 
uo fartl^r; and; I vtBa assured that no persuasion 
could prevail on her to btiflg the child in, unless 
permitted to sit down as one of the company^ 
E3 



42 

mi the» she^mmld be ifree and firolicsomt 
-eoDiighi and handf as might be wiahed. 

We had with us a very worthy yoang woDaan, 
rwho went out as a servant; and, contrary to 
.most that do so go out, woiUd not leave ns, 
itbdugb four times the wages were offered that we 
:bad agifocd tp gite ber. She was proud to take 
! our .youngest child in her arms, when walking ia 
tbelsueets; a thing considered ^o very menial, 
that Irwas. told, by some of the inhabitents, their 
pnoud winches <SouId as soon be prevailed on to 
draw a wheel*barrow along the streets; yet, in 
point of person, accomplishments, and even pro- 
perty, few if any of them could altogedier vie 
with this our maid*servant. 

The only exceptk^os are, when children have 
been . left poor orphans and bound out .until 
.eighteen or tweatynDne years of age, but these 
are rare. The others will do as little as they 
can, will visit; and, be visited as often as they 
like, for which they must have great wages; or, 
sooner than go out to service, th^ will stay at 
home ^ with their fathers, n^others, brothers^ or 
relations, (who rather encoui)ag? their pride than 
their industry,) and sit at their spinning-wheel to 
earn from four pence to six pence a day. 

English families, being known to expect more 
attention, find much greater difficulty in procu- 
ring female-servants ; andj r^$pecting nud&^er- 
vants, whether foy the house or farming, they 



49^ 

are nearly as bad. Soon after making my firat 
purchase, n^r Newport, in Rhode-Island, I was 
frequently called upon by men, who, understand- 
ing I was an English farmer, had a desire to 
live with me in expectation of learning some* 
thing new. Their manner of application was 
curious enough, generally by walking in with 
their hats on, (let who would Be in the room>) 
give a slight &miliar nod of the head, take a 
chair and draw near the fire; and, inquiting if it 
was Mr. ...... they spoke to, they would commence 

the following dialogue. 
*' I hear Mr has bought a beautiful farm.'' 

— " Ycs»" — " I guesB now, you've brought some 
strange notions with you from the old country .*' 

— '^ I cannot say how strange they may appear 
here.'' -^ << I warrant now, youll want some kin4 
of help to assist on this farm." — *' Yes." — 
'^ Well, I vow you, I shoi4d like to learn some of 
the old-country notions.'* — " Very likely." — 
^' Why, to tell the truth now, I have heard a 

main good character of Mr and, if we could 

agree on terms, I swear \ don't believe that I 
should have any objection to live along with Mr. 

if it were only to learn some of your £a« 

glish notions, you." 

But nine out of ten, that applied, would wallc 
off, without farther inquiry, on understanding 
they were not to sit at my table at their meals; 
the same or similar provisions would not satisfy 



them. The Veiy fe^^ tbautwQi&Id: cODdescend to 
tfaiSy musj; be paid ej^trayagantly ibr.it^ and the 
whole of them fln>$t rafeher be advised with than 
(dir^ted as to what )»ho)iId be dione upon the 
•farm> especially if wy thin^ was directed which 
they were not accitstomed to^.s^twithstapdkig it 
was their avowed desire . to learn Something new* 
.And, should they not approve whes either di- 
i^ected or cgnsulted, they, are not easily per- 
suaded to tbe,attempt> bnt wHl refuse to do it, 
and say, ^^ I guess now this is one of yo.ur strange 
notions.'* However, it sbonld be ackaowledged 
'they do all thife in inoffensive language; just ob- 
serving, *^ if we cannot agree it is better to part;" 
well knowing that they can have other employ 
directly, frhile you may be weeks or months be» 
lore yim obtaiii other He]p«H 

The winters^ in the marittoe parts ^ Rhode* 
Island^ axe milder l;hisiip. those m the inlnad coun* 
'try, the air^heilig softened by a sea* vapour* The 
summers are coo), oompaied with the .extreme 
heats which pisevail in othec parts of America, 
Jbeing fitquentljr refreshed by l^feezes from the 
jsea, but are too often, troubled wiiii. thick fogs.. 

The religious establishments in.thia state,, de- 
pend on the voluntary choice o£ individuals: all 
men^ who profess belief; in one Supcane Being,, 
are equally protected by the laws, and norp^iisd- 
x^nlar sect can claim pre<*emineii€e. £duca«iQMtf 



45 . 

^vireli attended to itt this state^ and on 
Le terms. 

!is of the peace^ in this as in other states 
^ciizance of small causes; and the mar« 
ntract^ entered into and made before a 
.\te at his .private bonse^ is as binding to 
ties as* if solemnized in a church by the 
lan. But I cannot compliment any of 
Le- courts for regularity or order in their 
I proceedings^ or eren decent appearance 
judges themselves^ whotn I have seen sit«- 
vitU long coarse trowser* and their night- 
when trying causes. 

'as better: pleased with the federal or circuit 
. of the United States^ where somie degree 
rder and regularity was maintained^ by the 
Jy firmness of Judge Chase, /rom iMary- 
; but neither the lawyers nor people seemed 
elish being kept to ord^r. They guessed these 
e all English notions> which he had picked up 
ile in the old country. 

The value of land in this state is various, ac- 
rdrag to its quality and situation. Fifteen or 
xteen miles inland from Newport, on the Na- 
igansetside, I was offered an estate exceeding, 
W acres, m wUch were three farm-houses and 
hree apple-orchards: more than 600 acres of 
this were clearei, and I might have had the 
vrhole for 1000 guineas. Yet, in preference to 
this, I gave 1237/. sterling for a small house, mx 



46 

Orchftrd, ancl only 86 acres of land; and, when 
I left Rhode-Island, sold it again for the same. 
I mention this to shew how easily writers, dis- 
posed to enlist on one side of the question, may 
make it appear (and conformably to truth) that 
lands are either extravagantly, cheap or dear. 
The truth of this I have often fully experienced, 
by a comparison of matters of feet with various 
descriptions given by former -writers on the sub- 
ject of America. I will therefore xKrcaisionally 
-give a short description of some fsurms vihith I 
examined, the better to enable the Reader to 
form his own judgement, ^ 

Thecheap^tfark {taet wrthat Rhode-Islttnd 
ibelonged to Mrs. Bissett; k was situate iJaree 
miles fcom ^Newport, eonsistiiig of 170 acres of 
'}atid, a sm^U house, barn, atid yoang ordiard; 
and it was offered to me for 1 100/. ctnrii^ncy of 
New England. Half of the land wais a good 
kindly loam, tlve rest cold, wet, and hungry, and 
the whole exceedingly ont of condition ; but the 
smajlness of the house. and Ithe want of water ia 
the well, prevented my purchasing it as a tempo* 
rai'y residence. - There was another farm, be- 
longing to Colond Oook, of 1 ] 7 acres, good 
clover and barley land, the price of which was 
5000 dollars. He had another farm to sell, of 
140 aa^s, neafrer the tow»,,t60 aaes of iriiich 
were an unprofitable 5wamp ; but, by |mper 
draining and management, might have beea 



47 

Qade the. most valuable part of the farm; tbe 
est was good light land io tt3 naturei but wora 
»ut with imptoper culdvaikHiu A crazy ol4 
louse, without hani> orchard^ or tree^ upon thq 
>reinise8 ; die price 7000 doUars^ a . bazc^rdoua 
itle, and a strange man lx> deal wixb, made roe 
lecline treating; otherwise^ the awap^p tq»pte4 
ne, tbpugh valued at little by the owner* A 
arm of 12)3 acres;^ with a strong old house and» 
I large orchard^ was o£Fered i^e^ for 4000 doUarSn 
3v Majoar Liman^ a gendemaa. of whose f|iend<- 
ihip^ bo^pttality^ and.sua;rity of mwfteis, I shall 
?ver retain a plea!»ing remembrance. Tb^ land 
sras a eold heavy loam^ wanting mote help than 
:ould be obtained to get it ioto any tplerable or* 
ler^ yet it wa^ cheap compared to many Other^^ 
rnd I am persuaded it was tendered to m^ 
hrou^ friendship^ at ksa than its value* 

I cannot quit this state^ without noticing a 
iiew from ammig the many masrepresentationa of ' 
Brissot de .Warville, in his account of Provi- 
lence arid Newport Of Providenee, he says : 
' Eveigr thing here annoufioes .the decline of 
business; £em vessek are to be seen in the port> 
uid the silence^ which reigns in otha: American 
:owns on Sunday^ reigns at Providence even on 
Monday." On the contraryi L aver that no 
town in America^ for its size, has more U£e and 
bustle, throughout the whole week, among the 
shipping at the lyharfs, or al^g the stjreets: the> 



48 

liODsed; ftlsOj exhibit eveiy mark of prosperous 
trade. The Baptist meeting4i<Misejp lately built^ 
is an e;legant buiMiDg ; the inside 80 feet square^ 
and the ste^eple 180 feet high: it has a good or- 
gan^ and the whole is finished in a stile that 
implies a far diflFerent term for this place than 
that of poverty. 

The passage ffom Providence to Newport he 
describes as offie'ring nothing pictucesqne or.co- 
xions ; a few houses^ some trees^ and a sandy soiii 
he saysj are all that appear. I have not as yet 
Baet with any triaveller^ that has sailed up and 
down this river, who has not (with me) admired 
, its beanties. It is tnie^ the soil in geaeial is 
sandy ; bnt, at a, distance, the eye disceiss veiy 
little about the soiL - The farm-houses are nu* 
merous, and you seldom lose sight of mie town 
but another offers to view, on one aide of the 
river br the o^r. 

Three of these towns are sea-pcnrts: one of 
them is the town of Bristol, wh^ein is Mooat 
Hope, or Haup, remarkable for having' been th 
seat of King Philip, a celebrated Indian iwriorj 
and the place where be was kiHed ; and at whidi 
my friend, Grovern<Hr Bradford, a senator in con 
gress, took up bis hosfMlable residence when 
was there. To this scenery may be added 
number of valuable rich islands that yon 
which, with seme bold rocky shores, make it i 
curious, picturesque, and viery pleasant^ j 



49 

In his description of Newport, I aUov^ that, 
compared with other s^a-^ports^ it appears life- 
less^ and that there are numbers of idle jUMtntei?- 
ing people who do little elie beside . lonagiiig 
about and perplexfdg their brains with fore^ 
political of which they have a very imperfect 
conception. I agree with hira in the melancholy' 
appearance of many^ houses &lHng to ruin; but, 
when be describes the women as hideous anil 
covered with rags, he utters a fiikehood 3s im- 
pudent as it is notorious to ail who have been at 
Newport ; for, in no other town in America cam 
there be seen more handsome or fewer h4>m^ 
women. Those, of any tolerable rank in sbdety, 
are exceedingly well dressed, far beyond what 
I expected, and the ipoorest of them aH are 
clean and neal in person and apparel. His re- 
presentatton of i^ as the asylum <>f femfne is 
equaUy contradictory to tru4ih^ it being acknow- 
ledged, by all who know the plaqe, that pro* 
usions are in so much greater Abundance here 
than .in any other -sea- pert in America, thaetthey 
ma|^e^&ir)y estimated one-third cheaper. Nay, 
it is to the £icUity with which the poor can supply 
themselves wtith iish, in addition to the abun- 
dance of vegetables they so easily raise in their 
garden-plati, that so much idleness and unwil- 
lingness to place their child^'en iout to service 
may be accounted for^ M. Brissot de Warville 
should rather have said, it was a good asylum 

VOJL, -11^ F 



fyxAefamsheA, whick mat^ of his c^iuntrymea 
pjroved, soonaf^ter his. departuire from Newport ia 
«o iUAhQmoun 

There is too much truth ia his remark > tbat 
the infamous and pernicious system of their 
papers-money had greatly injured the state ; but, 
he ought to have noticed^ that the tnerchants and 
inhabitants of Newport and Providtoce did, from 
the fifst lo the last, firmly oppose the iniqintous 
measures of thei^ infatuated legislature. I cannot 
account for these strange misrepresentations of 
Brisspt, but, from a supposition, that, after be- 
ing extravagant^ entertained by the paitisansof 
the French revolution at Boston, where he landed 
and had letters of inlioduction, be found him* 
setlf an tmn^Hced stran^r at Providence and 
Newport, where be waa ' detained a day or two 
waiting for the. packet; and, his pride being hurt, 
he a«w every thing with a ja»ndiieed eye. Cer- 
tainly> Newport loses much in a Qompaiison 
with other sea^ports, in point of traffic^ &c. and 
ijts present app^rance exhibits a strong contrast 
with, its former flourishing situation befor^^e 
revolution. Yet, I am persuaded it4>ntyseqoirea 
the spirited exertion of a few more such .mer- 
chants as Messrs. Gibi^s and Channing^ to be* 
come again a Aourishingaea-port. 



5t 



CHAPTER XI. 



Connecticut; situation and climate ;^ quality of soil 
and produces farming; farms; roads; builds 
ings; taverns-, litigious, ^rit (jf the inhabitants ; 
religion and^ its effects. . 



CoNNBCTiGDT adjoins RbodeJsland^ between 
410 aad ^Sf" north latitude. This sut^ ia 82 
miles In length and 57 in bveadtk. The.cHinat^jp 
dioBgh subject to die ^xtrmea of heat^and opld 
in tfaebrseaBons^ and to frequent sudden dbanges^ 
i« Torf bealthfuL In the maritkne towasy tfad 
weather varies aa the wind blows finom die soa or 
land: as j^oa advance inland^ it is lean variable^ 
The north-west winds> in the winter-seaiBOii> am 
extreaely 8e>7ere and pierciog, ooeaaioaied by the 
great body of snow lying undtaaohedrin.the imt* 
meose foreats> norlik and nprtih*west. The clear 
and serene aspect of the aky ndces gveat amenda 
for the severity of the weather, and its tepif 
perament is favourable to health. Connecticut 
is chiefly broken land, mountains^ hills^ and vain 
leys^ and is well watered. Some parts are thin 
and barren $ others^ a light aandy^soi}, fiillosfthe 



^2 

white honey-suckle dover; and some a strong 
fertile soil. 

' its principal produettOBs are Indian corn, rye, 
and wheat; in some parts of the state, oats and 
barley, flax and onions, in great quantities; po- 
tatoes of various kinds; pumpkins, turnips, 
pease, beans, and fruits of most kinds, commou 
to the climate. The soil is best calculated for 
pasture and mowing, which enables the farmer 
to feed large numbers of neat cattle and horses: 
mules are also raised to jid vantage for the West- 
India islands. 

'The farmers and their families are clothed in 
decent plam homle-^pun cl(^h; their linens and 
woollens, manu£fictur«d in the &xnily-way, are 
of a sts^ong texture vaad Very durable. I bad 
beard much of the good farming in Connecticut, 
but I fouQd myself disftppoifited. With the ex- 
ception of their ntea.dow«kinds, which are natn* 
lally rich and good^ their farming is iar bebw 
medioonty. 

Whik at Vwctfordj I examined a farm belong- 
ing to Mr. Seymour, of 103 acres of land; one- 
half, thathe caHed gra^SrlanFd, was nothing but 
a bed or matt of weeds, and briars, yet the soil 
was capable of being made either good corn, 
grain, or grass^ land: it must be observed, that 
cdm in America applies only to maize, or Indian 
com. The other half of the farm was a richer 
soil, partly black mould and partly hazel kind of 



5* 

ioam, with better gra^s ; and what was pfonghed 
produced strong Indian coni| bat all of it Tery 
foul. The house was out of repair^ the barns 
and offices tolerable^ and the water pretty good. 
For this farm he asked 5000 dollars. The richest 
flavovred pearmain I ever eat in any country ^ 
was at this form. 

Colonel Wadsworth (an aid-^le-camp to General 
Washington) lining at Hartford^ I waited upon 
him without any other introduction than that of 
announcing the object of my'pursuits in America, 
and from him I received a most candid^ sensible, 
information and oaation, concerning men as weH 
aslands^r We were intimate in a few minutes; 
affability, frankness, and manly politeness, are 
congpicuouff traits of his ufiiversally-respected 
character. He asked no more than Seymour for 
a farm of 150 acres, of as good land, as jgood a 
house, better orchard and fruit-trees ; and this he 
acknowledged was dear. 

Coonecticat is the most populous, in propoi'- 
tion to its extent, of any of the states. It is 
mostly laid out in-small farms, from 50 to 300 or 
400 acres eac^b, which are mostly held in fee- 
simply. The roads aretery abundant, crossing 
each other in every direction. The towns and 
tillages are numerous; arid, from the attention 
paid in •painting their houses and public buildings^ 
they have a pleafling appearance. 

rs 



54 

Milfotd was the o^ly exception I met with. 
Passing through it rather iti hast^> I coaM not 
learn the cause; but scarcely a bouse was to be 
seea without a great part of its windows broken 
and various others marks of wretchedness. The 
soil round Milford seemed of a light sandy na;- 
ture, but the vegetation was heal^y. I under- 
stood afterwards that the distress^ so apparent in 
their houses^ were occasianed by an unconquer- 
able spirit for litigation. 

The taverns on die roads through New Eng- 
land are iti general much cleanlier than the mid- 
dle or southern states; but aa English traveler 
feels much disgust at seeing most of the women 
and girls walking about without shoes and stock- 
ings. Yet there is a modest behaviour which 
^precludes any loose ideas aujd expectations, which 
this appearance, in conjunction with the rosj 
bloom of healthy might otherwise excite. 

The education of youth in this state seemi 
carried to excess ; farmers, tradesmen, and me- 
chanics, give their children a college-educatioib 
which is as frequent as that of .a common board- 
ing school in England. I have n(iet with common 
sailors from Connecticut, that have been brought 
up at college until too nearly arrived at manhood 
to attend steadily to the most usual means of 
obtaining a livelihood. To this cause may be 
imputed that prevalence of a litigious spirit which 



S5 

pervades the state. Disputes of the most trivial 
kiud being settled according to law. 

AD religioos> consistent with the peace of so- 
ciety, are :tolerated in Connecticut; yet a rigi- 
dity prevails bordering on intolerance^ and the 
clergy, who are numerous, maintain a kind of 
aristocratical influence, which operates as a 
check on the overbearing spirit of the demo- 
cratical republican government. There are con- 
siderably more than one hundred attorneys in 
this state; yet, from the litigious disposition, of 
the people, they most of them find employ- 
meat 



t 



&6 



CHAPTER XII. 

New York; North River; general d&cripHon of 
the country; comparative state of populati^mth 
Connecticut; dissolute habit and practices of the 
farmers; dty of New York; value of farms in 
the neighbourhood of the city; observations and 
comparison between the taxes in England and 
the greater evil of servants in America; I/mg 
' island as it is and not as formerly ; misrepresented; 
free governments abound in lawyers. , 



The state of New York is in the latitude of 
from 40* 40" to 45** north. Hudson's, or North, 
River, may be considered as one of the largest 
and finest rivers in the United States. It rises 
in the mountainous country between the Lakes 
Ontario and Champlain : its length is above d50 
miles. Sloops may saU as far up this river as 
Albany, 160 miles from New York: its kpnbs 
are chiefly rocky cliffs, &nd the tide flows a few 
miles above Albany. The advantages of this 
river, for carrying on the fur-trade with Canada, 
and its conveniencies for internal comiJtierce, are 
great. The increasing population and selling of 
the fertile back lands, on the northera branclies 



57 

of the Hudson-Hi ver, must in time greatly tow 
crease the wealth conveyed by its waters to New 
York. 

The Mohawk-River I shall hereafter have oc*» 
casion to describe more particularly^ in relating 
in detail the journey I took to examine land»^ 
that are chiefly uncultivated^ *but deservedly 
esteemed among the richest lands in Americav 
To insert it here wotrid break too much into the 
short account I wish first to give of those states 
I examined. 

The State of New York is intersected by ridges 
of motintainsy runningin a north-west and south-* 
east direction. Beyond the Allegany mountains, 
tlie country, for a considerable way, is a level 
fine rich soil, covered, in its natural state, with 
maple, beach, biroh, cherry, black walnut, lo- 
cust, hiccory, and some mulberry trees: hem- 
lock-swamps are interspersed. Hemlock is a 
species of pine, and the trees- are among the 
largest and loftiest in America ; they are of small 
valae and are common indications of poor land. > 

Of the commodities produced from culture, 
wheat is the staple, of which considerate quan- 
tities are raised and exported, the farmer and 
inland inhabitonts using very little of it. Indian 
com and pease are likewise raised for exportation 
and home-consumption; rye, oats, barley> &c. 
entirely for the latter. In some parts of the 



58 

stHte, dailies ajce.kept, which fulrtiish btt^r and 
cheese for the markets;, 

Mr. Morse, of Boston, in New England, w.hose 
geographical account of America conveys more 
solid trutU and information than all the other 
hooks that I havis read on the subject, 88;ii> 
'^ That thi$ state is.biit a luntb part as populous 
as Connecticut^ hut it is to he considered that 
Connecticut has ao waste land^^ and the State of 
New York is not half settled* Tba State of 
Connecticut, however, throughout,, is three 
tiBoes as populous as the settJed parts of New 
, York. Now, one of these coadusions wiU fol- 
low; either, first, thatifche. soil of Connecticttt is 
preferable to that of New York; or, secondly, 
that the settled parts . of New York would sup- 
port treble the number of their .present hii^; 
or^ that the people. in Connecticut are better 
farmiers and economists, or are less affluent, 
and live poorer than the people of New York.'* 
Mr. Morse then adds, thai th6 reader is left to 
adopt which of these conclusions he pleases^ 

To this, I iieuftark, that I find no difficulty ia 
accounting for it. First, the soil of Connectictit» 
on a general average, is far beyond that of the 
settled parts of New Yorkj (this- is with an ex* 
ception of the rich back landSjt thi^ as yet are 
only beginning to be inhabited)^ Secimdly, the 
^ttled parts of New York would yield four times 
the produce they doj if the. size of the farms 



69 

irere proportioiied^a the quantum of labour nt>w 
employed ^Qtbeoi. The fanner would likewise 
reap considerably more profit, by confining his 
own labour, with perhaps that of a son or two 
Bod one serrant, to from 80 to 100 acres of land, 
than to sk>Tea orer 900 or 800 acres with the 
same bdp: a fact, so general, that the farms 
look more like wild heaths, or a wilderness over- 
ran with briars, bushes, and a sour coarse grassi 
that thecalde cannot' eat, than cultivated fifiPrms. 
From ten or twelve to thirty acres, out of 20O 
or SOO, is the largest average employed to grow 
corner grain, andthis is so choked with weeds, 
that all their attention is required to keep their 
Indian corn a little clean, (an article on which 
every American farmer chiefly depends' for the 
support of his fHmily,} and the rest of his farih 
is left worse than in a state of nature. There are 
some few exeeptiotts in the neighbourhood of 
cities^ and in a very few individuals. 

Tbipdty, the people in Connecticut, although 
bad farmers compared to English agriculturists, 
are better farmers than those of New York: they 
are more industrioiis, and do 'not spend half their 
time in such sottish hples, (which they 'dignify 
with the name of taverns,) as abound in the State 
»f New York. I have been obliged sometimes 
to go to these country-taverns on business^ and 
kclare them infinitely worse than the meanest 
iKdge ale^honsc I ever knew in England. Drink* 



60 

iQg^ gamiag, and sirearing, are carried to the 
greatest excess, and they are filthy to the ex- 
treme of loathing and disgust to any stranger 
bat a Hottentot-Dutchman. 

To these causes may be added^ tbAt the great 
quantity of rich back unsettled couairy, tempts 
the .sober^ industrious, poor farmer/ to remoTe 
^ from the s^ttl^d parts of this state with bis large 
family. Continual hard labour must? be his por- 
tion in either situation^ if he wishes to thrive; 
and he consoles hipiself with thinking thai his 
children may benefit by bis removal though he 
should not; and, having never enjoyed the com- 
fort and mental pleasure of more refined society) 
he knows not'the loss. 

The inhabitants of the City of New York, the 
capital of the i^tate, are composed of various 
nations and religions* The plan of this city is ia 
no way regular, like Philadelphia and others, bat 
is laid out with reference to the ground, w)iich I 
think preferable to a forced and insipid r^^ 
larity. The houses are chiefly- built of brick, and 
the roofs tiled: there are a few still xemainingi 
built after the old Dutch stik, serving as a foil 
to the English taste that now prevaib. 

The situation of this city is naturally healthy 

^ and pleasant, but the intolerable negligeaoe of 

those in office, whose business it is to direct and 

see the streets, docks, and slip£^^ kjapt clesjDi is 

sttct\, that some t>f the streets, and^ I believei 



eveiy dock and $11^, (wb^re siaiill oraft lie^) ar^ 
so abominably filthy, that any ..persop, aotning 
fresh from the country oi of(\ tb^ wU^r, /Can 
scarcely refraip from sickni^ss.in pas»4i9^ tbeo^ 
occasioned by innumerable kinds of the. most 
naiiseoo^ stenches .that aJ^oiindin w^arui ^if ^thej&i 
Instead^ therefpre^ of b^ing surprised. |it -tb^ 
yellow or any otber, epidemical fever prevailingly 
(the fate^ mortj^ity of which, at ,New York, C 
too frequently, had oppprtiinit(e& of rkoiiqi^g in 
the summer of 179J^^) I rather wonder tlj^y i^^ve > 
it not every summer. The., disputed quie^tion [< 
ivbether it be imported or; generated,, i .sbnH 
not undertake to decide, but am \ie]l sa^^iied ' 
there Js sufficient ground to susp^t th^ latter; 
and, if not entirely so, I compare it tp tinder^ 
ready to receive, the first apark of coQfiagra-> 
tioQ which otherwise might expire for want of 
such ready fuel. 

York-Island, on which the city, sts^nda^ is fif- 
teen miles in length, and hardly one, in breadth. 
It is joined to the main by a bridge, still called 
King'^ Bridge; a name so seldom met with in 
Amenca, that they seem to have taken much 
childish pains to alter every sound approaching 
to royalty :. witness King-street to State-street^ in 
Bostqn; Queen-street to Pearl-street, in New 
York; and so on throughout America. I ifsed 
to ask some of the very sti^unch republicanp, if 



6S 
^b*y #oukl Hot etgeet to huft any concern with 

A WMt «f good water is a great iacoiivenk&ce 
ao the inilMiMtanU^ there bei&g few good welb m 
the city. Most of the people are supplied every 
day with fresh waiet froai a pttiBp> near the head 
4>t Pearl*8treet> coavejred to their d<oote ki easb. 
Jt is a reflection on this city> aAaent as it is, that 
they do not have it supplied by pipes^ which has 
laften been proposed by indiTid^als^ but never ac- 
ceded to. It would not obly be convenient, but 
highly beneficial in the event of fire, cleansing 
4.he streets, and parifyidg the air. I experienced 
much friendship and hospitality at New York^ 
my acquaintance Ijing chiefly among the friends, 
orijuakers. 

Gi^eat improvements in agricuknre cannot 
be^Mpecled until labour is abundant s^ reasoit- 
able, and men are obliged to maintain a family 
tm a small farm : the invention is then exercised 
4o find oat eveiy improvement that may itender it 
mor^ productive; bot^ at present, men of sa£^ 
«etent capital, spirit, and dispositioii, for improve- 
ments, are prevented, from the dearth of labour- 



Improved farms, as they are cdjed, (foi ihey 
aadfy misapply the term,) are dear. I will de« 
«cribe a few, with their prices. At Chester, for 
160 acties of very stony but dtherwise to!eiteb!e 
land^ good orchards^ with an indifferent faoasci 



(J3 

I wto asked dOOO/. Awtbef firai of floa aqie»; 
twa milea more ioknd^ much suqh wothev hoas^ji 
good <ftrc|i«rd^ 60 aores of it tolera)^]^ wood bu% 
the knd oxcemv^lj stony, was at ibo same ptiof * 
For a farm of 360 acres^ in Great Nine Partil09a> 
Doche«$-<QaBty, sixteen ipilea from the Nortb* 
river, a cqiqriou maasioaa^bQase and ik sioict* 
(sbopO #ilh three orchards, the soil clayey and 
st<my> sp e<dd t|iat no^ other frait could grow 
bat apple9> with a Dateb neigbbovrbood, tb^ 
price was SWQl A larai of SOQ noies^ near 
Jamaiearioviii ui LougMslaiidi a v^ Hgb|» sao** 
dy> bfuii^yv aoUf bad feiKses, and iodiiarfM 
boose ; the price %5Q0L Judge Ogdea'a fanm at 
Flushiog^ ^ 840,aci««4 a deeoat boaio i)H>ii|^ 
aiigbtly boiltf deUgbtfid ttiauAer-^resideaei^ bm 
very bleak ia wint^j the soU various^ bm laost 
of it coldj hungry, and iodiflferent^ gOodsfM^ 
at a distance, but the we)l> for the «se of tbo 
house, dry all the summer, an, old orchaid» and a 
moderate garden^ with fishiiig and ^steii in plenty 
along the shove; the price 4000A 

These were the prices m 179S« moo which 
tbey have risen cooaiderably. In 179S» J«dga 
Ogdeu ashed 50002, About tvo miles from i^AUf 
I was l»ipted to make a puKbAse. I had pre* 
?iously viewed all the sutea betweei^ Viigioia 
and Massachusetts, (both iachided,) and cowi*^ 
dered it the most eligible spot I bad seen ia 
America; and where^ if any where, I might at 
G 2 



64 

leadC sit down With ease and comfort. Fatming 
on a large scale, or settling in the back wild 
countries; I had given up as a vain and fruitless 
attempt before I made this porehase, as will be 
seen hereafter. 

To EngKsh farftiers it may soimd prettily, that 
there are no tythes and but few taxes to pay in 
America; but, in plain truth, I proved it to be 
ftir worse to farm there* than in -England, (as to 
pfofit and comfort,) with all the weight, so much 
Cdm^Iained of, of tythe,s and taxes. 'Compara- 
tive • experience of both, cfearly demonstrated, it 
yka% preferable' to ]he iti any^line of life in Eng- ' 
limd/ even though I were to pay double the 
am<)ttot of taxes that were ever yet paid. 
'-'Having often made this declaration to gentle- 
ib€fn> ii^ 'Ami^ricav who expressed their surprise, 
I'e^bined'by sayingit'was their single tax of ' 
sertanis, whteb, in point ef'real* value- in c6m- 
forts,' outweighed all we knew of taxes in Eng- 
hnd; from the vnconfTeniences > and difficalries 
attending which-, in Ametioa, no money or 
wealth could excuse them. It was therefore bet- 
ter for those, whoeniployed servants, to pay^ny 
price in cash, even to double or treble the^ 
amount of all English taxes, thah be rofafbed of 
nearly every domestic comfort and convenience,' 
from thfe almost totiS want of servants in Ameri- 
ca, either 4or agricultural or domestic uses. 



€S 

What h the use of money hot lo make life 
comfortable? By parting with so muohin £09* 
land, under the head of ^xes, I could eiyoy 
cyeiy comfoit suited to my sitoation^ and have 
any nomber of tderahle sjBnrants for every fmr* 
pose I might want in or cat of basipesp ; bat» 
in America, pay what yon villj the benefit ex^ 
pected to be derived fiom servants is not to be 
purchased. It is therefoie cheaper to pay in 
money tbaA in comforts, which, money oannol> 
purchase. 

tong^lsland^ where I thus made an attempt to 
bxm on a small scale, is 140 miles long, and in 
no part, wider than 14. I think «o place in Ame» 
rica has been so generally misrepresented as diis^ 
^hich is so easy of access. AU Eoropeaos> that. I 
have heard speak of this island without having* 
seen it, rackon it afr a garden of Eden, or Ame^r 
riean paradise ; by which name, I should under- ' 
stand a very, rich luxuriant soil, well cultivated. 
It is neither the one nor the other, there being 
but little natural good land compared with the 
bad ;. and, except five or six miles round from^i 
Brooklyn, opposite to New York, (where the 
lauds are valuable from their vicinity ^ to such ». 
market, and are therefore better attended to and 
well manured for America,) there are but few 
farms, throughout the island, that can be said to 
be farmed to produce more than one*tbird o£ 
what they are capable of. 
G 3 



>/ 



6<S 

Almost the irhole iength> on the sontb side of 
the hland near the'sea^ is a-huDgjfy, loose, unpro- 
fitable, 'sandy/ soil, 'with ▼ery few exceptioiu; 
many of these arable 2aid' grass land fenmi selKng 
from se\'en to twelve -dolteti an aore. • The rich* 
^t parts of thfe islawd^are' aboat the west end, by 
Nc^v^Tbw!i and Flash i^; aiid some necks of land 
bn the north' iiWe, p#t>je6ting into the sound; 
but the roads in general are delightfully pleasant 
♦n summer. ' • • • - . 

Several gentlemen, from New York, have 
been at conf^idemble expense in building country 
ch&teans 'lor the residence of their ftmilies 
Ijuring the summer. There is -an abundance of 
^rntt-tre'es as you ride nlong by the road-side, of 
which, from that abundance, the traveller is per- 
ihltted to i^rtake freely; and it is not wonderful 
that strangers, coming fresh from the sea, and in 
general but little iLoquainted with agriculture, 
shonld be pleased, as they ride along, with what 
gratifies) both eye and' taste, and from such super" 
ficial kttowledge give the whole of the island the 
character k bears. I made the same mistake 
when visiting it in my earliest voyages, when 
every thing that looked green I concluded was 
'good; and the beautiful appearance of so much 
fruit,' whidi we> as hungry sailous, wew allowed to 
feast upon in comtnon with the farmers pigs, left 
no doubt on the mind of its bang an earthly pa** 
radise; and this was still mo(e confi(medy by 



6T 

finding so many of the lovely dan^teM of Eve 
residing there, as wHItBg to firolic and dance with- "^ 
i]s as we were with them. We thus saw Imtr 
little of rtie island, and that was, the best. . 

Long-Island is divided, into :tbree counties; 
Kmg's> Queen's,* and Suflfolk. There is a ridge 
of hills extending along - the inner part of the 
island of nearly 100^ miles. Hampstead plaitv 
in Qu^n's County^ is a curiosity:- it is more 
tlian sixt^cih mi>es in length from east to west/ 
andtiearly^eightin width: the s<ril wasbkck and^ 
apparently rich, but I never met with a soil so' 
deeeitfuL It was never known to have any natu- 
ral growth beside a thin wild gross and a few 
paltry shrubs. On first examining the soil, nt 
yarioiis ^rts of the plain, I could not conform 
to the general opinion given, that it was only 
capable of growing one crop of rye when first 
broken up, Bnd after that would not pay ^be 
sowing* It had every appearance of a rich tur* 
nip, barley, and clover, land; /but I was com* 
pelled at last to give way to the uniform testi*^ 
mony of the many trials that had been made, 
proving an almost total want of vegetative 
power. Still I am persuaded it « only requires 
some particular kind of manure to create a fer>> 
mentatioD^and make it valuable land. €halk, or 
chalky marie, about twenty loads to the acre, t 

* The thk-deecb of die estates have preserml these royal titles^ ' 



think woald piodiice ibe desired effect ; but there 
1$ np chalk to be bad but what is imported from 
EnglaDdj and sold by the pound at the shops. 
Possibly, plaster of Paris might answer ; andsv 
from the small quantity required for an acre, the 
expense of trying it Would not be yery great^I 
should recommend the experiment. Almost soy 
quantity of this land was then to be bought at 
one dollar $n acre ; and> bad I remained in Ame- 
ricaj I might have bee^ tempted to speculate oa 
tbem. It. is frequented by numbers of ploTer% 
and lies common for cattk,' horses, and sheep. 
As tfiere is nothing to impede the prospect the 
whole length of the plain, it has a cprious effoet 
on the eye, very like that of the ocean* 

East of this plain, about the middle of the 
island, ia a large barren heath,, overgrown with 
ahrub-oaka and pines, where, before the revolu- 
tion, there were many thousand deer; they are 
now scarce. Il is frequented also by a number 
of grouse, or heath-'bens. 

Oysters, dams, and fish of various kinds, are 
caught with ease and in plenty in the baj» oo 
the sputh side. Were it pot for thi% I dovbt 
whether a considerable part of the south side 
would or could be inhabited. 

All free governments^ abound' with lawyers. 
Where men have the privilege of thinking and 
acting for themselves, some will involve them- 
selves in debt and, quarrel lyith their neigbbowf 



6r 

lawyers will, of course, mukiply, and America. 
famishes a plentiful growth of tbem, the State 
of New York having ite share. , n 

The rich uaculuvated land^ in the hack conn* 
try I shall have occasion to mentiqri hereafter, 
ia my account of the journey I took to examine 
them. • • • • 



CHAPTER XIII. 

^effij Jersejf; face of the country; its produce; 
Newark and Elizabeth Towns, with the adjacent 
country; farmers preference of old methods to any, 
new improvements; price of land; variety of soil; 
poverty and healthiness of the County of May. 



Tbb fttate of New Jersey ts separated from 
New York by the North-river:- i* is 1 60 miles in. 
length and 52 in breadth.' The southern coun- 
ties, which lie along the sea-coast, are pretty 
uniformly flat and sandy: as much as seven- 
eighths of these southern counties, or one^fourtb 
of the whole state, is sandy^ barren, and unfit 
for cultivation. 

This state haa all the varieties of soil from the 
worst to the best, but ba^ a greater pc^ttioaof 



70 

barren than most. Wliat good landy there are, 
in the southern conntiesy lie principally oa the 
banks of the rivsrs and creeks: the soil on these 
batiks is generally a strong, rich, yellow, loam; 
and, while in a state of nature, prodaces varioos 
species of oak, hiccory, poplar, chesnot, ash, 
&c. The barrea produce little else except shrub- 
daks, with white and yellow pines; and the 
•vamps prodoce cedars. 

There are large bodies of salt-marshes along 
the Delaware and along New- York Bay, up the 
North*river: the spring-tides flow over them, 
and the large quantities of very coarse hay, that 
are cut and carried upland, are just capable of 
keeping their cattle from starving in the winter. 
These marshes, which they call meadows, aie 
covered with «uch iiwumerable swarms of mos- 
kitoes and flies, in the summer, that neither maa 
nor beast can well live for them. In Glocester 
Atid Cumberland Counties are some large tracts 
of bAuked meadows, wb6se vicimty to Philadel- 
phia makes them valuable. 

About the 8ea«coast, the inhabitanta subsist 
prmcipally by feeding (not fattening) cattle oa 
the salt-maishea, and by fish of different kinds, 
such as rofk, driuoB^ shad, perch, black turtle, 
crabs, and: oysten^ which tjhe sea, rivers, and 
creeks, afford in abundance. They raise some 
Indian corn, rye, and potatoes, for their own 
coQsumptiott^ not for exportation. Their swamps 



7J 

aflbrd iiMber^; coabisliiig of houd», s^ia^s 
posts^raifa^ &c. vliich Uiejr send to gpod mar-* 
kets* 

In tbe btlly and moaMttnoiu parts of the stale^ 
that wte «ot too rockj for cultivation^ the soil n 
of a stronger kind^ and coveved, in its natural 
state^ with stately oaks^ hiccorie^^ chesnnts^ 9^ 
and, when cnltivated^ prodttcea wheat, rye, In«> 
diaa com, ^bnok-wheat, oats, barley, flax, and 
iraits of the kinds common to the clioMite* 
There are, likewine, some dairy-jGaxms ^ from, 
twenty Co thirly cows. 

The orchards, in many parts of ^e stat^ 
surpass most in the Um^ States, and their ei* 
der is esteenod of the best quality. The surplus 
of tbehr produce nmnts with a ready market 
either at New York or Philaddpbia, as most con- 
venient to that paxt of the state where it is 
raised* 

The comtry,^ about Newark and Elizabeth 
Towns^ is remarkably pleasant, and some of the 
land as good as any of the states boidertng on 
the Atlantic^ The towns tbcmselires ai« deligfal- 
fu], much giecfuear care being taken of th^r gar* 
dens than I observed any where ebe; but the 
hoasesi ^a dicae taims, are Tcry dear. A Doctor 
Stiles, aboot thvee quarters of a mile from Eiin^ 
beth^toim, asked me 1^50/. for a small neat 
hoase, with a good garden and orchard, ihiiiy 
^res of upland and ten of salt-marsh. 



72 

, iThey are/ in geneml, but slovenly bad htmtn 
in Ne^T Jersey. A great ]»art of them are of 
Dutch origin; and, althougti there is a ki;id of 
gnperfi^ial neatness and cleanliness widiia aud 
iabput their houses, thmre is mncb room. for im- 
provements in t husbandry, which they decline 
adopting, thinking it a sin to deviate from the 
old modes taught them by their fathers. And 
ithis is pretty nearly the same with the whole 
body of farmers throughout America. . 

From Wood bridge; through Brunswick, is 
chiefly a cold reddish clay approaching to stony, 
of very little vahie: ^, was oflered an . estate of 
280 acres, and a large bouse out of repair, plea- 
^santly situate on the River RoritoD^ nearly oppo- 
site to New Brunswick, for 480/. sterling. The 
gentleman, who had it to sell, was a Lieuteaant 
<jiardner, nephew to Admiral Gardner. - Could 
labour have been obtained to wo;'k the laud into 
a proper state of cultivation, the offer would 
i^ave lAen one of tile ob^apest I met with. 

From the ten-mile * run, through Kingston, 
•Prince-town, and on to Trentioai, tiie land in- 
creases progressively^ ih .goodness and value, 
froiBl five to eight, ten, and twelve pounds an 
acre^ There are some, handsome seats about 
Trenton, and the falls are* picturesque, foroiing 
altogether a. beautii\il view on the banks of the 
Delaware. 



73 * 

In one of iiiy excarsions through this state> by 
the way of Amboy to Bttrlington; my remarks 
were as ft^Iow. The soil^ from the light-house 
at Sandy-hook to South Amboyy^'^as little better 
than mere sand. Perth Amboy has a pleasant 
appearance but no trade* It continues a heavy 
sandy soil nearly twenty miles from Amboy^ the 
land getting better as you approach to Cranbury. 

Sixteen miles farther^ through Allen's Town to 
Cfosswick, the soil is freer from sand and more 
fertile* From this to Burlington, fourteen mtles^ 
the land continues mendings with a few neat farrn- 
housesy good rail-fences, and young orchards. 
Burlington is situated on an island, connected 
with the main by a bridge : the River Delaware 
is in front, nearly one mile across, with 8e\eral 
smart country-seats on the Pennsylvanian shore. 
For breakfasts, on the. road, I usually paid two 
and sixpence; dinners, four shillings ; supper and 
lodging, four shillings. 

It is cemarkable of the County of A({ty> and a 
strong proof of its poverty or virtue, that no law* 
yer lives within sixty miles of it ; and, of its 
healthiness, that no regular physician has ever 
found, support. 



vol. II. H 



7*. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

Pemtsifhania; situation; principai rivers; face of 
the country; the soil; sugur-maple; produce hy 
' culture; the state less healthy than formerly; 
Philadelphia; credit due to the Quakers for their 
management of the public institutions; punish" 
ment of death commuted for hard labour ; obser* 
' vations thereon ; error in appointing American 
refugees to diplomatic situations in America. 



Pennsylvaj^ia, on the opposite shore of the 
i)elawate tb New Jersey, is 288 miles long and 
]d6 in breadth. There are six considerable ri- 
vers, whichj with their numerous branches, pe- 
ntnsulate the* whole siate> v\t. the Delaware, 
Schuylkill, Susquehana,. Gohogany, Monongo- 
halti, sttid Allegany. 

As much as nearly one«-third' of this state 
may be called ' mountainous, passing under va- 
rious names, collectively forming a considerable 
part of the great range of AUqgany mountains. 
The valqs, between these mountains, are gene- 
rally of a rich black soil, suited to various 
kinds of grain and grass. The face 6f the coun- 



75 

trj in Pettnsjlvaiim, except tlie AUegtny tatige 
of mouiitaius^ which crosses the state in an 
oblique direction and are from iwelity tofifbjr miles 
wide^ may be reckoned tolerably ievel, or agrees 
ftfaly diversified with gentIy*sloping bills and 
vdes* 

Tbe soil; as may be stqpposed^ U of various 
kiads. In some parts barren, in otters moderate 
a very fatr proportlfti good, and no inconsider- 
able part very good. It is estimated, that the 
proportion of first-rate land is not greater iu any 
of ike states, except Kentucky. 

The richest part of Pennsylvania, that is set*- 
tied, IB Lanqkster-CoUDty. The richest, tba4 is 
unsettled; is between Alfagapy-iUver and 1^6 
Erie, in the nortli«We8t comer of the states; 
The natural growth of this state is similar to that 
of New Jersey and New York. 

It is said ther^ are larger bodies of Sugar ^maple 
in Pennsylvania than in any other state. I have 
freqaently been obliged to use this st/gar in the 
interior parts of the country, where no other was 
to be had: I found it palatable and believe it to 
be wholesome; but, in the present stage of 
things in Anierica, I cannot, from all the accounta 
I could obtain, think it can be worked to profit, 
farther than on a small scale for the use of fami- 
lies living in the interior, and where the maplei» 
tree is in abundance, who otherwise would have 
to buy imported sugars at an immense price. 



76 

The produce frpm culture cotisists of wlicat, 
. (the staple commodity of the state^) some rye, 
Indian corn, bucki>wheat/ oats^ spehz^ barley^ 
(now raised in greater quantities to supply the 
breweries in Philadelphia^) hemp, fiax^ and ve- 
getables of various kinds. There are several 
good butter-dairies. In general, their beef, pork, 
.and cheese, are not reckoned so good as. those 
of New England; but I haw certainly seen as 
good beef in Philadelphia as need be showa ia 
any market. 

Pennsylvania is reckoned more. unhealthy than 
formerly: bilious and intermitteitt^fevers, which 
some years back appeared chiefly^ the neigh* 
bouihood of rivers, creeks, and jQ[iilL-ponds, now 
ai^ear in parts remote from them and in the 
highest situations. The fever and . ague I found 
prevailing in most, situations, similar to what I 
remember to have prevailed in the Hundreds of 



Philadelphia, at the time I was there^ was the 
capital not only of this but of the United States. 
It is situated on ..the west bank of the River 
Delaware, on an extensive plain^ about )20 miles 
from the sea. 

The superior management and method of em* 
ploying all -the prisoners in their, public goal, so 
much surpassed any I thing I had seen or known 
before, as. to induce me to visit it several times. 
I made minutes, with the intention of publishing 



77 

a Ml jBOcouut of it, as ^iag boQtitir to the be- 
nevol^it and human? inspectors and coadoetors; 
Receat publications have made mine nnneeeft^ 
gaiy; yet J feel a satisiactioD in testifying, that 
it loay fiuriy be aseiibed to the Quakers, *(ov 
Friend^,) that tbis^ a^ wdl as oth^ beneficial 
ivs^M-condncted public institutions, so peonliar to 
ibis slate, haye been carried 'mt^ good eflect. 

AfiDong th« useful laws of this state, there ii^ 
one^ cottMiiiting, for death, hard labocup for a 
bng term of years, as a pnnislmient.for many 
crimi^ which are made capital by the laws of 
Eagland. Harder, arson, aad one or two othev 
crimes, are y# punished with death, 

I observed to Mr. Loundes, my friendly con^ 
^oetor, wlu> mpeatedly attended me, that I bbdl 
Ibng been of opinion sanguinaiy livws were inex-' 
pedientf as welfas injurious; for, admitldng that 
a feIlow*4aortai bad committed the gx^atest an<i 
aiost aggravated crime tbat imagination could 
saggiest, what good purpose could be answered 
by the taking his life away? If intended as i^ 
panishment to the unhappy wretch, or with ai 
view to de$er others, it does not answer either 
parposife so well as, close solitary confinement, (iii> 
an irop cage; wh^pe thought necessary,) totally se- 
cluded from the converse of mankind, except his 
keeper and any clergyman that might attend him 
at regular periods. Jf it were added, that, at 
oertain times pf the year, \^e should be exppsed 



7» 

to public view, aid shewn aii a dreadful exiuopk 
to deter others, this altogether would certainly 
be a heavier punisbment than death to the tuv* 
happy wretch for the crime committed agattnt 
society; and it would answer more effectually as 
a means to deter others, (whereas the present 
JDode of taking life away -seems rather to eiH 
courage a daring-like species of bravery^ that of 
^y^^S game^ which they embolden each other 
by>) without Jobbing the miserable delinquent of 
that we have no right to take away, time for re- 
pentance, and hope of making hi& peace with the 
Almighty; to whom alone should be left the 
disposal of that life * which no 'w>ther power 
cim give. To prevent offenders repeating the 
act, to punish temporally, and exhibit such exam- 
ples as may deter others, is cjonsistent with the 
social laws of cpmps^t and justice: beyond this,, 
we have no right; it is arrogating a power be- 
longing to the Almighty^ nor can it so well 
answer the purpose intended. Mr. Loundea 
^reed with me, observing it was the prevailing 
sentiment of most among the Society of Friends; 
but that they had been fearful of applying, to 4he 
legislature for too much at the first, lest they 
might not have had granted so much as they had 
^ then obtained. 

Hie Philadelphians are said to be neither so 8o« 
ciable nor hospitable as the. inhabitants of other 
searports. I will not pxetend to say whether this 



7§ 

report is irell founded or not, as I made it an in« 
variable rule> while iravdling, to make as few 
acquaintanoes as possible ; well aware that visita 
of ceremony and inyiiations would interfere too 
much with my time and pursuits. The few 
I did make acquaintance with, I found friendly 
and obliging: from some df the members attend- 
ing congress, and in particular from Colonel 
Hamilton, while Secretary of the Treasury, I 
received, every possible mark 6( polite attentioa 
and disposition to impart information^ 

And here, (as it occurs from the recoUeetion' 
of a circumstance I am unwilling to mention,) X 
cannot help lemaikmg the great mistake that 
Engkuadhas made lespecting the appointment of 
Americaa refiigees to public offices in America. 
h frec)uently came within my observation and 
knovdedge to. remark, that England, if she were- 
desirous of matters going on ia a smooth andi 
friendly mannev betweim the two conntries, 
could n0t have acted with more impolicy than by 
such appointments. It waa unpleasant lo the 
appointed, daring peace>. if he had any sense of 
nvental feeling; and dangerous, to hia person, at 
any commenccmient o£ hostilities, for there ex- 
isted a deadly % ifupeterate, incurable^ and' muttuil^ 
hatred between, the refugee loyalist and the re* 
vdntionai^ republican :. this may be considered 
as a soHrry picture of human nature> but it is too 
tt^^i aiui^ 1 fear^ too natural. 



iS&Bt of the British oonitis in AxUencm aie or 
were refugees; and, admitting their characterf 
and abiUttefl ware equal to tbe apfKSXtment^ and 
that Aey endeaTotfredtoceteeateidieir trust iatth-* 
. iiiUy, still it was and is aJl i]{>-hili work ; for, 
whatever these miner dipkMiatie agents do, or 
whaten^r they saj, liie Amencans: loath what 
ibej consider the taioft of the refogee cfaaniGter, 
and thete is no liore lost between them. If, 
therefore, the Bkntinb go^Temment thooght it 
right and hoaflttraUe to provide lot them, those 
' in power bad betteit have taken any oAer me- 
thod. 

I have myaelf met with too aiany cross-mhs in 
fife not to feel foe Q<jbeis, and tmly do I sym- 
padiistt with seme very beiiovrahle characters, 
who^ from puDe Ipyalty, »xffeved much; yet, ia 
the case of ihe refugees in genera), poor Joha 
Bali has been grievously imposed on* A coo- 
sideraUe part of them were men of desperate 
fortunes ; wfaoi, when at the dose of the war they 
deliveved in accounts o§ what they had suffered 
for their loyally, made w pretty ^/afi account of 
idl they eve]^ had possessed, but aotbing of what 
they had spent, lost, or owed on mortgage as 
well as other debtn. Many of their estates did 
not sell for near what they were mortgaged for, 
although valued; in their accounts, at double 
and treble their real worth. Some, who were 
known not to be worth a shitting befere»the leve* 



^1 

lutioOj are noiW, by the generosity of poor John, 
enablied to live iu a state of independence; yet 
this is not so great ah evil as such appointments* > 
Upon the three remaining states I examined, 
adjoining the Atlantic, it will be unnecessary to 
dwell particularly; as I can on no account think 
them deserving the attention of British emigratets, 
unless they think themselves qualified for the 
mimagement of slaves^ in which cast my infor* 
matiQa U useksit 



CHAPTER XV. 

Detaware ; smallest state in the ^p^an ; short geturai 
description; price of cultivated land. 



Thb state of Delaware, the smallest in the 
union, being but 92 miles in length and 16 in 
breadth, of course affords but little room foremi- 
grant^trangers to look for settlements: it is, like^ 
wise, in many parts, unhealthy. The land being 
for the most part low and flat, occasioning much 
stagnated water in consequence, the inhabitants 
are much subject to intermittent fevers. 



8S 

The south part of tke state i^ l&w, and a con* 
mderable portioo of it lies ia forest. What is 
iiader cultivation produces little^ except Indian 
com^ of which it is said to grow good crops. I 
only saw the com in its grass state, when it looked 
&rifty. In sosub placet, rye and flax are raised, 
Jbut wheat in these parts is scarcely known. When 
siature is deficient ia one resource, she is fre- 
quently boamtifttl in sinotjiar : this is verified in 
the tall thick forests of pines, which are oat liit^ 
hoards and exported in large quantities to every 
•carport in the adjoining states. 
' Proceeding northward, the soil is more fertile, 
and produces good wheat. TraveUiog from 
French-Town, Uk Maryfaod^ to Newcastle, in 
Pelaware> fifteen miles out of the eighteen are in 
the State of Delaware, where the aoil is good, 
the forest-trees thrifty and large, with the best 
white-thorn'^hedges I had seen. The farms are 
small, and sell from five to ten pounds sai acre. 
They raise all the other kinds of grain common 
to Pennsylvaaia« 



83 



CHAPTER XVL 



id; its small produce of grain by the acre; 
prodtice; Annapolis; Baltwwe;^ the .ex*- 
of living greater than in London^ strangers 
I be careful to make specific agreeamnts; 
Walters. 



YLAHliis 134 miles in lengthy by IK) in 

I. An English hxm&t wiU have no high 

L of the 8oi]> when told that good l^nd will' 

duce more l]iaii twtlve or sixteen busheLi 

at. to the acse, and that ten bushels ot 

and fifteen of Indian com are the annual^ 

scrops in the state at large ; but th? fault 

ao much in « the land^ as the intolerably 

nt method of oultivadng it: yet wheats 

as tobacco^ are called the staple ,commo- 

}i the ^static. The method of cnltivating 

» I shall m»tioh in my account of«Vir« 

le interior country^ ornplimds^ consider* 
nantities of hemp and flax are raised; 
[ nothing equal to the demand of the' 
iartide|.as I was well informed by a re- 



84 . 

tpectable English gentleman^ settled at Baltimore^ 
Qs a rope^maker^ which business I believe he finds 
turn to good account. 

The apples of this state are mealy^ their peaches 
plentiful and good^ from which they distil peacb* 
brandy. Their forests abound with nnis, chiefly 
of the black walnut kind; with these, their 
vgfime, that are suffered to run wild in the woods^ 
are fed; and^ when fattened, are caught, killed, 
barrelled, and exported. 

The City of Annapolis is the capital of Mary- 
land, but is of little note in the commercial wodd. 
Baltimore, where I first landed with my family, 
has had the most rapid growth of any town in 
America^ and is. reckoned the fourth in siie and 
fifth in trade in the United States. There are 
many respectable fiimj|es in Baltimore, %ho live 
genteelly; and, judging of the rest by the few I 
, was acquainted with, they are hospitable and 
politely attentive to strangers. But the bulk of 
tlie inhid>itantf, collected from all quarters, 
bent'on the pursuit of wealth; to get money 
nestly^ if they can, . but at any rate to get it 
This, in a small degree, I experienced, and 
mudimor^ from others, to be the oase amoDj 
the • lower order of tradesmen and mec%|iics ii 
aU the large sea-pc^ts in the Dnited States, 
you do not make, a clear firm bargahi, Aat tbej 
cannot well evade, they will eud^our by siMni 
low cunning to take m advanti^. But th« 



85 

gefittemea and mercbaiiU^ witbwhom I bad w^y 
conneQtion throaghout the contin^at^ were men 
of sincerity^ probity, and honour. 

There is another order, or, to use a military 
term, centre rank, . between one and the other; 
men, who aim .at character and consequence, 
without meriting either ; bpt, finding it too ar*. 
duous and costly a tasK to obtain them geniunei 
they endeavour to bxiug those above th^m to 
their own level, by private insinuations: advising, 
in an app^eiit. friendly way> |;o puVyou oayqiur 
guard against being ruiped by those they observe 
you place confidence in. This class are so busy, 
and officious, that I scarcely recollect one friendy 
acqaaintaiicey or opnnection, that I had in a^y 
part of America, but wj^spers came to put me qa 
my gujard ; and, if I ^o^uld have credited such> 
reports, it might have been difficult to find a 
trust-worthy honest man to repose confidence in. 
But I lifid been so long in the habit of seeing 
andjudging for myself^ that it produced little, or 
no effect; and I am happy to have it in my. power 
to aver, that, for the short time Ixeside4.ii^My 
of the sea-ports, I could not wish a more^tespec- 
table friendly acquaintance in auy country, witti 
mor^#atisfaction to myself. 

Almost the whole trade of Maryland may be 
said jto ceptre in the towfi' of Baltimore, but it is 
neither;he|^y nor pleasant; and in tliis plac(^, 
as .well as .Philadelphia and New Yprk, hpuse- 

vox.. ii« I 



80 . 

ris&t^ clothings educaiioni servants, and mainte* 
nanee of a family, are dearer than in London, 
Bristol, or Liverpobl. I beard single men mtkt 
the same reinark; and, judging from ii^*hatl paid 
at boarding-houses as well as< the public inns and 
taverns, thefir expenses must be higher without 
half the conafort. ' A dollar and a quartet, or a 
dollar and a half, a day was the customary price 
a^t boatding'honses ten years back, beside paying 
for every thitig you drink, except water. 

I would rec6mm«|[ all strangers to make a 
specific agreement first, and not trust to what 
they may hear of their terms: if this is not at- 
tended to, they may be served the same trick 
that I was by a Mrs, Walters, near the Indian 
Queen, at Baltimore. Desiring my bill, ' when 
we liad been there a fen^days, I found we Were 
charged one-quarter more than the other board- 
ers; I remonsti-ated, saying I was willing to pay 
as much as others, (although w^ were much less 
at home,) but not more. She promised to alter 
it. 

Previously to our leaving Baltimore, I told her 
the day, desiring my bill might be ready. She 
came in a hurry the day before, requesting I 
would objige her with the loan of a sum df mo- 
ney to discharge some bills that were called for, 
her husband being out of the way. I lent her 
the money, and the following mormii^ received 
my bill with the whole of her extravagant charge, 



87 

•HiiQQntiag to something within the. »UiD hor*^ 
rowed. There was ua time left for disputing it ; 
she had the power in her own hands^ laid me 
down the balance^ and exuhed in the success of 
her cunning. I believe they think it a merit t<^ 
cheat an Englishman. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

Virginia; the climate and. soil various i average^ 
price of lands lower than in the ofher s^atet 
hetein mentioned; all the labour in husbandry 
done by slaves; Chesapeak-bay and principal ri^ 
vers emptying into it ; the inhabitants nearly as 
many slaves as free people; . pernicious conse^ 
quences; Mr.Jeffersons recommendation; object- 
tions to Virginia; causes of unhealthiness; coal 
tnines; high price ofjire-fwood; ifudden changes 
of the atmosphere; likeness to General Washingr 
ton a favourable introduction; thoughtless conduct 
of Virginia plarUersf course of crops; their tnar 
moment and short account of tobacoo-planting$ 
pice of lands; negro-slaves hired by the year* 



ViB0iKi4 is 758 miles in length; and C£4 ia 
breadth) lying between 36? dO' and 40* noxtk 
I« 



^ }fttitu<k; Iti an extensive country^ like this^ it 
must be expeoted that the dimate is not the same 
in'all its parts. The uplands, approaching the 
i&Oun tains, are much colder than lands iA the 
•ame latitude nearer the sea. ' ' 

The soil has every variety from the worst to 
^the best ; and, believing fronx what I saw and all 
I could learn, the average-price of lands is consi- 
derably lower in this state than in any Other to 
the northward and eastward ; for, as to the low- 
priced unexplored lands farther south, in Geor- 
gia, &c. (of which, millions of acres have never 
1)een seeii by those who undertake to describe 
and sell them,) a ikian might as well think of 
making ti purchase in the moon. In Virginia, 
yrere it not for the unconquerable difficuhy of 
procuring any other help or labour than that of 
slaves, a European agriculturist might purchase 
-and farm to greater advantage than in most of 
the states. 

The sea-ports in Virginia communicate with 
the ocean, through the Bay of the Chesapeak. 
It is one of the largest inland buys known: the 
entrance to this, from the sea, is between the 
Capes Charles and Henry, twelve miles wide, 
and the bay extends 270 miles to the northward. 
It is froni seven to eighteen miles broad, and 
from four to nine fathom is the common depth: 
it affords a safe and easy navigation, with several 
commofiUotts harbours. It receives the waters of 



89» 

the Siitqnehanair. Patomac^ Rappabaoocj. York, 
and James^ Biver^; all larg? and iiavigabl^^ _ - 

Of the jnbabiuajts^ there are nearly aamaii^ 
slaves 83 free. By Mr. JejSTerton'i accouiit, i( ffw 
years b^k^ there, were 296^852 friee jnbabitants 
and £70^762 slaves. The pemiciQua inflaeoi^ 
this baa on the morals and manners of the Vit^ 
giniansi is^ or ought to be, as great an^objection 
to British emigrants as any thing tbat can be 
aamed. The inefficiency likewise of the laws, tp 
recover debts ifrom men of landed property, is 
another V laying strangers, ia particular,. open to* 
serious impositions. Should a .man. of landed 
estate owe ever so muchyhe may laugh at his^ 
credulous creditor,, tod it is no unconimpn .case. 

It is observed by a traveller, that ^ t\ke Vir- 
ginians who are rich are in genertil sensible, 
polite,.liospitable9 aod of aa iodepen^an^ spif^t r 
tUe poor, ignosant and abjectr They .are mucb 
addicted to gaming, drinking, swearing, hor^o* 
racing, cpck'-figbting,. and most kiuda o^ diafi-*^ 
pation." And agaia it is said, by anotli^r^ that 
^ the young men generally spealpng ar^ gpmr 
blera, cock-fighters, and ho^e-jofcH^y#>- ^Tq befif 
them converse, you woukl imagine tiiat .tbe 
grand point of all science,, wa^^prpperly. to.£ii(9» 
ga^ and touch, ^ith dexterity,, the tail^of a eoclf 
while in eombait. Literary inqiuifpe^ areconfinedt 
to a few, while, at almost every tavern, &c. on) 
the public roadsy there is a billiard-table,, back^ 

la 



90 

gammon tables, cards, and other inventions for 
Tarious games. To these public-houses, the 
gamblihg gentry in the neighbourhood 'constant- 
ly resort to kill time, which hangs heavily on 
them; and, having been accustomed to .it from 
their earliest youth, they are adepts at their bn- 
imess. 

It was soon after my arrival in America, for 
the purpose of exploring the country, I received 
a polite letter from Mr. Jefferson, (then secretary 
of state;) in which, among other remarks, he 
says, *' There are circumstances which wouM 
•^render k worth while to look Tifeo a little way 
souAtwardly : from my knowledge of the different 
parts of the middle states, I would advise you to 
visit the country lying along the little mountains,, 
about 20 or 25 miles below the "blue ridge in 
Virjginia,. crossing the Patowmac about Lees- 
burg, passing south-wcstwardly by the Red House, 
Farquhar's Court-house, Culpepper Court-house, 
and dong the south-west mountains. There is^ 
not a healthier nor finer dimat€ in America; tbe 
winters do not eat up the summers,. a& is the cas. 
to iJie northwiwrd. The soil of the richest and 
best adapted to farming) ha^ng been kept in the 
hands of tobaecp-^maker^, remains ^i// in »i(s ap« 
pei^ace, ednsequently cheap, butj in the hands 
of a faro^er, capable of becojning excessively 
rich in a very short ume/* 



All' that Mr. Jefferson has said, as tibove. Is 
true; and to emigrant farmers, who may thinlc 
that Virginia wiH suit them, this route is well 
worth notice. For myself, I owhthat I entered 
Virginia with a prejudice from my objectioiis to 
slavery, and travelled but a short distance in the 
state before the number of cock-pits Iconti 
nually saw, the* horse-racings every where talked 
of, with the d'ririking and gambling so conspi- ' 
cuous at taverns, even in the forenoon, convinced 
me that Virginia was nOt suited to settle my fa,mily 
in agreeably to my wishes. ^ 

In discoursing with a Virginian gentleman, ^: 
observed, that, if I could be induced to settle 
there, my intentions respecting the slaves would 
be to afford them all an opportunity of liberating 
themselves; (in the way afterwards adopted by 
me in Long-island); but he soon convinced me 
of its being impracticable there, unless I could 
content myself to live completely insulated, 
where, all in the neighbourhood, who possessed 
slayes, would set their faces against and consider 
me as a common enemy; for this, ' however; ' I 
waa not- Quixote enough. 

The changes from heat to coM, in Virginia,, 
are very sudden,, as I experienced repeatedly: 
these sudden and frequent transitions, together 
with the moist exhalations from the innumerable 
4vei9 au4 ^at^^^ ma}[ bte x^cknaQd. a.prlncipatx 



»2 

cause of renderiog Virginia in^geoeral so unheal- 
thy- 
There are some capital coal mines in this 
state;. and> if I could have persuaded myself to 
settle h^re^ I believe I should have speculated in 
this way, in preference to any other concern. A 
Mr. Payne, of Petersburg, had just porchased 
the right of working a coal mine near Rich- 
mond, giving 7000/. Virginia money, for twenty- 
one years, to work any part or parts of 300 acres. 

' The stratum, of coal, &s he told me^ was from 
eighteen to thirty feet thick, and not more than 
fifty feet below the surface, tad some parts 
within ten. feet. 

Fire-wood, in Philadelphia, New York, and 
most of the sea-ports, sells from six to eight, teo, 
and twelve dollars a cord,* becoming scarcer 
and dearer every year. House-keepers expenses 
for firing, in all tbe sea-ports in America, are 
double to those in England. It eanoot be loug,^ 
therefore, before they must get into the practice 

«of burning eoal, notwithstanding the general 
prejudice against it,, and then some of these 
coal mines,, so near navigable rivers and easy to 
work, will prove of great value* 

Richmond]^ the seat of government^ is up 
James-river^, ISO miles from Norfolk^ which is at 
the entrance from the Chesapeak. Beside the 

• Slight Heet long, &ttr ftet wade,, and firar Aethigh. 



9S 

water-passage^ there is a good road by land, for 
which the coach-fare is six doHars. Thef road 
from Richraond to Fredericsburg is level and 
sandy; and, from Fredericsburg to Alexandria, 
hilly and clayey, with but little good land. The 
expenses of travelKng are full as high as in any 
of the other states^ with as little accommodation'. 

On the tenth, of May, at Alexandria, we bai 
green p^se for dinner from the natural ground, 
and strawberries after. At the same time, from 
a sodden change in^the weather, ourselves and 
others were obliged to have a good fire to warm 
us. • • i 

General Washington's house is pleasantly situ- 
ated on the Virginia-bank of the River Patow-- 
mac, where it is nearly two miles wide, and 280 
miles from the sea. The mansion is conveniently 
large,' but cannot be compared to inany country- 
gentlemen's seats in England.' In travelling 
through various parts of different states, I often 
considered myself fortunate in a kind of genera! ^ 
passport or introduction to the inhabitants, from 
a strong likeness which they found in me to their 
old general. The instances 'were uncommonly 
numerous: some of the gentlemen, who had 
served under him, would -request me to calKon 
brother-^bfficcrs,'* living in the route I was taking, 
from a wish that others might see and remark 
t?hat they said was an extraordinary likeness; 
and, wherever I did call, I was sure to find simi*- 



94 

lar strong expressions, accompanied with every 
offer of civility and hospitality. 

With the tobacco-planters^ there appeared a 
paradoxical kind of thoughtless inconsistent pa- 
rade, coupled with well-meant friendly offers of 
service^ without considering their power to per- 
form. As an instance, a gentleman, with whom 
I was acquainted, wished to introduce me to his 
friend, a senator in, congress. The reception was 
polite; and, among other offers of civility, I 
iras desired, whenever it was my wish to ride, to 
tend for one or more of his horses, having uo 
less than sixteen attending him, with a suitable 
number of servants (slaves) and carriages, at a 
Jheavy expense, being at the time a considerable 
way from home. I 

My acquaintance proposing a ride the next i 
morning, orders were given accordingly; but^ i 
when we were going to mout the steeds, I ' 
could not refrain from laughing most heartily at | 
the animals and equipage. They were complete i 
Rosinantes, with scarcely an ounce of flesh oa 
their bones, and'the bridles and saddles in as bad 
plight as the horses. The bridle and girths were 
not only tied and xnended with packthread, in 
lieu of buckles, but one of the stirmp-irons was 
suspended solely by a sugar-loaf string, instead I 
of . leather. My friend (himself* a Virginian) | 
laughed it off, observing it wa^ a true pictare of i 
most Virginian, gentlemen^ w*ho were ever resdj 



95 

to offer liberally, with sincere intentions^ but 
completely without considering whether it was in 
their power to perform. To have so many ser- 
vants, so many horses, and so many carriages, 
in his suite, was essential to his consequence, 
but their condition was bepeath his notice. 

Tobacco is the stapk of Virginia ; it has ruined 
the land without benefiting the people. To grow 
wheat after tobacco, which is as pernicious a 
weed s^ can well injure land, and Indian corn 
after wheat, is with them a course of crops. 
These are all three exhausting crops; but, when 
they find their land quite crop-sick, and must 
have' help, they turn it up for the winter, spw it 
in the spring with a black-eyed pea- vine, which 
covers the land all summer, and cattle are turned 
in, to feed the tops and trample the vines in, 
about October. They do not reckon their pro- 
duce by the acre, but by the number of slaves on 
a plantation or farm. Thus one slave is expected 
to manage and produce from £000 to 3000 pounds-^ 
weight of tobacco, from 100 to 150 bushels of 
Indian com, and from 30 to 40 bushels of wheat; 
but, by the best accounts I could get, the ave- 
rage of their wheat-crops did not exceed from 
tweilve to fourteen bushels an acre. The tobacco- 
plants stand about four feet apart, in rows; 
they reckon five plants to a pound. It is first 
sown in beds, about Christmas ; transplanted in 
May; hoed three times; topped, when fight or 



96 

nine inches high, leaving. i^ight to twelve leaves; 
cut in August, and hung about on poles and rails 
until fit to house. 

The lands, in Berkley and Frederic Counties, 
tnay he reckoned among the best in the state, 
and so is the society. The price of land is from 
ten to t^venty dollars an acre, according to the 
improvements. In Farquhar and Culpepper, 
they are from four to six or eight dollars, and 
up James-river about the, same. 
. There are many who keep negro-slaves to kt 
out by the year. They are hired for about forty 
dollars a yeaii, besides board, . clothes, and taxes, 
which amount to near twelve dollars more. Fe- 
males, about half the price. 



m 



CHAPTER XVm. 

Tour to view the bath tan3s; set off from New York'; 
argument between amdivine and a physician; tf 
Gentoo*s opinion; adtantage in travelling os a 

* Gentoo; remarks on the toad ; Jibam/; Sftenec* 
tady; cross the Mohawk; interval lands; Guy^ 
park house; Mr, Miles, a judge, member (fas» 
sembly, and tavern-keeper ; Sir William Johnson^ 
large estate'; Fort Hunter; the soil;, bad roads 
and bad living; Roaf^a tavern and farm; Hud" 
son's tavern, formerly a drummer in Burgoyne^s 
army, contrasted rdth the widow of an American 
general; German-Flats town; a church huilt by 
Sir William Johnson; strange notion of the In* 
dians concerning it; log-fort; log-houses des^ 
troyed by the Indians, the inhabitants murdered; 
value of lands; Squatters; Judge Sterling, anec-- 
dote of him; Squire Bretton, a tavern-keeper 
afid member of assembly ; Fort Scuyler; WIiite*s 
Town;' Colonel White and the dram-bottle; 
Judge White. 



I HAVE now given such a representation of 
those states which I carefully examined^ together 
with cursory remarks, bringing into one view 

VOL. II. K 



98 

«jich information as I should have been glad to 
receive prior to my own embarkation for Ameri- 
ca, in the hope it mky preserve others from in* 
volving themselves and families in diflBculties 
whidi they may not be so easily extricated from; 
or, if they are determined to emigrate, it may be 
oiseful in pointing out where and how iheyare 
most likely to be accommodated, and .also piit 
.them on thieir guard against the many imposi- 
tions practised before they set out as well as after 
their arrival. In addition thereto, I will, in this 
j)lace, as forming a part of my own travels, give 
a more detailed account of a journey I undertook 
to view som^ of the rich back lands, so much 
.talked of, as the land of Canaan, Sec. 

The difference in distance and climate alone 
^excepted, all these new lands are so similar to 
^ch otbeir) that & plain description of one^ with 
Jthe manner of settliog lo generally adopted by 
all, may afford a suiHcient insight to the whole* 

I took my departure from New York. For 
the first 160 mUes, to Albany, there is a choice 
,to go either \>y land or water. ^ I took a place in 
the mail-coach, or coachee, (as these vehicles 
are termed,) which set off at three in the after- 
noon, passing between tlie ruins of Washington 
and iiee Forts, pn York-island, over King's 
Bridge. 

We arrived at a JDutch tavern, kept by Mr. 
Odell, at half-past eight. As aeither good nor 



99 

bad words will induce a Daicbnuia to move 
brisker than usual^ our company, pretfy numor 
reus (eleven) for one coachee, were obliged ta 
wait patiently until our landlord gave us what he 
thought suited best for supper. This consisted 
of the iQost execrable tea I ever tasted, (no cof-r 
fee,) some fried veal, and buttered toast; fqc . 
which, with our lodgings, two or three iu a bed, 
we paid four shillings and. six pence each* 

In the course of our afternoon's .travel, a warm 
argument had been maintained between, a young 
epdscopal clergyman and a well-informed physi- 
cian, both of New York, concerning Tom Paine's 
religious opinions. Appeals were occasionally 
made to me; and, foreseeing some entertain* 
ment from an innocent disguise, I e^ccused my«# 
self as a £Dreigner, who was travelling for infojt- 
matiop> better pleased to hear the opinions <^ 
other men than delivf r -my own, especially on 
subjects of religion; that^ in the country I came 
from,, mea of my cast were content to think for 
themselves, acting up to what they thought just 
and right, without aiming to make converts of 
others. This was sufEcieut to excite the naturi^ 
cariosity of Americans; and questions followe^l 
to know my country and religion* I said that. I 
came from India, and. called myself a Gentoo^ 
giving, at their request, several specimens of the 
language, of which they knew not one .word/ 
K3 



with a short song or two, shcH ^ 

* " Toonuina earkee ha coo sedjeree/' &c* 
trhich entertained and cenvinced tbefli at di« 
same rhile. Appeals were made more frequently 
than* before, considering me the more impartial; 
thus affording me an opporcanity of delivering 
sentiments and opinions without giving offence. 

f minuted down iftany curious beads of argo- 
ment on both sides, unnecessary to trouble the 
reader with, except one concerning the future 
etate of the soul as to rewards and punishments. 
The clergyman strenuously contended that good 
Christians would be happy to all eternity^ Bad 
ihat the wickekl would be condemned to everlast- 
ing punishment. The physician admitted the 
' soqI's existence^ and that of a b^nefftcent jast 
Being iirho would reward or punish hereafter^ 
Imc denied' the existence of such a plfice as bell 
for everlasting torments, or such a personage as 
iChe devil. 

I long resisted giving any opinion on the sob- 
ject, until pressed very hard by. the young par- 
son^ who challenged it on thus* ground) that, 
tthhoQgfi I was no Christian and therefore de« 
clined' speaking to any of their doctrinal poiati 
of argument, yet> as a Gentoo/and as he hoped 
Attd' believed a good serious thinking man, I 
must have considered the necessity and justice of 
mftking a grand distinction, in a future state, 
Cmy belief in which I had before admitted^) be* 



101 

i«reen the good and the bftd of tlhis world. I 
assured him/ that, if he would satisfy my igoo* 
ranee by answeriDg one question, I would then 
give him the best opinion in my power, viz. if 1 
understood him rightly, he had said that man- 
kind would be divided into two parts only, the 
good and the bad; that the first would be re- 
ceived into heaven, or happiness, and the latter 
consigned to hell, or misery $ and that both were 
considered to be eternal. He admitted I con^ 
ceived him right, and should be glad to knoW^ 
if I did not think it both equitable and just that 
it should. be. so. '' Be pleased, sir, to answer me 
the following question, and I will then tell yott» 
As there must inevitably be an indescribable 
number of degrees of both good and bad men^ 
tlie worst of the good and the best ctf the bad 
must neeessarily approach so near to each otber> 
that the smallest additional good aot on one side 
or bad act on. the other must turn the scale fot 
eternal happiness or misery* Will you be kind 
enough,, therefore,, to inform me how j^oier doc- 
trinal tenets settle this point, as to where this 
almost inconceivable line of distinction k to be 
made, by which a grain, more or less, of good 
or bad determines one's fate for everlastiag hs^ 
piness or misery*!' 

I suppose he was too young in the service, 
therefore eould not solve the question. But I 
did. not take advantage of this, by evading a^* 
K.3 



102 

insw^r; arid, told hhn my siriipk ojptabn WM), 
tbat, wi the Almighty Beingi to whom all na- 
tions arid rdigion^ bowed' m adoration iradet 
itotbc name or another, had thought proper to 
vdlthits (as w^H as other niatteri the human mind 
Vf6B riattfrally curioti* abbut) froni my very imper- 
fect knowledge, I rested satisfied that all wotid 
be ordered for the best, though in what maniicr 
i could not pretend to say, much less diflfpute 
the opinion of another on the subject. All I 
jlrfetended to be confident in was, that a man, 
efHfeavouring to act well* through life and to 
Make himself useful, had nothing to fear but eve- 
ry thing tb hope. After a short pause, I farther 
observed, that possibly there were as^ many de- 
grees oMiappitiess and misery in thestarJry worlds 
around^ as of good and bad men; and where 
«fra» the iniprobabiHty thsit the souls of Bwn 
might be sent to inhabit such worlds,* according 
to their deserts in thii i There was no circumi 
clltace of this nature in their bible, he said, what- 
ev^tlie^e might be m the Gentoo writ, there- 
fore he did not believe it probable. 

Aft this was dome Md said in such perfect 
good humour on all sides, that I may truly say 
w:e met good-naturedly as strangers, we travelled 
pleasantly, and parted with the most friendly 
good wishes towards each other. The young 
clergyman, in particular, took niy i^ight hand 
between his^ pressed it to his hreantji ^nd, with a 



lOS . 

tear gKslening m his eye, expressed a wish wt 
might meet again in this world and for 6ver ill 
the next. Most sincerely and fervently, I seid 
Amen. 

Learning that the beds at Mr. OdeH's would be 
fully occupied, and not choosing to have a male 
bedfellow, (so conmion at inns in America,} I 
contrived to profit farther by my Gentoo-ship, 
Taking a pair of pistols out of my portmanteau, 
I laid them on a pillow of one of the beds in tfife 
room We supped in, desiring the people of thfe 
house not to meddle with them for fear of an 
accident, as they went off suddenly if not care^ 
fully handled. Curiosity was again excited, to 
know why I travelled with fire-arms, in a part of 
the country where they were not necessary. 1 
observed, that long u^age had so accustomed me 
la travelling about the world, i could not sleep 
so well without them ; and> being soon alarmed 
and startled in my sleep, by placing them rnidet 
my pillow, I felt relief in having such a guard 
against sudden alarms. I had no occasion to say 
any thing about sleeping alone, for they crowded 
three or four in a bed rather than sleep with t 
Gentoo. ' My fame travelled as fast as our cat^ 
riage, creating a little trouble at every inn tb 
answer some curious questions, but affording me 
amp^ diversion. 

We set off from OdelPs at five the next mora- 
ifig, ipassed under the large tulip-tree wbere 



1^ 

Major Andre was taljen, breakfasting at Crol«ti>. 
thirteen miles from OdelFs: from this, to Peek- 
ftkill-Ianding,: is ten miles. The whole road from 
King's Bridge is over rough rocky hills, the soil 
in general a cold clay and very stony: for break- 
fasts, at Peekskill, three shillings each. 

Thence to FishkiU, (twenty miles over the 
high lands^) a strange romantic road, where we 
seldom met with any cleared land. Chiefly 
woods, a few poor wretched log-houses, deep 
gullies, and dangerous passes over water-falls, 
with ffequent sight of the N©rth«»river,. making 
it curiously beautiful if not pleasant travelling. 

On quitting the mountains at Fisbkill, I was 
agreeably surprised with a prospect of good 
farming-land on a fine plain we descended to, and 
the land better farmed and attended to. We 
dined at five shillings each. 

From this to Poughkeepsie is fifteen miles of 
food road, passing over ibe beautiful FishkiU 
water-falls. The soil continued tolerable in ap- 
pearance and decently farmed, for America, until 
within four miles of Poughkeepsie. This is the 
county-town of Ducbess<*county : tlie houses are 
neat, the court-house,, goal, and tavern, all in 
one. For supper and lodgings, five shillings 
each ; by suppers are to be understood tea, cof- 
fee, 8cc. but no liquors, unless called and paid for 
separately. Land^ in this neighbouxfaood; sold. 
&om five to ten pounds an acre. 



105 

We set off eariy next morning. The land was 
pretty level for some miles^ then .hilly and stony 
uatii we came to Rein beck, a small village dis^ 
tant tweaty miles; here ^he soil was good and 
free fcom stone, the price from six to- twelve 
pounds an acre. Opposite Reinbecky across the 
North^river, are the CatskUl-mountains, part of 
the range of the Allegany. Breakfast here was 
two shillings and sixpence each. 

From this to Red*hook is ten miles; to li* 
vingston's manor, (a strong hungry soil,) skS 
miles; and to Hudson fifteeny wh«re we arrived 
at half^past two. Dinner five risillings, wine not . 
inclnded. The market-fMioe of veal, lamb, md 
beef, eight pence a poimd; labomr, ten Hhiliings 
by the day ; fifteen dollars at month for farmings- 
men, besides board and lodgihg. The lands 
about Hudson are chiefly grass ; ' the soil^ as L 
was informed, not suited for ploughing. 

About three miles fr<Mn Hudson the land is 
very poor, continuing so until we drew near Kiq* 
derhook, a neat village, fifteen miles from Hud- 
son. Ai Kinderhook, the land is passable; far* 
ther on, the soil again changes to very bad, and 
is one continued pine-barren for twenty miles, 
until we drew near the ferry, crossing the North- 
river to Albany at nine o'clock, having traveled 
eighty-six miles fi'om five in the morning. 

The wheal;s, we had passed, in general looked 
healthy and well>, yielding, on ^^ average^ I 



106 

ibould tbink^ twenty bushels an acre^ wbicb they 
reckon a good crop. The clovers were good, 
where there appeared any attention to husbandry^ 
particularly some where they had manured with 
plaster of Paris, which might be seen, to an inch, 
from the clover in the same field that was not so 
manured : I never saw so strong an instance of 
its effect^ inducing me to alight and examine it 
closely. There were some stone fences, bot 
chiefly railing. In some places, I noticed a cu- 
rious mode of ploughing, by beginning on one 
side the picce> and ploughing round it^ whatever 
the shape of the field might h^ and coKUinaingso 
until finished in the centre^ 

Travelling through some of the extensive fo* 
rests in America^ I have observed large trees 
completely decompcwed by the length of lime 
they have been rotting,, yet perfectly retaining 
their figure as they lay on the ground ; so much 
decomiposed, as to induce an opinion tbat the 
quantity of rotten particles, if perfectly dried, 
would not exceed that of ashes, if the same tree 
had been carefully burnt. I was played a trick 
with one that was in this state of decay, yet re- 
tained the appearance of a sound tree lying along, 
and more than two feet in diameter. We had 
just killed a large black snake j and, while chatr 
ting about it, I sprang up a little to make a seal 
of the tree, when it gave way and I sunk to the 
bottom, partly hid from my companion by the 



107. 

rottea particles; bui^ oa hk calling out another 
large snake^ I sprang up nearly as quick as I 
fell. 

The log-houses with log-fences^ in the uiicuhi* 
vated forests^ have a singular and grotesque ap* 
pearance to strangers. These are chiefly built by 
Squatters, a species of wild settlers, who never 
inquire of the proprietors of th^ land, but build 
their log-house, >nd take possession of whdt 
ground they think proper to clear for the grow- 
ing a little Indian corn. These gentry dp con- 
siderable damage to the forests, by burning the 
underwood, early in the spring, for the sake of a 
little grass that shoots up soon after. 

The city of Albany contains upwards of six 
thousand inhabitants, collected from various 
parts: adventurers are led thither by the advan- 
tages of trade which this place affords. It is the 
store-bouse . for the trade to and from Canada 
and the lakes, therefore likely to flourish and the 
inhabitants to grow rich, although the country 
about it is very indifferent. It is said to be un- 
soclablei I was not there long enough to ibrmaii 
4>pinion, but it is naturally to be expected from 
an Jussemblage of people so collected, most of 
them eager in their own pursuits of gain, and 
considering it only as a temporary residence; 
while the Dutch, who are the original and most 
permanent settlers, may be supposed to give the 
ton to the place. 



108 

I spent one day io my ^oing and one on my re- 
turn to view the town^ which appeared^ a$was 
reported^ to have increased more than one-third 
in the number of houses within five .years: a fire 
had burnt thirty housed down the summer before, 
and tended much to improve the appearance of 
the town by the hew modern-bnilt brick buildings, 
that formed a cpmpkte contrast to the homely 
dtttch-built houses, with theit gaUe ends to the 
street. 

Stages are continually passing and re-passing 
twvt^ Albany to Skenectady, tlie.distance sixteen 
miles^ dirougha continued pine-barren^ so bad, 
from a total want of vegetable life in the soil| 
pines excepted^ that scarcely a log-hoiise is to be 
seen : the stage-fare is half a dollar. 

Skenectady is a considerable inland town^ com- 
pacty regular, and the houses (between two and 
three hundred) chiefly built' with brick : they have 
a public school; Dutch, episcopal, and presbj- 
terian, churches; and I was informed that 
-20^000/. was then subscribed towards building a 
doliege. Skenectady stands on the margin of tbe 
very poorest soil to tbe south-east, and very rich 
land to the north-west; a dismal barren prospect 
one way, and a rich beautiful view the other, se- 
parated by the Mohawk-river. Two .travellers, 
meeting at Skenectady, one from the east, the 
other from the west, each returning the same 
road they came, without going farther, might 



105 

leport as differently ^f thecQtmtiy hsof tile op'- 
fosite points of tl^e compass. Thtpugh this t^Wn 
every thing must pass and repass to and from the 
North- River, consequently it will thrive jql pro- 
.portira to the populatioa of th^ country west 
ofit. 

Setting off at baljf-pasC five in the Hsoroing,- 
we ferried across the Mohawk^ and I was gra»- 
tified with seeing land rich enougt .to answer my 
expectations, fcom the accounts which I had 
-. heard and read. The estate, on which we landedn 
was opposite the town: it contained originally 
1000 acres, but had been lately divided;, one. 
moiety of which^ lyith a haudsoo^ bouse, barns, 
offices, and a pleasant gajdexi) well fenced in, 
was at that time offered for sale for 15,000/. 

The flats, or interval 4ands, on the banks of 
the Mohawk, appeared very fertile, selling from 
twenty to fifty pounds an acre, for a consider* 
able way up the river. The' higher lands, where 
the floods do not reach, are but moderate, com 
pared with the flats, yet some of them grow good 
wheat ; but the bills, dose above them^ are very 
stony, indifferent, and covered with wood% 
^ We stopped to breakfast at Vidder's tavem> 
f<flr which we paid two stuliiugs and sixpence; 
the distance from Skenectady is eight miles. 

Eight miles farther, we passed a large hand- 
some old stone house, <out of repair,) called Guy* 
Park-house, built by Guy Johnson, who married Sir 

VOL. II. L 



110 

William Jolinson's daughter. It was the middle 
of June, yet the roads Were very bad. A Mr. 
Miles, who kept a tavern at this house, was a 
•judge of the couttty and member of the assembly 
at the time. He seemed to be a sensible well-in- 
formed man, and told me, that not one of Sir 
•William Johnson's femily was left in the country 
to reap one shilling benefit from the immense 
estate he ieft, which he believed was then worth 
SQOfdOO dollars. Mr. Miles kept no waiter, bat 
^lerved his customers with sling-drams, grog, or 
cideo himself. 

Five miles farther, we came to a Dutch tavern, 
opposite to Fort*Hunter, (the last settlement of 
the Mohawk Indians,) where we dined on bacon, 
boiled eggs, and sturgeon, our host observing be 
"had no fresh.* This had' a poor appearance for 
die land of plenty . Our dinner was four shillings 
each. 

Fronts this to Conolly's tavern, on the flats, 
was ten miles; the last five of which was the only 
tolerable road from Skenectady. The winter and 
spring wheats looked remarkably well, clovers the 
same; pease were pretty much cultivated, but 
^amefully foul with weeds. The soil oo these 
flaU is a rich black mould without a stone, three 
feet deep, as appeared by some ditches. 

* A provincial texm, liistingoishiag the few days tkey b»n 
fresh meat from the macay they feed oa sail proyuions. 



141 

Re-crossing the Mobawk-River^ we arrived at 
RoaPs tavern^ in the township of Ranogahara, 
at SIX in the evening. In this df^y's journey, of 
forty milesy we were frequently obliged to alight 
and walk for a mile or two,^ pr the coachee could. 
never have dragged us through the swamps* Our 
supper and lodgings here was four shillings each« > 
Roaf told me that his farm contained 600 acres, 
of which sixty only were flats. He wished ti> 
sell it: what he shewed me of the uplands waff 
rocky and hilly, but the soil wa» good ; the house 
indifferent and the garden as bad, very little fence 
beside what was on the flat lands, with scarcely . 
any other improvement ; yet. he wanted 6Q00/. for 
the whole. Beds being scarce, my Gentooship 
saved me from being incommoded. Their 
coachee having been overturned and broken to 
pieces a few days before^ we were obliged to 
travel iu an open waggon. 

We aejt off at five in a very foggy mommg; 
and, after travelling about twelve miles, breaks 
fftsted at the In^iaa-casUe, a tavero kept by a. 
Mr. Hudson, who had been a drummer in Bur«r 
goyne's army aji.the time of its surrender* He 
married a widow and 2ftci:Lpw 9* i?ian of consider* 
able property, keeping a, largte . stpre (shop) a» 
well as the tavern. Qne of the British regimen tal> 
field*pieces was kept in front of his house, with 
which he qelebrated every Americau rejoicing;, 



112 

day. In the same neighbourhood, the widow of 
General HeAeman (an officer said to be much 
esteemed by the Americans, in whose cause he 
fell) lived as a cook-servant to anothTer store- 
keeper, exhibiting a contraist to Mr. Hudson. 

I noticed several pieces of wheat, this part of 
the journey, as strong and good as could well 
grow. Our road was partly along the bstnks of 
the Mohawk, and some part across the country 
until we came to the Fall-Hills, called so from 
the falls in the Mohawk-River. Through this 
^rtmge of hills, the falls are about forty feet, over 
different ledges of rocksi 
* Soon after passing these hills, we travelled 
through a wood of fine elm-trees, with a few 
maples among them, the land hilly and stony, but 
the soil good, if well cleared. 

At German-Flats Town, twelve miles from 
Hudson's, is a church built with stone by Sir 
William Johnson for the use of the Indians, who 
never come near it. Unless to stare at and inquire 
what it is; and, when told it is God's House, 
♦here they ought to meet and worship him, they 
ask if God is afraid of them by building a strong 
stone fort to live in. Near to the church, there 
is a complete log-fort in an octagon form; (most 
of them are square;) the upper story overhangs 
the ground-floor between two and three feet, 
with musket-holes to fire down and through on the 



IIS 

lafiiaqs^ \fy in their attacks^ they should attempt 
to ^t them on fire. To these Jog-forts the neigh- 
bouring first settlers resorted for mutual .defence^ 
on the least alarm : the r^t^ains of several log* 
houses that bad been burnt by the savages^ th^ 
families of which were massacre(}> were still to 
be seen, 

Xfauds here are valued at from fifteen to twentjp 
pounds an acre, with a proportion of one' acre of 
the flats to five ot more of upland y but^ at the 
time I was there> none was to be sold at auf 
price. Their £arms were in narrow slips frpm' 
the river, of about 400 feet wide, extending up 
the country two or three miles^ containing from 
dO^o 1£0 acres: tbey^ appeared to me the beat 
apportioned farms and the best attended to jo€ 
any in America. Uplands not cleared^ at a. 
distance from the river, are in general very,stony^ 
and to be bought, from three to five dollars an 
acre. I distinguish stony from rocky laiids^ the 
latter b^ingi immoveable masses, either above o|: 
level with the earth; the former are loose stones 
covering the land^ more or less, as thick as a field 
of good strong ti^mips.. 

I stopped here three days to examine the neigh* 
bauring country^ induced a little thereto by good 
fare as well as good lands. We were lucky enough . 
to dine on fresh the first day : we had roa^'Jt pig; 
and' boiled yeaJ, with^pl^Aty of vegetable saude^ 
for which we»were charged no more than four 

La • 



,114 

shillings: dining with Mr. Aldridge and hi» fa- 
mily, and agreeing to have a little fresh erery 
day, I did very well the time I stopped. 

Between AIdridge*s and Judge Sterlingfs, a 
distance of ten miles, the road is through laods 
but little cleared and chiefly inhabited by Squat- 
ters. These are the same kind of lawless settlers 
I described before; but, being on a richer soil, 
they live easier, and do not readily give np pos- 
session to the landed proprietor when he conies to 
settle or sell. They look with an evil eye on all 
strangers travelling past in any decent apparel, 
supposing them to be land-jobbers who are about 
to disturb them, naturally conceiving that few 
besides would choose to traveV such a country. 

The trees, in genera], through America, fell 
short of my expectations as to bulk, though not 
as to height. Here I saw several oak, elm, and 
pine trees, between two and three feet diameter, 
and from fifty to sixty feet high, clear . of 
branches, with an almost impercep#ble decrease 
of size from the root to the branches. Some of 
the hemlock-trees are upwards of a hundred feet 
in height and four and five feet diameter. 

We stopped at Judge Sterling's to refresh our 
horses. Hearing that he was fkrst jndge of the 
county, I doubted whether it was a tavern-, until 
my fellow-traveller called for cider, which the 
judge readily drew for biin. His^ appearance, in 
point of dress, was so singularly grotesque, ia 



It5 

coDtiast to th€ digdity of his office^ that I coiild 
not refrain minatiag it down while he was watu 
iog on his' eustomers during the short stay we 
made.: His hair was matted like a mop^ and 
looked as if no comb had entered, it for months 
past; he had op a ragged brown greasy jacket^ 
the sleeves . of which appeared to have been torn 
off; dirty canvas trowsers^ no stockings/ and 
very tW^k shoes tied with leather thongs. In a 
breast button^hole of his jacket was a short to* 
bac^Orj^ipe^. completely japanned with, ismolce : 
this last artigle was a constant appendage to everj^ 
Dutch settler I met^ as well as to Jiidge Ster:* 
liog. 

A story was circulated of him, and told me af^ 
terwards by so many of the settlers in that part of 
the ^mfiiWr ^^^^ ^ entertain no doubt of the 
truth'.. A f oor felh)W« from New England^*" had 
passed thftt way several times in search of a set- 
tlement; and^ stopping to dine and refresh him^ 
self at the judge's house on a Sunday^ desired to 
know what be had to^ pay. His host made out 
the account for meat and drink us a tavernr 
Jseeper^ adding^ as a magistrate, the small fine 
of six schillings, for travelling on a Sunday with«- 
out a pass. In vain poor Yanky pleaded poverty^ 
and urged his constant frequenting of the house 

* Called a Yanky ^ horn Yankoo^.a tribe of Indiana formerl; 
iiihaUting New England » 



11* 

as be journeyed to and frp. The judge could nol 
acqtiithis conscience wilfaout fining him. £o* 
treaties being in vain, Yanky -desired his hoaoai 
to grant bim a pass^ or possibly the next mi^ 
trate might fine bim again. To this there was 
no objection; but, not writing very distinct or 
readily himself, he told Yanky to write and he 
would sign it. Yanky obeyed, and wrqte an or- 
der for twenty pounds on Sterling's merohant, a 
store-keeper living a few miles on the road he 
had to travel, knowing bim to be Sterling's ban- 
ker, from messages he had formerly carried from 
the judge to the merchant. Sterling asked if he 
had taken care to make the pass strong enough; 
Yanky guessed it would do, and the judge signed 
it. But, a few days after, his honour calling on 
the merchant, found to his cost be had jijjg&ed a 
pass for twenty pounds in B^n of a pass for his 
Sunday friend. In the first heat of passion, he 
exclaimed, '* it is that d— ^d Yanky-pass," wWch 
he explained to his banker, and this created a 
laugh at his worship's expense that will last his 
life. • 

' Four miles farther, we came to Squire Bret- 
ton's; this gentleman' kept a tavern likewise, 
living in a log-house. His acquaintance were 
complimenting him on being elected a member 
of the state assembly. In fact, the office of 
tavern-keepers and lawyers seemed- to be the 
surest road to public honours and riches amoDg 



117 

new settlers. For several miles, alahg this part 
of the country, new settlers are very numerous, 
though among them must be reckoned many of 
the squatting-gentry: indeed, they are the oldest 
iDhabitants, and from this circumstance assume a 
priority of right, not only threatening with a« 
ferocious savage aspect those who <|uestion that 
right, but they dispute the legality of possession 
by tedious suits at law and the strength of arm at 
the same time. 

From Squire Bretton's to Fort Scuyler, the 
road was almost impassable ^nd very dangerous 
even for a waggon, in which we had been most 
grievously jumbled all day. We obtained hortet 
here: my companion and I then proceeded ott^ 
four miles farther to Colonel White's, at White's 
Town, where we alighted safe from broken bones^ 
but most miserably bfuised from bead to foot. 

I bad been so accustomed in America to look 
for captains, majors, colonels, members of par- 
liament, and judges, at ipost of the taverns on 
the road, that it had long ceased to be a matter 
of surprise. I had laarnt to consider it as a 
merit in those, who had fought and been distin- 
guished by military rank, not hesitating to fol- 
low any occupation, by which they could main- 
tain their families, when their military services 
were no longer necessary. But I confess my 
expectations respecting Colonel White^ wbos^ 



H8 

father w'as th^ origitifil founder, proprietor, and 
settler, of this to^nsbip, were^ difierent. For, 
when a gentleman, with whom I had traviellcd a 
considerable p^rt of this tour, and who, having 
bought several thousand acres of land in this neigh- 
bourhood, wished and promised Jo introduce me 
to the colonel, as we rode up to the house, I coh- 
sidered it as one gentleman of fortune visiting 
another, and, the night being shut in, was not 
sorry to reach so good a haven. But I soon 
found my mistake; for. Walking into the house, 
my friendly pilot was obliged to wait a minute or 
twoi until the colonel had put away the dram- 
bottle and gkaes, with which he was serving some 
custcwaters, before he could introduce me, to his 
acquaintance* The number of. inns alqng tbe 
road, or, as they term them, tayemsjt are ex- 
ceedingly numerous; I verily believe the propor- 
tion to private houses is as one to four, tf not 
three. On the following day, I was introduced 
to Judge White, the father of tb^ township: bis 
appearance was rather better than Sterling's, and 
not much. There being abundance of business 
in all new-settled parts for lawyers, White's Town 
was inhabited by three or four of them, who, 
from the litigious disposition of the people, with 
tiie disputed boundaries and titles of estates, do 
extremely well. The. only decent plain table I 
saw, in or about White's Town, was at Coon- 



119 

selloir Breeze^s, a polite senBible gentlenmn from 
the Jerseys : fae^ likewise^ was a member of the 
state assembly. 



CHAPTER XIX- 

Rich back lands; their high price when cleared; 
labour scarce and dear; English women subject 
to insanity in the back settlements'^ supposed 
cause; the church and clergyman; son of an 
English clergyman studying law at Whitens 
Tozvn; strange anecdote related by him; Colonel 
White* s accaunt of the crops; price of provisions ; 
Oneida-Indians, 



Amongst a variety of estates I went to see, 
was one belonging to the gentleman I travelled 
with, who had speculated in lands several years 
before. It is called the Oriska estate, and noted 
for the rich quality of the soil: only three or 
four years preceding his purchase it was an 
Indian station. The flat lands of this estate, by 
the river^side, are of the first quality, and nearly 
•^ out of dOO acres ivere cleared, chiefly by the 



120 

Iddians, from their long residence tberc: the re- 
sidue was a thick forest of oak, elm, maple, pine, 
and hemlock trees, many of an astonishing 
height, clear from branches, and very strait for 
seventy or eighty feet. 

- The proprietor expected this Oriska estate, of 
.500 acres, would sell for more than 6000/. when 

put up to public sale, which it was his intention 
to do, .togethet with his otber estates of about 
9000 acres in that neighbourhood. A farm of 
100 acres, with a log-house and small barn, ihuly 
acres only of which were cleared, the stumps of 
the trees remaining, had been lately sold for 
1000/. The few labouring men there, are hired 
ttt eighteen and twenty dollars a month, board, 
&c. Lands here sell high, and labour is very 
dear. Agues and fevers are very prevalent. . 

While I staid at White's Town, aft English 
lady, whose husband had made a considerable 
purchase of lands in the neighbourhood, became 
quite deranged in her intellects: they came from 
the Devizes. It was the second instance I had 
niet with in America among English female emi- 
grants. I do not ^positively aver that it is so, but 
I am 'firmly persuaded it arises from a depression 
of spirics, occasioned by so gr^at a change from 
' civilized to an almost savage state of society. Doc- 
: tor Priestly^ to whom I mentioned these circum- 

- stances .at Philadelphia, admowledged he bad 
inown similar iustauces, «|d attributed them] to 



1^1 

tbtB same' cati!(e. A nonan will struggfe Aiiligh 
much easier, yet not without many Ireart^aches/ 
thoiigh his pride may not permit him to confess • 
it. Bat it falls witli tenfold weight on lire mis- 
tress of a family, who, having experienced thd 
benefit of servants in the toother country,'is nnder 
ah ointivoidable necessity trf beitig the greatest 
dmdge, and a slave ta the very indifferent help she 
can with difficulty procure, in America. 

The church served various purposes ; a court- 
house, a school, and the upper part as a dwelling 
for the clergyman and school-master. Stories' 
were toW> ndt much to the credit of the senior 
and principal inhabitants, of having persuaded a 
clergyman to come from sotoe considerable' 
tfisttince, «nd then, JtnoWing his. return would be 
too expeasi:v« for him, they refused to perform 
tkeir foil agreement. 

I was informed, by a Mr. More, son to a clergy- 
laau in Devonsltirei who (strange as it may ap- 
pear) was staying lim there, that, durihg the 
preceding winter, while a Baptist-minister was 
baptizing and making good Christians in one 
village, ^n assemblage of Tom Paine*s mien, at 
another village^ were burning Christ in effigy. 
I had nro reason to tloubt Mr. More's veracitj^ 
yet, being so strange a circumstance> I made in* 
qulry of several to krnoW, if there was any truth ' 
ia the latter part of the report^ and I was told| 
it was a subject they wished not to converse upon; 

VOL. lU M 



b|]t were afriud there was too mucfa truth in it, 
and they were rather desirous to smother the re- 
port. 

Inquiring about their crops, Colonel White 
assured me, that, notwithstanding the extras 
v0gant reports made by many respecting the pro* 
duce of such rich lands along the banks of the 
Mohawk and other rivers west of the Allegaay 
Mountains, the fair average-produce of wheat 
was from twenty to twenty-five bushels; oats, 
about thirty-five; and Indian corn, forty bushels; 
to the acre. He believed fifty bushels of wheat 
and sixty bushels of corn had grown on particular 
lands, some very favourable seasons, but not 
often. To this it should be farther observed, 
that none of their fields, or plots of ground, are 
actually measured, but the number of acres are 
guessed at. However, I have no hesitation in 
declaring that the richness of the soil, in general, 
thj'migb the flats or interval lands, is equaI,to the 
gfouth of any possible crop under suitable ma- 
nagement; and, considering how they are choked 
with strong twitch or couch grass, with various 
other noxious weeds and plants, it is rather a 
matter of suipriae that they grow so much. 

The . price of beef and mutton, at White's 
Towni was eiglii pence, and veal s.<x pence, the 
pound; but there is very little of either killed 
during summer. They slaughter and salt in the 
autumnal when the cattle are in the best coo- 



1*25 

ctition> and live chiefly on such salted provision 
most of the year. Butter was one sihilling and 
four pence^ and cheese one s^Uing^ a pound.. 
Fish very scarce. 

Settling with Colonel White for four suppeid, 
three breakfasts,. and two dinners, (as indifferent 
meals as could be made,} one bottle of wine, 
tbcee tumblers of grog, and four nights lodging 
in- a garret, I paid him three pounds. This L 
mention as- information, not with an idea of com- 
plaining, for, I would with pleasure have paid 
double and treble the amount for the pivilitiesX 
received. 

At twenty miles from White's Town ia the, re- * 
mainder. of the Six Nations, their whole number 
fs redbced' to about sixieeor hond'ved, and they are 
now called the Oneida Indians. Their chief, 
Skanandoa, talked Bngltsh sufficient to be un^^er- 
stood, as did seveifal others of these Indians, but 
they ard not fond of it. They IJve chiefly by hunli- 
jng and fishiog on the lakes ; besides which, they 
receive 4000 dollars annually, from the American 
government, in lieu of such lands as were lately 
ceded by them. They cultivate a little ground to 
grow corn, and Skonandoa grows a little wheat^ 
the women doing all the labour. 



Mft 



]$4 



CHAPTER XX. . 

Frtpare for a joeumty through the wilderness; an 
Indian bed; the settling of back lands similar 
throughout Amerka;^ the natural Indian prefer- 
able to the white American back-wood Squatters; 
emigrations from the American States to BritiA 
Crnada; the cause and probable consequence; re* 
tMrn to Whites Town ; absurdity of building and 

* calculating by English ideas in the bach conn" 
tries; a wide difference between the old land of 
€anaan and the nezc^ 



So far as White's Town, there is some kind of 
jpubjic conveyance^ such as it is; but, farther on 
to the westward, to visit the Lakes and the. Che- 
nessee-country, if a man is either not disposed to 
walk or incapable, the best way is to get a good 
horse from White's -Town, with which, in two or 
three days, (for he will find nothipg to tempt bis 
stopping by the way,) he will reach. Geneva, a 
scattered town containing about si:Kty houses, ia 
the Chenessee-country. 

My mind wns already sufficiently satisfied^on 
every point for which I had taken this tour into 
the back country, and I was debating whether il 



was worth the trouble of proceeding fartfa^^ wheb 
aa accUental circumstance deterniio^ ib^. A 
ymng farmer, frooi Massaebos^ii^y was making 
liis third txip to the westward, to conchule a 
parcbase he bad agreed for ia the Cb^oessee. 
My day was past for accompanying bim on fool, 
and he could not afford to hire a horse^ thongh 
ansioQs to get tbither and return as quick as he 
cottM. For the sake of 90 good a guide and 
comimnion, 1 smoothed all diffiouitijes by en* 
gagiiig one for him . and another for myself, 
agreeing to give or take a day, to bim who should 
wish for it, after reaching the falls of Niagara, 
tlie fuU extent of my intendedl tour* Havmg 
equipped agreeably to ray companion's dtrectioaSi 
we set oiF> well pleased with the mutual accomr^ 
modation ;. for. his^experience and attention I was^ 
to be pfly<^miister. 

A detail of each day^s eipents would produce a 
te4ious sameness. We. were th«e days goingi to 
Geneva* From Seneva to the Cbeoedsee-river^j 
fifty miles. Here is a . tavermthat furnishes grog^ 
tobacco, altng^. baooB^.and eggs, but no ftesh** 
Thenee to Niagara-falls i »> a 'rough dismal jonrnejf> 
of seventy miles, through a perfect wilderness; 
finding our way by Indiaa paths, in which I 
proved a novioe and my companion &u adept* 

Understandiug from bim, that, a^cordin^ to 
the haste we made, we should have to lie in the 
woods either one or two nights^ we proceeded as 
MS 




126 

fast as prudence admitted, and I was pcffecdy 
^tisfied. with only one night's lodging, making a 
delicate s<^t bed with such boughs of trees, &c. 
^as we could collect, and forming a kind of cano- 
py ovet our beads with rather larger boughs than 
\ oor bed. required. My companion thought it 
i necessary likewise to keep up two fires during the 

^ ^^igbt, as a guard against wolves and pantherss 

Ind, by the alertness he shewed in ftequeotly 

, jumping up: to attend the fires, he convinced m« 

that bej*eal]y conceived there was some danger. 

Yet we passed the nights, the one. going the other 

%, returning, unmolested;, and, except the view of 

^ these grand foils, so often much better described 

*; than is in my power, there was nothing to reward 

. . > v^fbt the fatigue of the journeyv 
V^^; In . tcavelling through^ all the back; land^ in 
v America, (allowing for the difference of climate 
acconling to the k^itade^ there is- so little varie- 
ty in', the apfieannoe^ ^eitheri of the immense wi)d> 
vncuhivated iaivds,. or* the^smsil plats clearing or 
cleared Jijirnew. settlers, that a journey, over and 
examination of. -WO'^ or 150 miles,, through any 
o£ the rich tracts- o£ the baok^ country, afibrd as 
much information to/ an agriculturist, as to qua- 
lity. of soils, the methods taketi to clear lands b;^ 
first settters, their way of living,, as well as^ exhi- 
bkiag ^le^rogress from a savage state to the 
mi>s^ citltivated, as travelling over the whole, 
and I acknowledge^ that^ being, neither so youn j 



127 ' 

not acdve as &raierlyy I wa9 gllnd to get back 
again. 

From all tlmt I- was abk to learn/ see, and 
jadge, concerning anj or all of thfe Indian tribes^ 
both heretofore as well as from this joiihieyy I 
would rather trost i myself and property^ among - 
them that] the foremost white American . back 
woodsmen settlers^ who are far more savage of 
the two. Nor have I met with any gentle- 
man, that has travelled' through any of the wiU 
demesses where . these ptoneer-jsettlers bava 
squattedy who does not enteirtaio the tomeopt-* 
nion. A great proportion of them are the Wild 
irishy who emigpote by ship-loads. ta.Amerieaf 
and, if I mistake not, will in time prove a mors 
formidable eneuiy to the states on the sea*coast^ 
than the Indians., In New York, J have seen 
five or six handred of them, landing at a time^i 
nine out of ten ,of whom, refused eni|»)oy. at jany 
wages, saying they were going westward, where 
they hadJfriends who. had. advised them. 

This, western country is pfovideociully supplied 
with sale, made from sfdt-spriiigs, rising near 
the Onondi^H^lake,. whose waters are rendered 
brackish by these springs. At- Fort Stanwix, on^ 
the Mobawk^river,. 11^ miles from the H-udson; 
ihey were cutting a canal for opening the naviga-* 
tion at the iiills, but they found much. difficulty 
in hiring bands- The Mohawk-river rises to. the 
northward, of Fort Stanwix.. 



M8 

While 10 tlje«lK western pafts, I saw thm par* 
ties, the largest of which contained upwards of 
de^enty persondy medj wmneii, mod children, all 
tiravelliog to Upper danada. to get setlleHients ia 
the British territories, from Yariovs pasts of die 
United States ; and I was informed that scarcely 
a week pa«t> at that season of the 3rear, widioot 
seeing such paitties. Most of them had hones 
loaded with famiture and impleoients of hus- 
bandry, together with milcfa-cattie. They had 
mweb the appearanoa of what we jnay conciiive 
of die patriarchal fiimiltes of aid; removing from 
one conatry to another^, strangthened slill more 
byhearitig them converse and call to each other 
l^y name, nhie-tenlhs of which are from the .OM 
Testomait, sach as Retibeli, Simeon, Jndah, JoV, 
Pinah^ Leah, Lat»an, £zekiel,> Zechariah, and 
all the hard names to be found, besides the more 
commoik^ of Jaoob>^ Jondthan,, Judith, and 
others. 

These removals^ fromt Ale United Sutefr to 
^^rittsfa settlements, are stabborn.proof^, beyond 
any o|^inion of anthois, that theys find it nAost to 
iheir interest; ' and,- on nutldng iriqniries, I 
kami that one essential oanse was> that, in- 
stead of purchasing as they must in the Ameri* 
can states, they were tempted by the grasfs of 
land from the British goi^eniment/io encour«^e 
settlement in. that country. 



129 

My tr9velIiag.compaDipn said -be should: have 
done the same^ only that part af bis -.family wele 
already settled in the Ch^nessee. As to hiaMelT^ 
hesaid, be cared but little which goverpmenth^ 
lived under; oi*^ if h^ had^ that, would mjake no 
great difference, he guessed, a few y^ars beocf. 
And I acknowledge that Yanky's guess seems no 
way improbable, ^$, ' independent qf interdal 
causes, should war arise between Eng^id and 
the United States, these Yanky s^ttl^rs in Canada 
will be ready .to receive their brotber-AmericanS' 
with open, arms, instead pf attempitiog fo de* 
fend the country against them; and, admitting, 
the two countries remain in peacei the ailegiance 
of the Canadians in general is npt to be looked 
for longer than they find it their interest, that is,, 
so long as England, at ar consi^emble etpense^ 
supports and protects them. But, the instant 
she claims a return tbey may dislike, the Cana* 
dians, prompted and encouraged by these new 
associntes fraught vtritb republican principles, will 
be for erecting tl^emselves into an independoat 
government, or solicit to join the American 
states. In my humble opinion, therefore, Eng- 
land would do well to .part with Canada, while it 
can be done to advj^ntage, which may ^ never 
happen better than in the next negociation of a 
peace with France, who, ever since, she lost Ca- 
nada, has looked eagerly fgr its recovery. 



130 

ThUtnight be a strong inducement with France 
to accede to sacrifioes of her oiim or her allies, 
ibac might be initdi tiiote beneficml to. Great 
Britain ; perBtiaded as I am that Canada, after 
reaping every advanbge from England, while 
flowing to. maturity^ will^ on the first plausible 
pretext, throw off her allegiance. In the event 
: of which, the jealousies and* bickerings between 
diis country and America will be increased. Oa 
the other hand, sbook) France be in possession^ 
of Canada, an object 9ht hat evei had mncfa at 
hiiart, the effect ai to England would be jnaltbe 
i«t»te, 

Anye^icMi ar« partld to tbe French whife at a 
^ttttttcey but do not like tbem m neij^hboois; 
snd^ As iootx M France alMNiId be in possession of 
Cftnudii, the emtgffations fii6m one to tiie other 
would be e3UM3S8ive, and the iidmediate conse- 
quence between t'hein and the' United States 
would be jealcnuyi uneasiness, aad distnibance. 
The Vi^iei Staites urould find ai dangerous, pow- 
erful, Increading, neighbour at their backs, and 
c<^isider it theft as their best interest to seek an 
alliance with England, to the mutual advantage 
of both countries. £ventually, Canada must and 
will become independent of whatever country 
she <may' for a time belong to; and, until diat 
time comes, will riot only be more cost than 
profit, but a source of brooding hatred and ill* 



131 

will between Us pioteeting coteti^ and the 
United: States, 

. From this digveasioQ^ as. wdl as my short tour 
to the lakes and boundaries between British Ca- * 
nada aqd the United States> I return to White's 
Town^ where, mj honest guide and' cbpipaniotk 
parted from me to proceed on his own affairs, 
while I made another short halt, preparatory to • 
descending the Mohawk-river by water. At 
White's ToMrn, the river is about 130 feet over. 
In general^ the water that is procured from wells • 
here is unwholesome^ but the inhabitants at 
White's Town are happily supplied from a spring 
at the west end of their main street, which is 
cOQVfyed tp every house in the street by pipes"; 
an accommodation not to be' expected in so re* 
mote a settlement, and which I do not recollect 
tq have seen .in any other town in America. 

Taking a ri'de with an English gentleman to 
see .the country, he shewed me a bridge he was- 
then building, 180 feet along, aqross the Mo-^ 
hawk, to connect his own estates. He had like- 
wise partly finished a large house/ originally in- 
tended for the residence of his family; bui^ 
becoming peTfectly tired and cured, he ordered 
all his estates to be advertised for sale. The 
house and offices seemed well calculated for sup- 
porting the old Eiiglish stile of hospitality, by 
keeping an open table for tenantry, as well as the 
few visiting strangers that might chance to pass 



152 

tvithin a few miles; for, as to visiting neigh* 
bours^ he could not expect any, on a reciprocal 
footings if he lived in a stile suited to the build- 
ing, or what his former mode of living was. 
But,, in this as well as other matters of specula- 
tion, which. I noticed of gentlemen* of properly 
coming from England to America, I observed 
that nearly all of them made great mistakes by 
calculating on old ideas. 

. Before I quit this Western copntry, I will male 
one more observation^ These rich-soiled back 
lands are highly cxtoHed and frequently com- 
pared to the laud of Canaa^i^ flowing with milk 
and honey. What they may be a century or 
two hence, I canq^ot pretend to say; but, from 
all I could see, hear, or taste, there was a la* 
mcDtable difference (as great as the distance) be^ 
tween the old and the new Canaan. The Be«r 
Canaan, therefore, had no temptation for qif) 
having, a reasonable desire to taste some of the 
good things in my own time. On the contrary) 
the prospect t6 any man, meaning to thrive by 
increase of property, is no other than to work 
hard and fare much harder* 



t33 



CHAPTER XXI. 

Hire -uiaiieau to return by the Moka^k^riverf 
breakfai^ui a Squattef^i Tavern; CosbynfUfnar,; 
m^hod of dpftfing. the rich back lands for cul* 
tivation; ikr, Myddleton^s advertisements^ to take 
in Mnglitk farmers^ explained; Mohawk-hUt 
falls; opinion concerning them, and that the rich 
level of lands above them was formerly a lake; 
a canal; pass some t^dhy rapids; the tundet, or 
thunder, toad; hg^orts; sleep at CromwelFs, kis. 
i$rformdtim ; an i^atefor sale; sad character of 
my five- boatmen; arivukt sinking under grovnd 
and lost, until bursting thjrough the roeks into the 
Moha&k; thejirst settlement made hy Sir William 
Johnson; etchings of seven Indians on a rock; 
return to Skenedady; the Cohoez; Albany; 
Miii'^oachee to Poughkeq^sie; flthy taverns; 
^ding-drinking, or sweetened drams ; possagefron^ 
Poughkeqme to Ifew York. 



For the purpose of examining the MohAwk* 
tiver, with its falls and rapids^ I hired a batteau^ 
^ith five men, to ge down the river. The ap- 
pearance of these men wa^ much against them^ 

VOL. It. N 



134 

• anil at first they talked together wholly in a bar- 
barous kind of Dutch, seeming to insinuate ihey 
did not understand English; for, as they had 
been engaged for me by Colonel White, I knew 
nothing of them until I got into the batteau early 
in the morning. 

We had sailed a fe\V' miles, when> to undeceive 
them, I made some observation in better Dutch 
than they seemed capable of: they stared at each 
Other, and by my repeating what I had said, I 
was answered in English, and they never at- 

-tempted to talk Dutch again. In a few hoors 
tliey became commurticative and attentive, de- 
sirous of accommodating wherever I chose to 
land, &c. 

Sixteen miles, frofti 'Whitens Town, I break- 
fasted at -a Squatter's tavern, on Cosby's Manor, 
and made a better me^l, for eighteen pence, than 
any since I left Skenectady. This estate was lost 
to the Cosby-family from neglect, op refiisal to 
pay up the quit-rents, amounting to about 700/. 
The estate, I was assured, w^uld then sell for 
near 200,000/. 

A very considerable proportion of the level 
flats, in this neighbourhood, were then in an un- 
cultivated state of nature, thickly covered with 
lofty trees ; the soil humid and light, until the 
surface is cleared by felling and burning most, if 
not all, of the timber growing on them. The com- 
mon process^ to clear a piece of land, is to begin 



135 

at such end or side of the land as is most suitabTe* 
Cutting the trees with an axe, a little more than 
two feet high from the ground, they dexterously 
contrive to fell them all the same way, »o thdt 
the tops of the last trees fall over the bodies of 
the preceding. When as many are felled as they 
intend for the season, advantage is taken of the first 
dry time to set them on fire, by which most of th6 
underwood and small branches of the trees are 
consumed, the bodies and remaining branches are 
then cut into convenient lengths, rolled together 
in heaps, and again set fire to. The pieces that 
remain unbiirnt are again piled up, until repeated 
applications of fire nearly cofisunie the whole. 
The bulk of the ashes are carried off to inake 
pot^ash with, add the ground, being harrowed 
between the stumps of the trees, is most com- 
monly sown with wheat. The value of these 
knds, before they are cleared, and in proportioti 
to the quantity of uplands with them, are froiti 
ten fo thirty .dollars an acre; and, when clea'i'ed, 
are worth from fifteen to thirty dollars more ati 
acre. 

I am now speaking of lands about Fort Scuy- 
Icr, White'd Town, and Fort Stanwix. Travel- 
ling one hundred miles farther west, lands of the 
same quality sell not for half the money, and so 
in proportion as ybu travel farther back, until 
they may be bought at one or two dollars an 
acre. The uplands, that are far back from any 



136 

of these navigable waters^ sell for little ct no- 
things aad indeed many of them (like the bargain 
v( Mr. Cooper and Doctor JPriestly) are not worth 
buying at any price, nor even accepting with a 
view of present cultivation. 

This subject, the value of the distant back 
lands, applying equally to those along the Ohiai 
the Muskingamj 8cc. as to the Mohawk and 
Cbenessee, brings to my recollection an adver* 
tiaement of a Mr.Myddleton^ to encourage £og« 
Jisb farmers to go out and settle on such lands. 
In this advertisement, he offered to let them 
farms for ten years at one shilling an acre a year; 
(the fee-simple of which is not worth more than 
from four to nine shillings lan acre;) and, when 
they should have impiroved sucji farms at a great 
expense and very severe labour, with but bitter 
fare compared to what they bad been accustomed 
to in England, l\e modestly assures them, they 
may renew the lease on the same terms, meaning 
that they may continue to improve the estate 
while paying him another fee-simple value; pr, 
if they prefer it, they may ^ purchase the &rm so 
let to them at a fair valu?itioo. That is, having 
already paid more than the value bj a rent, they 
V^^y pay fojr it again by purchase, beside paying 
for every improvement which they tbeijiselves 
have been slaving to make for the preceding ten 
years^ by its being all fairly valued to them 
again. To add to this egregious attempt to dupe 
Ae English farmers, he tells them, that whoever 



137 

holds such lands under hitn shall be at liberty to 
cut down afuiuch timber, of any quality or size, 
a? they think proper. * This was certainly a very 
happy thought of Mr. Myddleton> truly con- 
ceiving that an English farmer, who is so strictly 
restrained from cutting down even a walking- 
stick that promises to be timber, would appre- 
ciate accordingly the liberty to cut down and con- 
vert to his own use any quantity of large timben' 
And the truth is, that, since my return ta Eng- 
land, I haye noticed how readily every farmer t 
have conversed with on tlie subject hafr beea 
tempted with the idea, until undeceived, by my 
observing that the timber on thpse estates is the' 
heaviest incumbrance ; for that lands, which may 
be bought atone dollar and a half an acre with 
the timber standing, will become of more than 
twenty times that value when cleared. Pack-' 
wood is really a very modest fellow compared to 
Mr.Myddletdn. 

Leaving Cosby^s Manor, I parsed by Aldridge^s 
Tavern and the German Flats, where there is a* 
rippling fall,. oVer a loose stony bottom for nearly 
half a mile, the hills on each side of the river 
approaching withih half a mileofeach other, as' 
if the space between had' been torn away. These 
were the first stones I had seen either in the 
banks or the bottom all the way down the Mo- ^ 
hawk thiis far, being* about twenfy-nine mlfes' 
from White's Town. 

N3 



138 

Jn tmvclling by bu^, a* well as leturniog \>j 
water, I soon distipguished the New-England 
jBettlers from the Germans, by their industry and 
attention in clearings fencing, managing, and 
mowing, their lands, as well as io their buildingSi 
the Germans being slovenly in the extreme. 

As we approached the Mohawk-bill Falls, the 
hills on both sides drawing nearer, there was bat 
little interval or level land, and the river was 
from 300 to 4Q0 feet wide. I heard the falls at a 
considerable distance; and, on my arrival, 
stopped the batteau more than two hours to 
examine tlie ridge of rocks that ran across from 
one range of hills to the other« The broken 
rocks, fragments, and whole appearance, con- 
firmed me in an opinion I had entertained during 
my passage down the riv^r, viz. that the space, 
or valley, between the two ranges of hills on each 
side, from these falls up to the falls at Fort Stan* 
wix, a distance <>f fifty miles, (possibly still 
farther,) bad, in,./ormer times, been a lake : the 
bottoms, flats, or level lands, (names by which 
they are indiscrimately called,) being tbrovghoat 
evidently composed of sediment of thi^ finest 
particles of earth, without a stone to. be seeoi 
(the rippling falls near Aldri(^e's excepted,] al- 
though I saw from four to eight and tea&et per- 
pendicular depth of such soil on' the sides of the 
river's whole course, until I drew near the fjUb. 



139 
There is a bridge of IQO feet thrown over these 

A little lower dowo^ an active man^ with a 
long pole, might leap frcnn one fragmeat 6{ the 
rock to another, until he crossed the falls. Nor 
have I any doubt but this was formerly a dam^ 
that confined the waters ao as to form a lake 
abov^' until, by some extraordinary eruption, or 
gradual wearing away and removing detafchecl 
pieces of tl^ roc%j (which in its original state lief» 
in all naianner of ^divided square forms, different 
sizes, yet fitting each other,) it worked its fte^ 
sent passage, sufficient to lay the bottom of &e 
lake dry, when the present river wqul4 readily 
make its current dirough the muddy sediment, 
to bring the waters down from the higher lands 
to the westward of Fort Stanwbc. Various in*^ 
letSj that empty from the adjacent hills, evhicei 
the same^ by similar sedriaentary levels, which 
must have collected when the waters in the lake: 
were high enough to cover them, but ajre too 
high now by several feet for the highest flooda 
in the river to reach* The banks by the side of 
the river are perpendicular, and the bottom of the 
river is muddy. 

There is a canal lately cut, by the side of these 
fallsj, in which are six locks : they were opened ib 
November, 1795^ and the expense was dO,OOi>/. 
The smmber of batteaus, 8ic. carrying from five 
to seven tons^ were IdQ, being marked and. 



140 

numbered as they parsed through the canal. 
There are also several flat-bottomed skows, from 
ten to fourteen tons; yet the traffic up the mer 
to the new settlements and the lakes is so great, 
that they .complained there were not near boati 
enough. 

As you go down the river from the last kcV, 

the passage^ continuing near a mile at the foot of 

the bills, with high perpendicular rock§ on each 

side, is beautifully romantic. About four miles 

below tfie falls, we passed over some rocky raptdsi 

requiribg dexterous management. Near to these, 

I noticed a fish*-]ike thinfg.I had never seen or 

heard of before, appearing as the link.betweei^ 

the fish and frog. It had neither fin nor legs, a 

Touiidisb pcddy body, with a flat belly and long 

foil, by. the motion of which it moved pretty 

briskly: it was of a brown colour, speckled Ifte 

a frog, had bright eyes, and was obliged fire- 

quently to rise to the surface for fresh ain The 

batteau-men knew it by no other name tbanths 

tunder, or thunder toad, nor could they nccoumr 

for that, and were surprised at my being inqui- 

Mtive abodt ft. I tried in vain= to catch one, 

while we stopped to refresh for half an hour; 

The. hills now* -sprebd gmdually open again, 
the coarse of the river from the falk to Skenee* 
tady, nearly east and west, frequently and alter- 
nately washing the foot of either range oi bills; 
between the projecting spurs of which are rich 



14;l 

lei^ls v( landi similar to those above the fsEjU* 
iritbeat a stoae> though the bottom of the river 
is one continiied bed of round stones, rolled 
alongi as I conceive, by string floods from the 
falby and rounded by firiction. As these two 
nuige$ of hills (for I cannot stile them moun- 
tains) spread wider, levels of rich land appeared 
on both sidesj the bed of the river consisting of 
clear round stones, causing frequent rapids^ 
though th^ banks were entirely firee. We passed 
Httdson^s tavern on the right, seven miles from 
the fails. 

Lower down, the hills drawing nearer, there 
is but little interval or level land. Proceeding 
for fifteen mileis.from the iaU^ we were brought 
to Fort l^n^ where are two log-forts, built by 
Sir WtUiain Johnson. We next shot through 
Cady's rapids^ twenty-three vuiles from the falls«^ 
Here the bills approach very near each other: 
one of tbeitn is called the Nose. It was then so 
dark, I could not examine sufficiently tia ascer** 
tain whether there were any evidences of the 
water having been dammed up here likewise. 

Two miles ftirther, we stopped for the night* 
I was accommodatedj at a Mr. CromweU's, with 
supper and a bed. His father was a black man,^ 
his mmher white; his^wife, a pretty Connecticut 
woman. Finding him an intelligent American 
farmer, I sat tip for several hours convetsing 
with him. He declared, as his opinion, that die 



142 

interval or bottom land was invaluable. He had 
known it cropped continually for about thirty 
years, without manure of j^py kind, and ii still 
yielded as great crops as ever. He reckoned 
them better worth from thirty to forty po«iids an 
'acre, than their good uplands at eight. He in- 
formed me, that it required three ^Bons of 
maple-sap to make one pound of sugar, and thej 
used ho other. ' 

Understanding that his neighbour, Mr. Tea 
Eydb, wished to sell hrs estate, I called upon 
him at four o'clock the next morning. The sim- 
ation was pleasant; a neat new house, well 
painted, a small barn, aiftd QQO acres of land, 
seventy.five of which were interval, and about 
forty acres of the upknd cleared* On the pre- 
mises were a grist-n^ill and a saw-mill : * the toll of 
the grist was about 500 bushels, mostly wheat; 
the saw-miU cut near 400 logs, fourteen feet 
lengthff, in a season, having one-half for sawing. 
There was also a small dwelling-bouse with a 
store-house, built by a tenant, who had a lease 
for seven years unexpired, when he wag to quit 
and pay - forty pounds. For the whole of this 
estate, he asked 4,400 /. one-hdf to be paid 
down, the other half might remain on interest. 

Every thing was perfectly neat about Cronn 
well's house.. They admitted me without scru- 
ple, and I slept in a comfortable bed, in the 
same room with them; but they would not ad- 



143 

Vfiii my batteau-men a3 inmates, giving me ta 
understand, thost thejr knew them to be sad des- 
perate scoundrels. However, I had travelled 
with jthem m.ore than sixty miles from. White's 
Town to Cromwdl's; and, except at our first 
starting^ observed nothing to make, me suspicious ^ 
of them but .their looks, which were bad enough. 
For my supper and lodgings I was charged no 
more than eighteen pence. 

I got into my batteau about six o'clock, and 
soon after passed Cocqnowawga rapids, the in- 
tervals narrow, the river about 600 feet wide. 
Four miles lower down, we passed Fort-Hunter ' 
rapids, where, in th# April preceding, three men 
were overset and drowned. 

Ten miles from CromwelFs, I stopped to 
breakfast at a log-house tavern, for which I paid 
two shillings. This was situated on a miserable- 
looking poor, sandy, hilly, rocky soil. Three 
miles from this, I detained the batteau, much 
against the men's will, to examine a rivulet, or 
stream, bursting through the rocks and stones on 
the north side, by which it discharged itself into 
the Mohawk. This rivulet, I was informed, 
turns several mills higher up. the country, then 
sinks into the earth, and is lost until it is again 
discovered forcing its passage through the rocky 
bank before mentioned. This induced me to 
think, that, if the weight and bodjr of the water 
were great, instead of small, it might in time 



144r 

wear and fofCe away the rocks that abstruct its 
freer passage^ in some degree similar to what I 
take to have he€n Ae case at the Hill-falls. 

Lower down^ on the south side^ is the first 
settlement that was made by Sir William John- 
son^ given him^ soon after his arrival, by Admiral 
Warren. There is still a good' orchard, that was 
planted by him. This appears to have been a 
.primary object with the earlier settlers in Ameri- 
ca, and very properly so; bnt, at present, dicre 
seems little or no attention paid to planting new 
or re-planting old orchards. 

Nearly opposite to this settlement, there are 
still to be seen, on the side bf some per(>end]CQ« 
lar rocks, the etchings of seven Indians with 
their canoes, as first sketched by themselves be^ 
fore tliey went out to war; &om which eiqpedi* 
tion as they never returned^ and lio account 
being received of them, the tribe of Indians to 
which they belonged have continued to etch 
them afresh as they occaisionally pass that way. 

Wc shot through several other rapids ; among 
the9i was Wylowkee-rapid, seventeen miles f^om 
Cromwell's and thirteen from Skenectady: it was 
both strong and deep. There was but little inter- 
val knd from the spot where I breakfasted, until 
within isix miles of Skenectady. ^ The banks of 
the river in gederal, for this distance, are rocky 
or rolling stones in a kind of sandy loam. A 
part of the bank on the north side, nearly thirty 



145 

feet high, eixfaibited more of a.red ^vel than 1 
had seen before in America. Here the hilk again 
spread more apart, and the interval, or levels, 
ffevr wider as yre approached near to Skenecta- 
dy: the di9tance from Cromwell's was thirty 
miles* 

As my batteau-men had conducted themselves 
with i^ore civility and attention than their ap- 
pearance promised,.! satisfied them liberally, yet 
I believe they would have given one^half the 
money to have had their curiosity respecting me 
satisfied ; for, the truth (that I travelled from 
motives of curiosity) they could not believe* 
At the time I war making my. minutes at the 
Hill-falls, one of them came up; and, looking 
me full in the face, asked whether I was not a . 
great eu^neer; and possibly it might be from 
entertaining such an idea that they treated me 
with so much civility« 

On the following day, I went to se^ the Co«- 
hoes, some miles below Skenectady, being 
reckoned a great curiosity. They are about two 
miles from the entrance of the Mohawk into the 
North-river, The river is contracted to one 
huqdred yards; the rock over which it pours ex- 
tends, from one side to the other, about thirty 
feet in height, but the fall altogether is near se^ 
venty feet. To those, who had not seen greater^ 
it would appear tremendous ; bu(, having so re« 

VOL. II. O 



146 

eently seen the falls of Niagara, Uiese did not 
quite answer my expectation. 

At the back of the Town of Skenectady is a 
tract of wood land, twelve miles by eight, re- 
served for the use of every townsman who chusa 
to cut and fetch his own fire^-wood. 

Taking the stage to Albany, it was fortunate I 
nat on the fore seat with the driver, as, going 
down a stony hill, one of tbe reins unbuekled, 
and the two leaders turned short tound^ the dri- 
ver, quitting his reins altogether, jumped off to 
liead them, and, if I had not caught them up 
find with all my strength reined back the two 
wheel-horses, the coachee must have overturned 
on the side of a preci|rice, and in all probability 
tome lives have been lost. I could have saved 
myself as readily as Citizen Driver, but a sense 
of duty^to 8o many feUoi^-passengers (eleven) 
prevented me. 

I lay at Lewis's, the old City-tavern, in Alba- 
ny, paying seven shillings for my supppr and 
bed, without faring so well as at Cromwell's. 
Sturgeon is in such plenty and is so common a 
food at Albany, that, in derision, it is called 
Albany-beef by other Americans. 

I took the mail-coach for Poughkeepsie, the 
hxe twenty-four shillings, and experienced sad 
management and delays lat the ferry crossing 
the Narth-river. We fared still worse at Kinder 
hook, at the house where we breakfasted^ which 



147 ^ ' 

was kept by a very young man, of the name of 
Ely* It was ten o*ciock, yet the room was filthy 
to an extreme from the oveiSnight's debauch^ 
There was nothing iu readiness'and but little toi 
be obtained} yet I paid three shillings for a dish 
or two of bad coffee and a slice of bread and 
butter, which I chose to help myself to« My 
travelling- companions, however, had fortified 
their stomachs on the road by sling-drinking, a 
prevailing pernicious custom throughout Ameri» 
ca» It consists of a good deal of spirit, plenty 
of sugar, and very little water, in a tumbler-glass^ 
Smoking, from morning till night, is as prevalent 
even with boys. 

Two miles from Kinderhopk, I noticed a black 
CO)d-]ike slate on the top and sides of some^ of 
the hills. The adjacent land was., wpstb but little i 
but, ^hoxdd coals be found here, they may prove 
of considerable value^ bmg so near to th# 
North-river. Bad attention at the houses we 
stopped at, added to the intolerant self-wUlec) 
Citizen Drivers, made it twelve at night before 
we reached Poughkeepsie, at which, we ought to 
havfe arrived by seven. During the last three 
hours, we were obliged frequently to alight and 
walk down several hilta, (or run the risk of break- 
ing our necks,) though it rained fast and was 
very dark. 

There being good slooprpacket^ from this 
place to New York, I quitted the eoach and 
02 



148 \ 

stopped to get my linen dried, whtcb, for want 
of two yardis of wax or oiled cloth, to spread 
over our trunks, was completely soaked. Ta- 
king my passage by water, we sailed pleasantly 
down the North-river, })assing the (ligh lands, 
West- point. Stony -point, 8cc. The land on 
both sides was remarkably barren for so great a 
distance; steep rocks of lime-stone aiid slate, 
partly covered with shrub-oak, pine, and cedar. 
What few houses are seen are small and indiffe- 
rent, with but little of the land cleared for culti- 
vation ; indeed it did not seem worth the expense. 
As we drew hear to New York, a few pleasant 
good-looking houses enlivened and cheared the 
prospect, fromi so long and uniform a view of 
barren rocks. The passage by the packet was 
fourteen shillings. 

The length and detail of this excursion may 
]>ossibIy have proved tiresome to the Reader; 
and, for that reason, I have endeavoured to 
abridge the account of my other journeys 
through the states. I undertook this jour- 
ney from a two-fold motive; to examine, as an 
agriculturist, some of the richest lands in Ame- 
riea, of which so much had been said; and 
again to observe the mind of man in its progress 
from the original savage to civilized life, as well 
as in its retrograde movements from civilization to 
the savage state. I wished likewise to compare 
the present state of the Indian tribes with that 



U9 

in which I had seen them nearly forty .years be- 
fore^ and also the difference in opinion which it 
might make in my own mind^ between former 
juvenile ideas and those 'of a more advanced 
time of life. 



CHAPTER XXlh 

Observations on the progree$from the $atage to ci-- 
vilized life, and the retrograde movements from 
civilization to tJie savage state; character of the 
Indian savage. 



The ariginiil savage moves on: slowly and^re* 
Ittctantly, while under no particular impulse. 
He considers ease as one of the greatest blessings 
in life, and is not readily roused from it but by 
the force of some strong, passiom ¥et^ when 
moved by hunger to pursue his game, by revenge 
or hatred to destroy his adversary, or by national 
h<^our to engage an enemy, nothing in humaa 
nature can exceed the ardour of his exertions* 
Otherwise, he conceives it useless and' ridiculous 
to labour more than is necessary- to satisfy the 
few wants he has;, such as to. procure fish and 
OS 



150 

game for his provision $ a hnt^ or wigwanii in 
preference to a larger house^. which he says most 
be Tery troublesome; and furs^ to exchange for 
spirits; considering idtoxication as his greatest 
enjoyment. 

The little land appropriated for corn and to- 
bacco is cultivated by the women/ for he thinks 
it beneath him; inor have I known a single in- 
stance of ,an Indian cultivating his jich lands, or 
exerting any mental tal/ents to become opulent, 
although many attempts have been made to 
induce them to it. The same may be said res- 
pecting their conversion to Christianity, for 
which so much money has been cajoled out of 
the pockets of the credulous by knaves, and by 
fools who have believed the knaves. I do not 
assert this solely from my own observations and 
researches, in which I was tolerably inquisitive; 
ji>ut I understood the same from others, who bad 
been muoh more aau>og them. For myself, I 
can seriously declare that I never met with or 
heard of one real American Christian savage, 
who continued to live and reside with his tribe. 
It is true, there are a few savages who have al- 
lowed themselves to be baptized by missionaries, 
and have received a Christian name» In the 
same yray, and with similar ideas, as they wodd 
(from &vage politeness) receive the hpnonr of 
knighthood or any other title from their red 
brethren, (so they call Europeans^) who should 



151 

teH them they brought such power from the 
Great King thatraled and goverened on the other 
side the Great Belt, and press them to receive 
such honour; forj as such only have they any 
idea of the title of Christian. 

But there was no difficulty in meeting with 
many savage Christians. When we look at those 
who have been born and bred in civilized society^ 
retiring to the desert for subsistence^ they ap« 
pear to make a^ rapid progress in losing every 
mental refinement, in proportion to the distance 
they get froni the comfortable enjoyments of ci* 
vilized life. But there are very few (unless they 
begin early in life) who are capable of becoming 
the complete Indian, to live by hunting and fish- 
ing only; ftnd, as these Anglo-American back-* 
woodsmen cai^y with them a propensity for a 
greater variety of indnlgencies^ they are necessa- 
rily obliged to labour mor^ to obtain them. But 
I found no more mind among these retrogade 
Christians than among the Indian savages. 

I would not have it inferred, from this aci- 
count, that it is in the slenderest degree advisar 
ble or eligible to live among the real Indians; it 
is only in comparison mih the white savage^ or 
American back-woodsman, I would prefer living 
as a real Indian. The pretty tales that ate told, 
of the perfect state of independence, &c. of the 
native Indians, are all idle nonsense* 

The Six Nations are esteemed sunong the bet- 



152 

ter or more humanized tribe of Indians; yet 
these, as well as the other tribes, are so brutally 
savage, that, whenever any of their passions are 
afloat, they seldom entertain more than one idtCj 
the idea or impulse of the moment, by which the 
Indian is always governed, regardless of conse- 
quences: compound ideas he never calculates 
-upon. If a savage likes not your countenance, 
he tells you so in plain terms., careless of what 
may follow: he will be equally eJcplicit if he 
likes you, and so far there is no hypocrisy, which 
serves as a set off against his want of politeness. 
But, prone to iatoxication,, he follows the first 
impulse of his passion,, be it what it may. 
Should he say he will kill you, he does so, or 
tries at it, without farther hesitation. * It is the 
Same thing as to killing his own child or himself, 
(his father alone^ with the elder wamors, having 
some power to control him); possessed and eu- 
grossed by one idea only, he executes that with- 
out looking for a second. Or, give him provi- 
sion for five days,^ assuring him he can receive' no 
more until the sixth; he will devour it all »at one 
or two meals, according to his appetite at the 
time, without a second idea of cfare about to- 
morrow. 

I found little or no difference in my own opi- 
nion, from my earliest acquaintance with them 
to the last, as relating to a comparison between 
the free and independent state of savages, and 



153 

the seemingly more confined state of civilized 
}ife. As to the savages themselves^ in their per- 
sons and manners, they ap'peared to me much 
inferior to what I conceived of them before: I 
coald scarcely believe they belonged to the same 
tribes I had formerly visited. The chailge, from 
an undaunted^ bold, open , countenance, to a 
tame submissiveness, without a single ~ acquire-* 
ment in lieu to benefit their situation, (unless 
intoxication, as often as they can procure spiritu- 
ous- liquors, be admitted (cs such,) made, them 
objects of pity, without one trait left in their 
character to admire. 

It was evident, that, when any of the Indian 
tribes admitted free intercourse and settlement 
among them, by disposal of their lands for an* 
nual tributary allowances, which took frota them 
the spur to active exertions^ they shrank and 
melted away to nothing, and in a few years 
more will probably be quite extinct. But there 
are other tribes of Indians, who have more pru- 
dently retreated as the AmericanisfHl Europeans 
have advanced, retiring into the stilHarth^ back 
countries, among the more distant nations of 
Indians; and these retain the primitive energy of 
savage warriors^ 



.U4 



CHAPTER XXIII 

Paradoxifial difference in JitiericanBy relative to 
England and France as goverumefifs; and be- 
tween Englishmen and Frenchmen as iudividmh\ 
hardships of the French emigrants f ram the Wisi 
Indies, 



I NOW resame inrhat may more ptopcily be 
• called the thread of my own personal biitoiy* 
Soon after myanrival with my family in America^ 
X noticed a singular pai*adpxical difference in the 
people of Ani0rica> between their conduct iela« 
tive to England and France as countries and go« 
vemmentS; and that -which they exhibited to 
Engh'sh and French individuals. 

When speaking of the countries^ their partia- 
iity in favour of the French was glaringly con- 
spicuous^ creating doubts in my mind as to nij 
own reception as act individual; but I found it 
just the reverse. An Englishman, of any re- 
spectability of character and conduct^ would be 
noticed and courted to form intimate connec- 
tions; while Frenchmen, who to all appearance 
merited equal attention, were treated with cold 
civility and distant politeness, as if they were 



J4r5 , , . 

(earful of encouraging too great an intimacy.with 
them. And I believe the retnrn of affection to 
the country^ as well as to the individuals of 
England, would have quickened apace^ if conci* 
liatory measures had been taken after acknow* 
ledging their independence and making peace 
with them. 

On my landing at Baltimore, it was afflicting 
to seethe great number. 6f French families ar* 
riving frorii St* Domingo and other islands in the 
West Indies^ whence they fled to save themselves 
from being butchered by their own slaves. Some 
with but little, and more without any of their 
immense property; in an instant reduced to ah* 
solute penury and want. To add to tHeir suffer- 
ings, many of those, who had providentially saved 
something from the flames and from the hands 
of their destroyers, by getting it on board of 
American vessels, were stopped in their pas- 
sage both by English and French cruisers, who, 
equally cruel, robbed them of the i^mall pittance 
they thought they had saved. The English con* 
sidered themselves justified by the laws of war, 
the French cruisers treated them as emigrants; 
but, in truth, it was no better than savage cruelty 
in both. It was little or nothing better than 
robbery at a fire, and With many this was literally 
the case: their little all, thus taken, being just 
saved from the ravages ofjire and sword. Num- 
bers of them I conversed with were glad to save 



156 

their lives, while their plantations wfere in flames, 
set on fire by their own negroes; and, from a 
stat^ of affluence and luxuiy, I have known them 
reduced to eat the bread of charity. 



CHAPTER XXIV, 

]\j;r. L , of New York, in the character of 

Captain Bobadih 



Complaints agwnst the British government, 
on accoi^nt of its cruisers, with lond thrcaten- 
. ings of a war, sooti pervaded the United States. 
An Englishman conld not walk along the stteets, 
go to a coffee-house, the post-office, or any 
public place, without his feelings being insulted. 
One instance may suffice. 

I was at the Tontine Coffee-house, at New 

York, when a Mr. L , expressing his hopes 

of a war with England, declared the English 
were such cowards, compared to. Americans, 
that he should, be glad to see a fleet of British 
ni€n-of-war dare to approach and attack Nc\r 
York; being" convinced, that sufficient numbers 
of brave Americans (himself one) would instantlj 



157^ 

tottect, board, and conquer. In which case^ he 
said, he would put all to the sword^ and then strew 
their carcases on Long-island by way of manure^ 
the only good that he knew Englishmen were fit 

for. Mr. L certainly acted Captain Bobadil . 

to the life and spirit of the character. This and 
much more abilsive ribaldry was performed under 
the banner of a cap of liberty. Inquiring of a 
gentleman present, why this was permitted in a 
public cdfiee-room, among prudent sober mer* 
tantile men, he observed, that, in a country of 
liberty, every man claimed the privilege of say- 
ing what he thought; I then hinted, that another 
might reply • /* Yes, he might, but I advise 
thee not, friend;" (it was a Quaker I w'as con- 
versing with;) " for, should the reply give of- 
fence, it is probable they would take the liberty 
of kicking thee Out/' I thahked faith fbr s6 good 
an account of their one-sided liberty, and fot*- 
lowed his advice. 



fojf*. It 



158 



CHAPTER XXV. 



J^irchase a farm in Rhode-island; suspected of 
being a spy; embargo. 



1 MAD travelled over great* part of America, 
without meeting with d situation to answer my 
expectations. On the contrary, my doubts were 
nearly converted into certainty, that my favourite 
projected scheme of farming upon a grand scale 
could not be accomplished to advantage. I had 
bought a small farm of seventy-six acres, near 
Newport, in Rhode-island^ . as a temporary re- 
^dence for my family, while I made my re- 
searches. 

It unfortunately happened, however, that, 
while thus employed, the growing uneasiness 
between England and America greatly increased, 
until it was suspected that Mr. Pitt had spies all 
over the United States ; and the Englishman, who 
did not inveigh against his native country with 
equal or more violence than themselves, became 
liable to such suspicion. And sorry I am to say, 
there were many such degenerate sons of Eug- 
land| Scotland, and Ireland, who made no scru- 
ple of it; but it was some satisfaction to fiud 



159 

they were heartily despbed* by Americans of cna- 
racter. — 

While, I was debating in my own tnind what 
was best to be done, in regard to my own pur- 
suits, I could not but observe, that, noticed and 
respected as I was by maiiy of the 'first people i a 
the country, it did not save me'frofti SuspJcion, 
and that the multitude honoifred me with their 
notice by announcing me a spy.' Mr. More, the 
British consul, who advised me to be' on imy 
guard, was the first who informed me, ' and I 
treated the report- (not the reporter} with the 
contempt I thought it merited. *• Al' lengt't ^ \ 
h^ard pther v^hispers, insinuation's; aiid tlircateit^ 
ings, as I walked along the streets, until tky owii 
farming man at last told me blentlyy (yet ii^ good 
nature,) that the people considered «m« as a spyi; 
and, on my questioning him as to the cause, hie 
answered drily, that I appeared to know things 
so well, and explored the country so much, the 
people could not believe but I had some other 
business beside hunting after farms. He added, 
that I was known Jikewise to be an old officer, 
who had seen various services by sea and land, 
with a capability (magnified by them) of no- 
^ticing, advising, and directing, which they con- 
ceived must have been connected with secret 
views. 

However I might despise the report per- 
sonally, it was not a pleasant one, nor to be 
P2 



160 

pyhd wj^ji, (\s ^«Utijr€ Xo my fa^^yJr; and, ia a 
republican governmeDt; as America is^ if a war 
^nsuedy ^ .w^9 fraught with dapger where .the 
mult^ude rise ^i^erior tQ ^he ]a>irs. To speak 
pl$^in|^i I did not like the appearance of things • 
jo \>€ considered and treated as a spy^ or^ on die 
oth^r pfXidp to he apy i^ay aiding in takiog 
part a^^^i.^tl ip^y Pj^tiye (^oqutr^i were alternatives 
J coul^ not well jJHhjpU to^ if i» my power to 

|l^ii eni.bargo ,yas then laid on all the ports io 
America^ which 9eemed to cut off a retreat ; but^ 
on my powers of exertion to rise corre- 



monAmt to the emergency, I. considered well 

ihe svlgeot^ apd hai made up my mind in what 
aEDoencr io pcoeeed as soon as the emihadrgo shonld 
be tak^m •ff ; when Dame fortune turned up a 
jucky card, that enaikfed me to sail for Englaad 
pieYibiisIy to the vemoral of tl^e embargo. 



161 . 



CHAPTER XXVI. : 

Engage the Britania transport^ ta conj^ei/. mj/ 
family to Efigland; Captain BajfAton, of. the 
Nautilus, sloop of war ^ detained jonishore by. th^ 
people at Newport; occurrences thereon; fail for 
Efigland; deliver to the minister a narrative qf* 
plain fads y previously ta bisiutermew with the 
Amencaji Plenipotentiary^ ,. — ?• 

♦ ..... ; t, , 

. ■ / . . ' : -r 

TiTB Britannia^ traa9pof:|, arriving at l^ho^e^ 
island^ with General Rochambeau and his suij^e 
from Maistinico^ afforded me at^ opportunity of em- 
barkiag^ which I did not negj/ect.. At that ;time^ 
no man in America could well know more of theix . 
real grievances, and the ^ffipct pfodiiced on th^ ' 
public mind in disposing it for war with Engkody 
than myself; and, in addition, to. my. own private 
concerns, I conceived, that,, to convey substantial 
informatioa to the British ministry, without 
faliiating on one side or aggravating on the 
other, would* be the best service I could:r^der 
bpth countries. Those who are employed by 
governmei^t> to- procure informatiQn>. teooftea 
hape it to what.they. think. .will please^. 

On those various grounds, I resolf^d^tor^tum 
instantly; l>ut the democrats, in. opposition t<ai H^ 
P3 



162 

opinion of the governor of the state, the judge, 
the revenue-officers of the port, and principal 
merchants of the -placd assenrUled tumuhuously; 
and, proceeding on board the Britannia, unbent 
Iter saib and brought them on shore, struck her 
masts and yards, and took forctWe possession, 
tleclaring themselves the best judges^ whether a 
ship, cothing in under a flag of truce to land 
Fren<^ officers, ought to ha detained or not. 
This made it necessary to make application to 
the President, General Washington. I hesitated 
fiot, however, to engage the whole of the Bri- 
tannia's cabin, and then posted off to Philadel- 
phia, ^ith n tender cof'tpy services '^o tbe-Brilisli 
mimster. 

During this Mr. J — — was preparing to sail 
4qx England on the subject of American com- 
plaints.^ It was more than 600 miles to Philadel- 
f hia,.^Qd back ;again, yet I went thither aad re- 
<tttnt^ ivhbin -a week, i^eady for embarking, an4 
4»efore tfbe ocder of the |>resideat was obtained 
fof'fte firitamikV permission tO'Sail;--r-^po8sibly 
some little ddaydlso arose, with a polUieal viewr, 
to give Mr. J^ — ^ the- start* 

Wl^ thus waiting, ah o€<:!ut^sence4iapp«Ded 
nrhidb oiay tskther shew the temper and spiik of 
fte Americai^ at the time. The jMantiliis, sloop 
of war, arrived :at 'Newport, vridi ^th^ FrenGh 
60>vefnor of *Sk. Lueie. I was walkin^dnto the 
«Mrii^ iffid niqc^the British cqu8«1 ^with ^Captain 



.J6» 

BajoiUm and hk &fst lieuttoaiU: ^^ng ihmt 
esoQited hy C»0iuo Davif^ :tt«e ^^i/F, ^pd ,gQ-r 
ing /towacds rtbe coui1>«hoq3e^ I suspisOtQd jopie-' 
tbiog .amiss an^foQowed^ biH was |ip( per^VftifkteA 
to eater or converse with tb«m» The st^t^-9$« 
sanbly was then sitting: I waited a short ti^^ 
gained admiUance^ and understood -Ca^i^taiii 
Bajmton had been sent for on accowtof »^mf 
American iseamen rq>orted to be :on.:board rtbt 
I^faotilus; md it was determined Itbat theiC^f^io^ 
with rbis lieiitenant^ who was on sbofe U tb^ 
same tirne^ should he. detained until a comflSkiltje? 
was sent on board to .examine the thipfs #)9mr 
fmj, bodks^&c. Captain Baynton^ ^afitor iiiaifiog 
some ineffectual ^ttanpts to getaway, we^^iNPfir 
pelled to agree to the' oommittee's going <Hi 
board, aoccmipmied by die consul, lKbo9^ li^ a 
refugee they treated with contempt* 

On their retum, :ColQaeI Sborbume infoiPDe^ 
the iiouse that they found all hands ;at qnantei^s^. 
with tiie guns loaded, but iwese receivied aivitii 
^leat politeness. The ship's comjpaoy was jiemi4* 
lered^ tlie books examined^ ^ad >exeiY ibing 
complied with,, eaccept permktiog »x m^a <wb# 
called theipsdlves Amencanst) to oome oa skore 
iwithHbem without aa ord» ^Irom the suN^ffii^* 
it was ithen resohred, that Capta^fi; SsiOf»j^^W^< 
k\B lieuteaem should, not be allow^ rto depart,, 
unul those six men were safe on sbQjee,,^»ohMge4, 
and paid. After soQie j9QnsideKat}<«^ '^fitwi 



164 

Iteynton 'tent an order, by whiefa the men were 
brCi^ught oiu^hoT^; and, about two in the morn- 
ings Captain Baynton add his lieutenant were 
libei^tedj Mr. More, the consul, being bound 
for the payment of what' moneys were due to 
them. Thfef ensuing day, certificates for each 
tnan's riioney were made out, signed by the cap 
tain and' endorsed by the consulJ A new diffi- 
culty then arose; eviery merchant in town was 
fearful of b^ing suspected to iiide.with the Bri- 
tish if be Credited those certificates, so as to adk 
vahce money on theim: this I was well assured 
of by th|5 first mewihant ia the place. The con- 
sul's personal credit' was. not sujf&cient to procure 
the cash aoy other way ; and, hearing of this, I 
w^aited on the cc^nsu], and advanced the money. 

When all was thus settled, I laughed at Colonel 
Sherburne and the other gentlemen of the comt- 
-mittee for trusting themselves on board the 
Nautilus; assuring tliem,. that if I had been the 
commanding^-oiBcer when they went on board, 
1 would ho^ve, played them a Yanky trick wk- 
tttrn, by detaining the whole ccmimittee until the 
captain' atid hentenant were seaton board. 
' A few days after, I sailed for England; and> 

iliiading a rfece against Mr. J , the^ Amlrican 

plenipotentiary, I was fortunate- enough to ar<- 
tive in good time ta wait on Lord G ■ ■ ■ with a 
concise narrative of facts, without fear, partiality, 
or prejudice, on a subject, which,, from the era- 



165 

bar^o in America, ^ould be'bi^t little kfto^n. 
I hope and believe it was of use, preparing hi^ 
]ordship*s miiid against the meetiag; with Mr. 
J^— — a few days after ; and, as the precii^e mode 
I .suggested for settling the differences was 
adopted, it matters not with whom it oridnate^, 
yet I may be iillowed to please myself in thinking 
I was so far serviceable to both oooptries. 



-rrr- 



mitHom of Mcres ^ iimd^ embark for ikfi J^r 
ftamai ; land €t Vaum, jn NetBp Prowknce. 



Having devoted as nmcb pi my time anifl 
attention to th(s public concerii^ ap were P^fi(- 
saiy and requi^itCi <md 3ietU^ ^ucb ofinyow.9 
priyate affairs as ^bfMrnce w4 Cttb^^r q^rcum^tappe^ 
jna4e expedient, I tbep looked ^bent .tp cpn- 
fiideir what Wfts next best to be done; tutiieyerj 
ill tike course of my life, did I fii^d myself in ^sp . 
complete ^ vQid. Tbi?j|ievercp»,tin\ie§j9Dg:witb . 
an active mia^* 



166 

Disappointed in some attempts to re-settle in 
England^ I became disposed for the most 'ha- 
zardous enterprise that might offer or be thought 
of; and, giving full scope to a range of extra- 
vagant ideas that iKen started, 1 endeavoured to 
digest some of them to the possibility and pro- 
babiKty of being realized. Like other projectors) 
the more I thought on one grand speculative 
plan I had conceived, the more satisfied I was 
witTi it; but it required extensive power as well as 
capital. 

With my project prepared for explanation, I 

waited on , who was soon satisfied that 

a small expense, with but . little risk, would be 
sufficent to lay the foundation of a mighty iin- 
dertekjng^ wheth^ the whole immense fabric 
proposed' to be built thereon should ever take 
•effect or not': secrecy was 60 essential, that it 
was agreed no third person should be made ac- 
quainted with it, until the first grand point was 
obtained, which, insuring possession, might then 
be proceeded on without that apprehension of 
defeat it was liable to at first. I undertook the 
whole of the active preparations, until the first 
blow was to be struck to insure success; then, 
and riot ^till then, did I require that pecuniae 
aid which! possessed not, and without which 
nothing eould be achieved. This was to be 
ready and at my command when wanted, and 
things were put accordingjly in train. 



167 

t 

Takings my eldest son with me, I left all the 
rest of my fiimily io England. No time was to 
belo!(t; and, hearing of a ship ready to sail for 
the Babau^s^ from Liverpool, I embarked from 
that port, sending letters to America, by different 
conveyances, to facilitate my plan. It was pretty 
generally understood that I was gpipg to settle at 
the Bahamas, where 1 was to have 1200 acres of 
land given me for cultivation, and there was 
truth enough in the circumstance, on which to . 
found the supposition. 

At the time I am speaking of, there were se- 
venteen millions of acres of land to be sold in 
Georgia, and this in truth was my real grand 
object. I knew that no foreign government 
would be permitted to purchase, but a private 
unsuspected, individual might, as a matter of 
speculation, buy all he was able to agree and pay 
for; through whose agency it might afterwards 
be ojanaged. The settling and inhabiting those 
part3 bordering on the river Mississippi, by the 
influence of any powerful maritime nation, might 
easily be effected. A rupture with Spain was 
then , expected ; who, either by treaty, might 
have been indu^ccd to give up the Floridas for 
au equivalent, or be compelled so to do. Sup- 
posing, thenj that Great Briuin was again pos- 
sessed of Florida, as well as Canada, she wduld* 
have ftiwj the two grand navigable inlets and out- 



168 

lets of communicatibn for commerce, with a com- 
'^mand of all the rich back territories of North 
America. 

Keatucky, and most of the westeiH backcoun- 
triesy were then complaining arid thrdatetiing to 
withdraw from the uaion> if the navigation of the 
Mississippi was not made free for them^ and 
which it was not in the power of the United 
States then to do. Any new settled country, in- 
creasing in population io 100>000^ has a right to 
claim being free and independent^ and this 
would not have, been long uncleir the influence of 
the government I had in contemplation* 

Imagination led me to consider my intended 
purchase as the link of the chain to join the Flo- 
ridas with Kentucky^ and all the rich tract of 
back country along the Ohio; and^ as the 
western posts were not then given up and doubts 
entertaiiied whether they would or not, the con- 
nection with Upper Canada wotild have been 
easily accomplished^ and th^ United States insQ« 
kted. Such was my airy castle, at that time. 
How far it would be prudent^ to attemjpt it at all, 
or to make a purchase of not less than tien and as 
far as fifteen millions of acres, w^as td be i 
tigated farther at the' Bahamas, orl as i^ 
happeiii at'Soiith Carolina. 

Landing at Nassiui in lifew Providebce^ ij 
politely received" by ttie gb^rnor, fiota 
more, whose inquisitiveness to leajiatf all the i 




lives of my visit I did not satisfy, though, from 
my declining sotnelibi^al o2le% o'f lind he mad« 
zne, be could not he persuaded that I had any 
vievTS to settle in. the Bah'amAS% 
' White there, I was forioQate enough 4o meet 
three genttemea from Georgia, from .whom 1 
gathered such inforiBatioR reilpfecting the land 
and the price it #as to be bought at, (froA three 
pence halfpenny to five pence an acre,) as wade 
it unnecessary to go to that state* Congress, t 
understood, already appeared jealous, and 
claimed a right to control the sale of diose 
lands. Nothing could be determined on by me, 
therefoi'e, until that- question was decided be- 
tween, congress and Georgia; and, in the event 
of Georgia ^.ucceeding for what they •contended, 
tIz. an undeniable right to dispose of tht state* 
lands in any way they thought best, Philadelphia 
and New York were the best markets to purchase 

At. 



▼OL. lt# Q 



17* 



CHAPTER XXVIIL 

Concise ^tecount of the B^kanuts; imporianei of 
tkese iddnd^; hints for sending convicts thither; 
thefrei settHng of these islands; a rtndenoousfw 
pirates, end residence pf the notorious sea^robletf 
Bladcbeard; the pirates expdled and a govem- 
fnent settled ; extraordinary propagation of their 
sheep; weakness and poverty of this settlement in 
1784; rapii improvements since; excellent fok; 
plenty iff turtle; all other provisions dear; JT. 
Sounue and his wife, their iU-treatment frtm 
Jt? Kenny f Captain of a pvyoateer; undertake 
their came; oblige M' Kenny to make restitution; 
liberality of the gentlemen at Nassau towards M. 
JSounise. 



Tuts affording me a little time) Temployed 
it in examining and learning all I could concerns 
ing these apparently mnch'^neglect^ islands | 
«nd I trust that the following short account tf a 
part of the British empire, so littTe known to 
people in England^ will be neither miprofitable 
&or unentertainidg. I was indebted to Mr. Wj« 
ley, a very able counsellor and late 8olicitor-ge« 
neral of those islaudsi for much of mjr infbrma« 
tion» 



J7l 

These isluids, 90 iMg Mooted hj the £uf^«- 
peas powers^ and unexplored even hy tb^ Sog- 
lisb« settlers aftd their descendants^ who for 
more than a century have hem .settled there^. 
may henceforth^ on account of their valuaUe^ 
staple as well as their relative situatioo^ be con-*^ 
sidered among the more important of our colo- 
nies Tliey extend froms 21» to ^9^ of north, 
latitude, and from 71'' to 79"" of west. longitude. 

The principal idlands are twenty*six !» nam'- 
ber 'y the smaller islands, or (as they ase called J 
Keys, amount to some hundreds : together, tb^ 
form almoit one continoed <^ain, extending 
from Turlt'n Island to tb? Gmnd JM^^im, mM 
direction nearly north-west and soiitb*^a)^« . Tbt* 
principal barbourt^ at ptesent known, are those 
pf Exubm; Nassau, in the Inland of New Pto^ 
videace; and 'Little Harbour, at Abai^; bm^ 
from tbe number, extent^ and situation, of Aese 
islands^ it is most probable there ane idany other 
harboum equally good with those above men* 
tioned. That of Exuma is by far the best of the 
three, ancf they are. all formed by one or more 
kej%, or smaller islands, lying in frjont of the 
principal island. 

To perceive at one ww tbe importance of 
these islands to Great Britain^ for the purpose of 
protecting our homewardi-bouod West-India 
trade in time of war, aa well aa i^noying that 
of France and Spain, nothing more will be m^ 
' Qfl 



*i.72 

e^siirf lh(^A to look iMO the map/and observe the 
onlj two passages by which ships can retaro to 
Europe from ports in the West lodies lying to 
the westward of Hispaniola. One passage lies 
between the west end of tl>e last-mentioned 
iftland and the east end of Cuba, by Crooked and 
Long Islands; the other round the west end of 
Cuba, and thence through the strait lying be- 
tween the coast of Florida and the^ Islands of 
Abaco, Grand Bahama, &c. The former of 
these passages is commanded by Exuma, the 
latter by New Providence, Abaco, and the other 
; islands to the aorth^west. These at all seasons 
' a^rd safe harbours and places of rendezvous to 
our vessels, while the French and Spanish home- 
ward-bound ships must pass almost within sight 
of either the one or the other of them. Froqi 
these ports, our cruisers and privateers may at- 
tack them with great advantage, and their prizes 
'be sent, in the course of a few hours, into places 
of safety, so as to render re*captures in general 
impracticable* 

After what has been said, it is easy to conceive 
to what dangers our Jamaica trade would have 
^been exposed, if the Bahamas had not been 
restored. But it' is not the situation alone that 
makesxhese islands of importance to Great Bri- 
tain; the extent of our cotton -manufactures, 
and the many -thousand industrious labourers to 
whom tijey give bread, reader the cuitivatiou o{ 



173 

that raw material an otgect af mu4b 9»lto94 
canoern; and the exp^ience of the prodvctivt 
crop^ at the time I visited tbeoiy evinped that 
the *a6il add dioiate of the Bahamas, were watt 
ftdafHted to the culture of cottw* 

The noftbemmost ialanda^ ifmore cleareflanil 
iahaUtod by iadttstrious lanoersj encouraged 
diereto ftom Eoglapdj are wett adapted for raisiog 
provisions ia abuadauce for the supply of the 
West-India Islands, and I am incliaed to believe 
would prove healAjTi wlii9h is nnore thm I think 
of those to the somthwiird^ otherwise thaa in ^ 
comparialiTe degree. 

The southern islands are best calculated for 
getting rich in a short tinie> and the northern 
islands for living healthy and comfortable; nor 
do I doubt^ but, in the course of a« few years^. 
the faimetai in the latttf would^ be at^ much, the* 
greatest certainty. In the on^ there is a^olern^ 
bie depth of soil to work upon ; but|.in the othea^ 
nodung. short of actual pro<if would haye jfii^ 
Miaded nj|e to believe these isllinds were capable* 
of such resaarhable vegetfttion'as I jHCoessed*. 

The natural appearance of these islands is-^fiUh' 
from being encouraging to the ^usbaudman^ Mfho- 
has never before .quitted bis pativesoilin Europe*. 
Ia general^ they ara either rocky and moun— 
tamius, or flat, wet> and sandy: the soil is lightV 
andthiD; and in most places but sparingly seau- 
tersd Qser ft.,white, porous, soft, JOck* Of thfl*,> 
0.3. 



174 

lite first strata are for the most part broken and 
unconnected^ lying in' sheets^ frotn three to six 
inches tbick> and either covering or covered by a 
ireiy slight }>ortion of %bt earth, sometimes 
both^' But, however little fertility the appear- 
ances promise, certain it is that the tropical 
plants thrive as well here as in any of Ae West* 
India Islands. This, possibly, is in a great mea- 
«nre owing to the rocks themselves : these, from 
Aeir very porous nature, necessarily receive a 
great deal of i^ildsture, which they retain knger 
than it is possible for the' soil alone to do in thii 
hot climate, and they certainly yield their exba^ 
lations more s^aribgly to the rays of the sun. 
But, whatever ihay be the phydcal cause, th^ 
fact is, that the long droughts, with \iAich these 
islands are sometimes visited, are by no means se 
1njupiou» to plants as they are found to be in 
most sou^ern .cUmates $ and the cotton^ escept 
•in the planting-season, -requires less xnoistuR 
"ftan any other plant we are acquainted witK 

Indian cem, Guinea corn^ pease, beans, cab* 
bages, carrofe, and sallad,. aee culi^ated with 
/tittle trouble: yams, platntains^ and' bananas, 
-grow in great abundame; tbe»Ia8t articles gene- 
Tally wither away- in the dry season, but spring 
-^up again, from fhe^ same pootsf,^ for several years 
successively; by which- means, nmcb* labmir is 
saved to the planter. And^ if farming weue 
moie attended 4o in tliege isbndsi (ioirtfiad oC the 



175 

false pride of being caHed plantei^^^ di^r'negfioei^. 
at little expense^ would 1^ fied much : beltei^ 
lYithout being dependent for supplies from abroacb 
^hichr is often the ease in these and .still mofe 
so in the other West-India Islands. --- . * 

Dye-woods are foimd in these ish^ds, but ajt 
present in no gi'eat abundance^ and in .all like- 
lihood because i^ot sought- for. They have a va- 
riety of hard woodi^ and a small hut e^celle^ 
species of mahogany. Pine of a tolerable size^ 
and much harder than that oftthe continent, is 
found upon some of the islands, particularly oti 
Abaco. 'Ship-timber> ^qual to any in the wodd* 
for vessels as large as £00 tons burden, seems 
inexhaustible on the northernmost islands. u. 
I* acknowledge myself no botanist, and tbere^ 
'fore in point of judgment claim but little atten- 
tion; llut> so far a» opinion may go,, firom a 
c^ninott view of tfaiiiigs> I conceive there, is a 
£ne untt^ved fiaM for botanical researclies. 
Pine - apples, oranges, limesy lemons^ guavas^ 
and all the tropical fruits, with • coffee, cocoa, 
and pii][iento> grow extremely well here; and. 
there is' Kttle doubt but the climate would jbe 
eqUaHy favouiftble to indigo, tobacco, and vine$ : 
the latter are indigenous. I observed them grow** ' 
ing wild in ike woods, in various pkices^} fromi 
which I am of^ opinion, that, if suitable sltnations 
for vineyards were sought, out, they migjit be 
4^«}^ftM to advantage fon domestic pujri^OseiB at 



176 

<kast* ' But ^eir oii^sl Valunble pToductton, at 
^veMit, is cotton f afid^ while that bears aaj^ 
thing like its preheat price^ it might be impm- 
^Mt to attempt any .^her staple upoin w «aq[>en- 
sive scale; oa those lilaBids where it has beco 
proved to grow to sudi profit. 

But this is no reason whj those islands^ that 
lie too far to the northward f<Hr cotton^ should 
not be cidtiyated for other producdons^ apd the 
raising of livte stock; and, with all dpe defereooe 
to my superiogi^ if these nfffliieily JWwma^ 
inlands (that are so neglected) had been made 
choice of to send convicts to, iiistead of Botanj- 
Bay, I am persuaded that half the money, which 
already- has been expended on that distant settle- 
ment, would before this time have made these 
-islands highly productive and beneflcial ; to this 
cowtiy, in a tariety of ways; while Bopny*^ 
wifl continue to be ab.oating cmker as loqg.as it 
belongs to us* It solay be;4aid, :i«9 bfrt |;one so 
far in e^taUahing^ our seUlenMots at New Hol- 
land, that they cannQl now bei given up ;. yet I 
should submit, that the convicts might be di*^ 
Tided into Iwo classes, of bettet and worse; the 
better to be sent to these nearer aettlements> as a 
milder punishment, and the worse tb Botany*Bajr. 
Cotton was {unst.planted in these islaads in the 
year 1785, ton years before I visited them. It 
arose from the. industry of jjbneriban loy^ts 
«nd h^d exceeded theii: own mo6t «^|puil0 f^ 



peclatidns. On Exumit^ a planter, with no more 
than ' thirty-two daves^ had made nineteen tons 
of clean cotton, worth oa the spot upwaids of 
26G0/. sterling, nearly double the whole value of 
the negroes by whose labour it was made. Upon 
that and other windward islands, people have in 
general been almost equally successful; and, in 
many instances) a ton or a ton and a half has 
been made by the labour of a peasant, his wife, 
and one or two children. Salt also may be made, 
in any .qirantitles, upon maify of these islands, 
particularly on the Turk's Aands, Exuma, 
Ragged*islahd, and at Norraon's Pond. . 

As many of the Bahama-ivlaiids lie within the 
tropics, it would be superfluous to give, an ac- 
count of their climilte, which "is like that of the 
West-India Islands in general. The same, tem- 
perament prevails also, for nearly two-thirds of 
the year, in the islands which are situated far- 
ther north; but, from November to April, during 
the prevalence of the north-west wind from the 
continent, the air of these last-mentioned isJands 
is within a degree or two of frost, and fires ate 
then coipfortable. 

In so temperate a latitude, encompassed by 
the sea, (the air of which is on all hands ad- 
mitted to be more salubrious than that of the 
continent,) the native adult inhabitants ^f these 
islands, together with those who have been long 
enough to become seasoaed to a hot cUmata/ 



m 

muj fdrly be md to enjojr iheii health; ftnd theii 
vm&ertfus famiites exhibk strcmg proofs that 
the womeo are prolific^ but it mast be confessed 
the children look sidcly* Yet, on Harbour- 
island, among fifty-eight familiesj (all natives,) 
only five different surnames are found, viz. Ro- 
berts, Russeli, Saunders, Sawyer, and Conie. 
Of the Boberts'alone, there were nineteen femi- 
liesy all within three degrees of the same com- 
mon stock or ancestor. The people^ in this 
island in particular, are remarkable for their 
longevity, which I attribute much to its northern 
situation ; and thence I think it fair to infer, that 
those islands, .ii^hich are still farther north, would 
prove equally healthy* indeed, were I to make 
an Section for forming a new settlement, I 
should prefer these to any other of the Bahama* 
islands, or to atiy of the new richest back lands 
in America. 

It would be bat a. small expense to govern- 
ttentj to enoourage and divert to these islands, 
the present frequent emigrations to America from 
this country. The better sort of convicts wouW 
supply the new settlers with the necessary help 
for clearing and, {Cultivating the land; an aid, 
.which cannot be procured in America, nor any 
substitute for }t, and without aid of some kind a 
mat! may as well say he possesses so many thou- 
sand acres of land in the moon, as in Kentucky, 
&c. fflom any advantagja he nsiay derive from cul- 



m 

thratioQ> heyond We snpport* i6 hU faittilyi 
which most be done by bis awn and th€ar hai^d 
labour. 

The first SuiTopeaii settkveat, uttanpled in 
the Bahamas^ was by the EDgiM»» io 1608^ imder 
a patent from Charles tbe Second^ hjL whksh tbe^ 
territorial property of these islands was grantiedi 
to certain persons themn named. Little, how*/ 
ever fras doBe^ of attwipted at that time^ and 
the BahemsB sooia^ dfter beealne a haunt toi 
pirs^esand robbei^^ whose depicedations were fa- 
cilitated and retreats rendered secure by theintji* 
cacy <tf the navigation, so little known at thai; 
time. In this state did libose islands remain fot 
ahnost forty y^avs^ dvmg a great part of whidi' 
period^ a piratci niimed Blaokbeard^ wfaoae me^* 
mory i& still fumoos tlhere^ possessed the powet 
of a petty |>rfilce| niching biinself and hb toin^ 
lowers by the plunder of ^norcbaat^ships ttbat 
aaTfg^ted diose aeas^ I have repeatedly been 
under the lluge tn^e wbem be used to sit and/ 
det^ttitfie all matters, m question^ relative to iifia 
or property, in the most summaiy way« 

To expel these' freebooters, Captain Rogt^s 
was Mhnt out, as governor, in the yoav 1716* He 
erects Fort Nassau^ upon the Island of New 
Froi^idencei and there ixed tbe seat of go^Mnu 
Hient. Since diat* period) tome sort of govera^ 
meat bas l>een. continued, and <of late huB been 
improved^ this i% wmted. la truth, the jimpA* 



180 

«tors> under tli« grant «f Cbarksi IIJ gave tfaem- 
selvet oo.troubk about it; and so little was 
done, to encourage either commerce or ag^cul- 
tare in these jsland^tbat. ivi^til lat^y tbey bave 
etcap^ the attention of the British goveromeat, 
irfaich seemed indifferent about tb<^, and content 
solong.as they did not faU into th« hands of aoj 
other power. 

Hie inhabitioits wierep(CK>r, and^no.i numerous; 
their property consisted of a few small iressels 
and some negroes. Their occupatigas were, con- 
fiued to .fiditng, wreckiag, and w^ood^^cnitling; 
aygriculture they had none, nor did they conceive 
the country capable of it. Their only produce 
was fruit, with some yams, cassada, and pota- 
toes: they raised no sheep nor horned cattle^ yet 
in no cfitintiy are sh^ep more prolific, yeaning 
two or three lanoibs in qommon, sometiiiies four^ 
and this twice a y€^^ 

PosstUy this acopmit may appear extraardioarjr 
to English fiu^mefs; but it is » fact^ which I. well 
ascertained. The mutton is inferior, to acne; 
and, if the smallest attention were pf«d U> keep 
the aheep withui encloaures, instead o£ suffering 
them to rua at krge in the woods> and ta pro- 
ride tbean with a little stover during the dry 
season^ when the herbage is all bun^t up, they 
WQuld yi^ld coosidera))^ profit. 
: Theyx have a grass which grows in great 
luxuoance after » UlUe jmo|8^ei>^aii4wottU|iiake 



281 

good hay; b]tt,faaTiiigi»Vrifiit^rtb^ardagainai> 
they pay no atfenihm .to it/ forgetting thitthe 
podr^anio^ials.ave .as idestitat^ of .pjnoTiBioa, an a 
hot dry/season, m tliey woold* h^ in a cdld iharp. 
wintry climate; i I have ««en: tba sbsep,. horses/ 
and catdq^ pMiing. land' scrap&ng "with iheirifoct 
to get at the^wts, which- iheyAWOuld giiaw many- 
inches within the« sandy soiiv But the ttruth is/ 
I did not meet with a single person^ ^in the«Ba- 
hanaaSy who, bad any idea of iarmkig, tlkough^it 
would dcMy repay. them to attend to it; To. xe- 
tum to the first settlers; .their, diet was .chiefly 
fishy and even vegetables wc^e almolt uokfio^vn 
ainohg th^rn. '• . 

In the year 178.4> thifere^werei»rarcely^ny setr 
tiemenis but tho«e on ^ew Br^id^ce, JEleu-. 
daera^ and i HuAourrtsl^nd. The "wh/ole popu- 
latidn.th^n' mxiounfeed to 17^22 whites^ (meo^ wo^ 
meD> and children^) and i2383^eiions of coldur, 
a .-great proportion, of whom were free; and» at 
the HtmcMt^ there were not 5<>0 acres of cultivated 
land M all the islands. Their whold export to< 
Great Bviiain, during the yeajrs 1773 ^ud 1774, 
amonntedto no morethjan' 5£l6./i Ss. iO-<2. the 
principal |^art .of wbicji. consisted in wrecked - 
goods. Their inifjiorts, during the same periodi' 
amounted toSaOfi /. O^v.l d0 . . . . . 

So. coQtempikbte^ indeed;: :Wa$(tbis;governiMnt 
at thiii; time^ riwt. the. .capital was.t^kB^ ,aad the* 
gi^ritor mfBi4Q\\>ia^(m^r, in this* course o£ the war 

VOL. iw R 



^with aor eolontes, by uk AmmcMn ^rivAUer. 
The Amerieans committed no depredatioBs trpoa 
the iahabitaiits, and, after a sboit stay, left the 
iiilwd. The gOTenntieiit was jhereapoa ce-es- 
tabliflhed^ and loon alber again intenrupted by a 
constderable force from the HavaoD^h^ to which 
the islaad of New^Fjpo^idencej wdlb the .rest of 
the Bahamas, surrendered- by capituktion in No- 
vember, 1781. 

By the sobsequent treaty of peace vrUk Spoio^ 
it was agreed that itese islatids should be 
restored to Oreat Britain* However, rpfevioiis 
to the Botiieatton of that event, a volunteer-ex* 
pedition was undertaken for their recovery, by ft 
spirited young partisan, Lieutemmt^oolonel De- 
veaiur, of the South<^aroltna militia, and Cap- 
tain Oowd, of the Ranger, privateer, of Stmt 
Augustine, Itiey. isailed itom Florida, with a 
fonee of two kroied vessels and abont fifty militia. 
After picking up a few recrtiits at Eknthera and 
Harboui>island, they approadbed New Pfo- 
videfice under coyer of the night, took by sur- 
prise two stout gdieys that guarded the eastern 
entrance of the harbour; and, turning their gons 
against one df the forts, soon diove oat the 
troops ^at were in it. After this successful ez' 
ploit, a handful of men were landed, and the 
%aflish governor, with the gari*isOD, ameMtinj; 
to nearly 700 regular tiocps, were ioftunidsted 
utto a oi^itttiaiiM^ through a d^gtee of gfti* 



V 



lantry and attdiesft Aat hmt wMm» VeeA* 

Fkftdii b^iog ceded to Spam^ many of ttie in^ 
bulHtfiiits of tbat province^ among wlKim wert 
sevwal loj^J refugees ftoai Georgia and the Ca* 
rottiMis^ removed^ ia 1784> tO'lbe Bahamas^ witli 
their properly and slaves, thereby doubliogi the* 
p<^ulMioh of these iskuids; aid* it is &oa tiiat 
period their insportaQce as a colooy may be 
dated. The islands were soon after purchased 
from the proprietors by govcmmeQt^ and tbi^ 
progress thegr have since made is wooderfuL 

Hmto an MV several merohai^ and store* 
keepers^ vriioae awmal exports and ivporta 
awount itegly to treble and qi^idruple the amoaot 
of the whole eitpoits aed* imports- of the y^aia 
1773 and l';74<. There is likewise a IqcrMive 
trade carried on with the Spacuaida from Cuba 
and Hispamola, who come over in small fiist* 
smlmg crafi^ bringing with theop, besides cattle 
and fiigaca» Iverm five to durty tboasand dottans 
in ^ecae, in each vessel^ with which they porr 
chase goods to smuggle back to those i^puds. 
The aveiago^aantiiyr of specie may be fi;om 
eight to ten thousand doUars to a vessel^ and 
seldom a week passed^ while I was there^ but 
ibnr or five ol these v^Mcls arrived: their bo^ 
siness was dope Md they were gone again wi^ina 
weekv The Mide» tbsgrefore^ is all ready-money to 
the acMhaiit mi stgro-keeperi and it appeared 
RS 



181 

to Jie,- that^'if =tfce nAm^er df merehanU ixA 
stores were increased tenfold, for supplying the 
Spafiiaras; the - tnafiic thittier wotild iuorease as 
fasty ifr'b'eiftg -.a mtich more cotiivenient port for 
the Spdiliai^cls' to come^to, than to go s<» farroikid 
to JaiBaiea, if they were bii't sore of a market snf- 
Seieht to suppjy them. , • 

*• Thfe shores 6ftlife Bahama-islands abouni) uriih 
excellent fish ; tortle is in great plenty anidriea- i 
sonaBIe; i Indeed, they are the onty two articles ' 
df provision that af-e sby which 'is so much in 
favour of a iartner for raising and fatlemngbis 
B^ock. In ^e woods, there are. wlJd pig^ns, 
^bich «iiford' amuMment^ to^thos^ w))d are fond 
of nbooting; there are also wtid ci&td/afiii racoons, 
that .do much mischief among the Iambs, from a 
want of care : the racoons are .generally fat, and 
am eaten hj those who are oot* prejudiced agaiMt 
th^m. •' • w/ , .. • 

As a -vrntor, the society of th^ town of Naisai 
"tke only town in idi the BabaMnU-islaiuh) wai 
^^g^gi^ 9f^d pleadant to me> and I had an oppcff* 
Canity of witnessing the great generosity of the 
inhabitants towards a Fren<^ gentleman and his 
wife, which did them honour. 

M. Sounifie, With his wifey hudbeen obliged to 
% from the island in which they were bore, 
leaving a considerable profunty behind, and 
bringing but little - awiky bi^ride 'their waAthet, 
jeweb and a iktle pjate. ^ TbeyiNife Oft'kiard «a 



m 

Ammem biig^ vlucli w«» ta|en and brotight ta 
JHew Piovideoee. As Aey lodged in the same 
hottte witk me^ I henrd ilieia oomplaio that 
M'KiiHiey^ the masterof the priyateer who broi^ht 
thcNft in, refused deliv^riiig up their watches and 
tnaket% tofj^th^ with a l^lack serraat-gir]^ not^ 
withstanding the cause had been tri^ and ail 
order* obtidued from <he ccMirt to A^^0t them* . 

Whal a wtd situation! a remarkably mM 
fimmMifgmtiemMi and aa amiable wooMn wtt 
4li^T(ei|; from their possessioos^ where thef ha4 
Uired ittiM#ueii€e, by their, owa demociatical 
countrymea. Flying thenc^ oo boafd a aeutral 
vessd, to seefe^ a refuge ia America^ they »xm 
slopped bjr another eaemy, mho, oa^ no o^her 
preeenee but their being French peop^e^ con^ 
cekes he has aright to pkmder them of the i^ry 
little they had saVedy jdihougb.> under the proteor 
tioa.of a neatial flag. . Appealing, to the justice 
itfsdse EagUsh laws> tkey oblaitt an ordw fot 
resUtadoai yn^ the wvetcb^.the master of tbo 
tesael who ^i^ders tbem^. trusting that: they 
would find naone to support their just claims^seia ^ 
them at, defiance and refiisea;lo deliver up. their 
Kttle.pfoperty* . ' 

It was not ' a pleasant matter fov a ammger to 
iaterfere in; but^ finding no one elsevas like^ 
to stir in their faTOwr^ I undertook it. . Waiting 
ibst 00 the owners of ibe privateer, they refened 
me. lOuGsptain M'Kinneyi Applying tehimt 1 
RS 



m 

"requested tie wotild cbnmilt in$ owa feelidgs, a» a 
genttemsih,' and do them generous jnniUiik But 
the brute. had no tucfai feelings to^' coaauU; he 
asked me who and what I was, to interfere in a 
business thattlid not concern me, and withal to 
take a Frenchman's part, and then swore he wouid 
be damned before he deliver any of it up. Ob- 
serving to him, that I seldom undertook anythii^ 
by halves, he might tlierefore be assured, that what 
lie Fefft$ed t^ do aH a gentleman I woubi oblige 
bim 10 perform like a poltroon, . ^This little ren- 
contre passed before bsilf the gentlemen of the 
towfi, issembled at a public ven^^e* 
'^ I called on the governor. Lord i I>uii*iore, to 
explain my motives fbr such interference; t^, 
taking M. Sounise to Judge Grant's, I inqiiiied 
if it w^re true that aoch to order of court was 
made ;. he said it was, " I waitupion you,diep, 
sir, to ckim justice for. this roan^ reqj^eatitig l^t 
the makdxal • -of yon/.coQTt be. directed to enforce 
the order." With the judge's directiops, I called 
on Mr« Webb; the marshal, to carry the order 
into immediate execution. This was on the S^iir« 
day, in: the farenl><]n».and .in the evening I had 
.the satisfaction of being informed, by:Mr.Webb, 
that the. notorious Captain M'Ktnney, having 
first refuted to obey the .order, was s^fe, in cas^ 
tody fdr doikempt of coQi^t, &P* s^d^t^at be 
would. lie in ^oal until- Monday,. unl^ Ichoie 
to liberate biin on jseciinty; Mr. Webbjtold mc, 



187 

that II^Kinney vtas bravght as Iramble as b€i£dre 
he WHS iasokn^ • * \ 

The fell6tr richly deserved to be punished by 
the conftn^^mtnt^ but I was wiirmg to shew him 
my different mod^ of treating a person within 
my power> and therefore told Mr. Webb, that, 
provided he would be answerable for the res- 
toration of all the property in questioii on the 
Monday, I consented, on the part of M. Sounise, 
that M'Kinney might be at liberty. On the 
Monday morning, I bad great pleasure in seeing 
the black wench, with all their other little pro- 
perty, delivered to them. It rejoiced my heart 
to see them all so happy, and they were as grate- 
ful in acknowledgments. 

What little money they had v^hen^ taken was 
plundered and irrecoverably gone, and I them 
understood that a// which was thus recovered for 
them, must besoM to pay their expextse of living 
in a place whither they were brought contrary to 
. their will. - Mentioning this drcumBtance, when 
in company at a gentleman's house, a few dajfei 
after,- Counsellor Wyley, with some other gem- 
tlemen of the town, undertook. a subscription, 
by which a heavy bill of their living was paid, 
with a handsome sum of mon^ to d^ay th^ 
other expenses. In the progress of this business^ 
it was an additional satisfaction to kam, that this 
fellow, M'Kinn^, was not an EngUahmau, bbt a 
refugee from tiew York. He ^ was .so com'- 



pktdy ashamed at bdag. that IbiledU that he 
hurried his privateer out some days before he 
otherwise intended, sfiUbg the diQr after he had 
been compelled to ddiver the things ap« 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

tjeavethe Bahamas; sail for tik^ontinent of Am^ 
rica; sad dimppoinhneni. 



HATtx^a obtained all the information in m; 
powet iielativo to the main ol^t of n^j parsuiCy 
and qient whaileisiure tofie I poold afii^d ia eica- 
nming and coUeclmg the basi iateJUgence resfiect* 
iftg the Bahamas^ I pcteparedibf theepntineofi, to 
vatch and assist the piopeedings of congress at 
FhUadelphia, as on their ck^wmttioa every 
4hing depended as to my fatare prospect of car- 
jjing my pka into execution* 

Taking a passage for my son and self .in aa* 
American schoooeai^ we leach^d the coatineat ia 
A few days. To men^on paiticylars respec^i^g. 
those I omversed whh, consalie^^ a«d advisei^ 
and those widi whom I asade pvov3ii<maLi^pfee- 
mots&r the patcbase of some miliieM ^ a^^es 



189 

of land, none exceeding sixpence an acre, with 
liberty to relinquish, unless it should be deter- 
mined to be a constitutional right in the State of 
Georgia, to sell those landa free from any- con- 
troul of the federal constitution, is not only un- 
necessary, but might be attended with mis- 
chief. 

Matters, however, went on promisingly, until, 
making application where I felt assured of re- 
ceiving such aid wl^en wanted, I was refused the 

advance of- pounds, which would have so 

far insured its accomplishment; and this A . ■ ■ 

L ^ whom I was then under the necessity of 

acquainting with the business, knew that this ad- 
vance would insure it; and all the I'eason \ could 
get for his refusal was, he would justify himself 
to the quarter whence he received the instruc- 
tiona which I had delivered to him. I could dp 
no more, my ambitious dream vanished; and, for 
some time after, I was seriously fearfbl of th< 
effect from so unexpected a disappotntmeQt. 



190 



CHAPTER XXX. 

Tunhast a beautiful farnk in Long'isiand; deKtip- 
tionqfthesame; notedpaisageofHell-^ate; dlf 
ftcidty of procuring help; purchase negroes; plan 
for their emancipation ; absurd notions of en- 
tity; attempts to cure it, and fail; discharge tki 
white and keep none but black servants; reeaom 
for giving up anif farther atten^ft^f^rm tn 
Jmerica. 



. Tub wotld w&s ihgaitt aH before me; b«t Ibe 
more I traveliedj And the greater pains I took to 
obtain the summum ^ommty the greater distaace I 
tpeemed to be from it. My spirits nom began to 
flag^ and I wished to find a place of rat 
Humbled as I was ia mj gmod pursuit^ Ipe^ 
severed in my other re8ea:rches^ until chance 
directed me to a farm in Long-island^ having the 
-appearance of answering the purpose of sitting 
quietly down, the remainder of my life, after the 
struggles I bad undergone; trusting that, as my 
children grew up, there would be no difficulty in 
procuring situations which might enable them to 
support themselves with all reasonable comforts: 
more than this, I now concluded, would not be in 
my power ta< do for tl^em. But the sequel will 



m 

shew^ bow mncb I was tiisappouited in this mo* 
derate expectation. 

With the view I have mentioned^ I purchased 
the efitate> and sent for my wife and family^ de« 
termined to give farming in America a fair trials 
though on a small scale^ compared to what I had 
originally intended* It was a situation as pro* 
mising in appearance as could be wished; an 
exceUent house, which I finished, good land, 
good water, healthy air, fish, game, wiUffow), 
variety of fruit, all at command and in abundance. 
My family were as much delighted with it as 
myself, and we seriously thought we might here 
be content and comfortable. 

The farm contained 140 acres, about thirty of 
which were wood-land, (now an essential article 
on tlie Atlantic shores near niaritime towns^ 
though an incumbrance inland); a good«*sized 
house, but not finished, fifty feet in front, and 
thirty-five deep, square chambers and garrets 
over, wHh a large dry cellar under the whole; a, 
barn, stable, cow-house, &c. One-half of the land 
was the richest loam I bad seen near the Atlantic 
shores, the other half middling, but lying so 
water shot, that, with 150 rod of a good ditch- 
drain, and a fortnight's work with two teaflis to 
remove large stones, I turned twenty acres of a 
miry swamp into a good meadow. Fruits of 
many kinds, such as apples, pears, plums, 
petches^ quinces, cherries, damsons, currants 



152 

and raspberries,* in great 2d>undance from cut. 
tivation; there was also strawberriei, muUienries, 
grapes, and walnots, growing wild, but neither 
good nor plentiful. . Springs of the purest water, 
near the house, never dry nor ever frozen. 

The situation was on the west side of a beau- 
tiful bay that opened iiito the sound, i^rhence 
market-boats were regularly passing to New 
York. * There were the best oysters I tasted in 
America,' clauns of both sorts, and various other 
shell-fish, to be gathered with ease from n)y own 
shore; eels, likewise,, in abundance* with varietv 
of other fish^ to be caught in their season io the 
bay and in the sound. Quantities of wild fowl in 
the winter, and tolerable' shooting of game on 
land. 

, Our distance from New York was nineteen 
miles by land, the roads better and more pleasant 
than most in America; the distance by water 
was nearly the same, in sailing or rowing oi 
which, we had to pass through the celebrated 
strait, called Hell-gate, at the. west end of the 
sound, about seven miles eastward of New York, 
and remarkable, for i(s whirlpools, which make a 
tremendous roaring at certain times* of the tide. 
Th^Hi whirlpools are occasioned byi.the narrow- 
ness and crookedness of the pass, and a bed of 
irregular rocks which extend across the bottom^ 
wi^h Jarge detached masses, of the same; rising, 
•som€ level with and others ,above high- water 



m 

mart' ; " atfd "ndt, as has" Tjeen 'Vfitafedi ^y tK<ft 
meeting of the tides, Tvhichin reality me^tscyeraP 
miles to the ea^tward^ between White:*stotoe and- 
Frog's Point, This I frequently h&d' oppoV- 
lunities of noticing, ray i^ststte on Long-island 
being nearly opposite to Frog's Point, and I oftea 
went to Neir York and back by wiiter. 

I was apprehensive, from the first, there was 
not much society in the neighbourhood i but ibe 
easy access to and from New York, by latid and 
water, reconciled me to that inconvenience, and I. 
was assured I might do tolerably wfeHas to help, 
either by hire or purchase. I tht)Ught if a pi'omis • 
ing medium between the tiottherti states, -where' 
tliere were neither slaves nor servants, and th^ 
southern states, where they were all slai^; and 
that, if farming upon a small scale could be carried 
on any where in America, to the satisfaction of an 
English farmer, it was here, 

I gave 2800/. for this estate, ready mopey.- 
The fences being out of repair^ drains aAd 
ditches tnuch wanted, and the land so foul as to 
require every acre of the arable land to bem^de* 
good winter and summer fellows of, (a mode no . 
American farmer I met with had ariy idea of,) I' 
wished to employ from ten to twenty men as soon- 
as possible? In the first month, however, I 
could procure only one; in the next, with diffi- 
culty, I hired two more, air at ten dollars ^ 
month, with board and lodging; These weMr* 

VOL. II. S 



1^ 

4iAeri^:fiii|e ^qaJi^f the. work I wanted and dU 
mfit^ to, lie^ ^etn^ tiau^y D^a^etdj not that it was 
4ifficidl;> hut tlr^y^ b«4 pot. be^sa accuatoiaed to 

do it wch way ; iiayingi " If Mr. is not satis* 

iiad with tbe maimer we are u^ed to plougbj kd 
^r. ,^.,** h%d better settle with tia aud get others." 

After many; inquiriesij I met with and hired a 
YorJ^hire farmjngfmaaj who had been in Ameri- 
ci^ thre0 yeai:s», together with a young Irishman. 
Iq them* I gave twelve dollars and a ha}feacb| 
pel moathi boards &c« Thd Americans insisted 
QQ the saipe ^age$^ though they could not per- 
form more liban b^f the work of ditchings &c. 
. b^ide3 objectiog to . work where their feet were 
wet# though in the piiddle of iiammer; and^as 
to pV>Hghhigi two-buqk^rabhlts^ with a ram's 
horuj would (coi^paratlvely speaking) plough 
the land aa well, aoKl^n eel dr^iw as strait a &n 
row. They would neither be .directed nor found 
fp^ilt withji apdr were cqnse^iie^ly discharged^ 

Qonvinped I could pet get on without pur* 
cbasing M^ hdp, and reduced to the alterna- 
tive . of bei^g a slave to my white servants or 
I|IVvi>^g alates fpr my servants^ I listened to some 
of Ibie many applications, made. me from several 
iK^oei^ iu^ the ndghbomrhoodi who wished me 
tp p^ri^a^p^ them of their maj&ters^ and I bought 
fo^r* To/ ajl of tbew, I p^romised freedom ia 
the fojtewing manner. I dividjed the $nm I gave 
for eac]^ into so many 'c/iual portions; andj 



195 

opening a regulair accoufit^ I ^gaged, at the 
close of evtei:y year, to s^ off one of these por- 
tions imtil the whole iva^ discharged, ^ad the j 
then became free, provided they, behai^d WtH. 
Any very bad bebavtout was to ^ ptokhed wiA 
the mulct of such a part of Ae yeariy poftiott, 
jiccbrding to theit demerits in that year; th6 ^^ 
cisions on whi,ch were to be publicly i»ettled ^SL 
made known to them every year, when asdedi- 
bled together {ox that purprose: which day I 
made a gala for them and aH whom they €hose 
to intite, nor did my bean evtir dilate with n^UfCh 
greater satisfaction^ than en llie fii^t of tVei^ 
gala-days, "when, with Ay wife md th\l6t^tt, we 
went among them in the heiglit of theiy jolUljr 
in the evening; and^ daneing ^ith them ^ ftw 
ttintitcs only^ made all completely happy« But I 
learned that this gave nmbra^ to st(Ae of »y 
neighbours, who were jealous of its making their 
negroes discontented. 

As nto labourers could be hired Without boatd- 
ing, the tronble of providing for them, an well 
as our own large family, ^ell exeeiisively hefaVy 
on Ay wife. Giving directions Would not db, 
nor yet seeing to it without helping: io fact> she 
was the greatest slave in the house. At first, we 
hoped that in time they would be able to do with 
directions after being instructed, but it proved 
nearly as bad at the and tis the beginning of the 
year, • 



196 

When I got my bloik betpj my wliite men re- 
fused to eat at the same table or same time, if in 
4be'S}UrHe room .with my black people, whether 
free or slaves* They even considered their owa 
Hqaality lessened, by not being permitted to eat 
at XHir table. This kind, of pretence, set up by 
JQuropean servants, is much more insupportable 
fipm: them than the native Anierican; with the 
.latter it is natural, and he looks for it without 
«ssttil^ing any new consequence. But the Euro- 
p^n^ on ,whom Ithis assumption is awkwardly 
^grafted, knc^ws not how to make this clamor 
ac^iesce in giving it up^ without exhibiting an 
fignori^nt, haughty, ferocious, kind of self-conse- 
quence, that is truly ridiculous as well as disa^ 
gre^ble. I. tried, once or twice, what the effect 
•of example would do. I was felling some large 
trees, in a wood at sdme distance from the hou$e, 
when, having prepared a large meat-pie sufficient 
for six of us to dine on, and taking two black 
men, two white men, with my son and myself, 
we wenjt to work in the forenoon. At twelve 
o'clock, sweeping the snow away from around 
^ one of the butts of the fallen trees, I called 
them all, saying, jocularly, " Come, boys, as we 
all work together, let us all eat and drink toge- 
ther." Then, cutting the pie into sii equal 
shares, I handed a piece to each of my whites 
first, then to my blacks, lastly to my son and 
myself, But it was difficult to . refrain from 



197 

Jatighing nt the coatrist ^S the U&ck and vrUite 
countenatices, while eating. The latter, fiurfiljr 
looking at each other^ twist^ their jaws aboot 
as if they hadrnd appetite^ vhile the farmer (aftte 
repeated excuses to wait iin^: we bad donw, 
Mrbich I overwruledy) sat with.. their ejred fixed 
bashfully on tl^ growMl, avarcely 6peiihig their 
mouths wide enough to adiAit ibeir Tictu^k^ yet 
with a secret kind of ssiile when they leered at 
each other. In the morning, we had aU worked. 
chearAiUy alike; buli^.afta: this^ repast^ scarce^ 
a word esseaped the lips of my white geatlemeni^ 
exoept abort answers when I ^oke &» themt rty . 
black n»8tea, on the contrary, .were as mnob on 
the alert.. When returned home, I understood; 

they bad saad>. ** Mr^ nrighit eat wkb bl&ck: 

men if be pkased, but libey neret. woold;'' aat^, 
a few ckiys after^ they teftrme^. 

Expenence taught ane iti woaild'nardo'to'0l»< 
ploy whitB and black, nssm together. One bkofe 
man^.tbat. I bad^ bougbtl at his own eatnest 19< 
qacsl^ and oii< the prinoifde of nal^inghitr wife>, 
ahikl^ (whom, i had piirdiasedi before of a diiie^ 
Kttt maatai^)) and himseH^> happy^ by Jiymg toge^^ 
tfaes imdeii one roof>< appealed ^^ grateful dnd' 
wa^w^ciiiefolandiatteatiire to>my( interest, Um^ 
\ det^amihed. to make him^ my heftd'^ma»4nd^eni4 
idoy aona^ botcblaicks, wbetherfree ^ sWes.v 

Paring the severity of themti^erHNUttbn, it) 
was not material for me to get more help tbaa 
S3 



what I called my btvu. I had one qniet, steady, 
free bUick, besides, who enlivened the others 
eveiy evening by |^yuig on' his iiddie; and, with 
this faelp^.I managed my tvinter's work tokrably 
.well : such as, taking care of my stock, which 
consisted of. thirteen cows, four oxen for the 
yoke, sixty sheep, fonr horses, and twelve hogs; 
carting nearly 400 load of rotten dung, part of 
that which had been accnmulaiiilg for years; 
cutting and carting, or sleighing posts, &c. for 
fencing ; cutting and sleighing fire-wood ; (which 
I am certain would have employed one man's 
whole time. from Michaelmas to Ladyi-day;) and 
preparing every thing for a spirited summer's 
wofk. f ' . 

I endeavoured to engage other help six or 
seven weeks before my neighbours tbooght of it; 
but all in vain, none was to be had: money coald 
ttot procure men. My neighbours w«re in the 
same or worse predicament,, and they thought I 
was well off> having ab^ady mudi mose help 
than any of them, as well as^b^ng more forward 
for my spring-work, - But I kneW, that,, if ever 
my farm w^ to render me the produce it ought 
and was capable of, I must employ a dozen or 
mone handle than I already had^ I rode for miles 
round the country, advertized^ sent hand-hills 
about,. an4 tried, every method^, bnt found it a 
fkuidess vaiA att^mpt» 



199 

We w^re coodnuftl skyes oarseives in aU tEat 
Was to be. done^ without ^reaping an adeq[uatd 
advi^ntage. ,No. school near home for ^ those 
children we had with us^ nor could a boy be sent 
out to a . boarding-school under from thirty to 
thirty-six pounds sterling a year, meaning such 
schools as they may be put to in England for 
from eighteen to twenty. It was still dearer and 
iiK»e difficult for girls: in the towns^ whefeydu 
ean board than at.home, the expense of educa* 
tioD is not so great. 

LookiBg forward to what my boys had t^ 
expect^ I found most assuredly that to . brin^ 
them up^ to husbandry would only be joakio^ 
them mere drun^ fanners; who^ haviugno be^ 
ter society, would in all probaWlity associiite 
with the sottish horse^'racing neighbourhood 
around ; • for, it is to be ofaaetved, that, however 
parsimonious they find it. uecessary .to be ia 
hoase^keeping^ erery boy on a farm, as soon at 
turned of twelve years of age, expects a horse to 
be given him as his own; and, unless it be a c»» 
cer, he valoes^it but little. . I have knowa several 
of these on a fapm> that have consumed, more 
pwrender and had more attention paid them 
ihan all the live stock besides. . Cbntim^al chali* 
lenges ensue among the neighbouring yoiith^ 
tending to encourage gambling, drinking^ &cl 
which they are naturally prone to from^the ex^ 
an^lft of Uidr ddew. . . ' .», 



Turning iirom (Jms siittaU^ pcespect^ I iiuide 

every inquiry amoog mj firiends and dcqiaint* 

HQce in Phiiodelpbia and New Yorfc^ in expeeta- 

tion that thek BerTiees would be valuable to 

merdbaotsroir wbekaale storekeepeni^ 8cc. but to 

jny astoiiijsbment fi>imd'I eould mib difficikj 

. procure a aititatian for a son^ nemrlj sixteen 

years old^ t<» be boond until be was twenty-one^ 

where, besides a psttminnL of from 500 to 1€00 

dollars, I weB to fiond him in ciodies, washings 

&c. the whole time, and most cf thcan expected 

10 be paid 100 doHais a yea£ faeaide8> for bis 

board. The secret of tbi& Yidne I andcr&tood t» 

be iImuu a yQath>,h«oiigbt «p imder aa employer 

labose crtdit was. good iaa Eiig^aad,. was Yikdj, 

whea ant of bia tiiqe,. to obtaia siaular credit 

tuua tha Engli^ nuMwhants,* either by going 

anoer tsk. lulaoditfte Uanwlf ok by kite|« of. reooia^ 

asieBdattsn ; aad it is traly aatoiusbing: to wbat 

leiigAuQW Bnf^idi meBohan^ aoKl. aaaoadaateKi} 

tbna sttietbh iheii faitlv gmag^ 8iwdt't>> to« the 

amount of thousaitd^ tm young bagiiiBart ia 

itmeriea;' wbileV' woideff siuiilai esBaauMataace^ of 

fcaowllxlgfl and) pnoper^ ia; aiyoutb« im Sa^ml^ 

thvyi' would paobabLy x^sgojae afane acmrity bsipa 

tbsy^etxtarnsted'liienAtwilk asMaoji bundtedlh 

So«ietg^lfaadiiooi^oar;woi9e^bB8i miao^ Kioe^ 
la»th9g.of the fanners^ tcade«Baa% and mecdianic^ 
•idMflayaH) araxibbgadi to esafda^. ftom'livingiiauv 
would think it a sin to negl^etLatt. ^ifaotteai^^of 



fiOl 

taking advantftgd dt an FjhgMAitMki/^oik *tk«f 
suppose to have inoney : socli waithfti siOcictj of 
my nelghbGiurlK>oia. ' .1 .•' . iq 

Iq this respecty ttiy wife was more ibrtuniiie^ ' 
as tbere was a very amiable family x^fksmsaie^ 
consisting of a wido^4ady and - seref aL' diogli- 
ters, living near us on tbeir estate. Bffit for 
them^ we should hkve been cototplet^ly insokted : 
there was not a ma£i 1 could associate 'with c«s:4 
friendly neighbour. ,;.!</: \ (*. 

Another serious circumstance did. not ^ccnt to 
my reoollectidn^ ^zfitil I found my heakh dedilfing 
from thd great ansiety of my mind; this iv^i te 
case of my death. Not a siogle nude-aicquaintance 
in the neighbourhood was there^ 0» whom I 
could depend for any tnlst-^worthy > assistance tt> 
my family on such an event. This single cir^ 
cum^ance cannot be too mqch * considered and 
re-considered by any person thinking' of emigra^ 
tion to a distant counftfy. * 

I soon found there was much to fear^ having 
experienced, (among a • Variety of other things,) 
from a Mr. Wilkins, whose estate adjoined to 
mine, a mo^t bare-fftced attempt to cheat jac 
out of a flock of twenty-«lght sheep, which in 
a snow-storm had fled from my land to his. 
Beastly sotting and gambling, at a filthy hole of 
a tavern in the township, had so impoverished 
him, that he had no more than two sheep on the 
whole of a beautiful estate that might have sup* 



fcx^i JDearTy tairo hiiaili'e^ V^t he endeavoured 
to trazen it aut> Ao4i9we&f tbal; tbU flo<^ was hit 
property. Nor would he part with the she^, iiiw 
M he fosmd 1 «ra« p9epai:ed to U9^ forioe, and had 
landefledl aigr i»)fiiA smntits U> drive them b<XDe. 
H« then tried to uQtimi4ale my^o^f hkcks, bj 
liireatening t» eh^^ti^e ihem if ^hey did not 
immftdmripiy get^ff bi» land; hiit>if>a tf^y assuriog 
ibim^ liuiit, if be «trUfik *aby of timn, I would 
horse-whip him as long as I eooid &f%^ him, lie 
apode oil, ntttlcariixg m»eibifig ahoi}t law. 

It msiy 1ie.:s«t>1pa»ed ti^l I w^^. unhicky 19 ii- 
■agjpa eo iadifferent ^ AeigWmiib^od t for the 
diedit «l ibe'<>watr}V I bi^pe J( was so; yet, 
ftsfiuc as a>y QW»X)t>scsr¥iat]baa aod ii*<)«iifiea may 
be oUoved, I fts^r th)»t stranger^. M^iib propertyi 
4(etdifig in tilie <;oiu»try, iaxn^i^t parta of America^ 
iwouU not find my iconatplciihta sing^Iar^ How- 
<e«er> ^ia I cati ^Ofitively jsay, thl^A it was the 
first and only situatiop^ in any Quarter of the 
^obe^ ivbere I havQ no^ been able to associate 
^mong my neighbours ;.n9r can I say I h^ any 
dispute or quarrel with tho^ I h^ve been allinliiig 
'to, (Wilkio* ex:eef^d;X^|ifd so far we -agreed; 
yet I was not blind ta continual, attempts at im* 
position. 



305 



GHAPtER XX^t. 

ResoUe on 'fitting America alt&getheP; Hspoieaf 
my estate iri J!/>ng^islmdt ctmparison ketwetn 
English and Jfneritan' fartinng'^ m to^ pfofa; 
comparison bctzoeen cottagers^ labaurmv, and 
meckanies, of the two ct>untrie$4 



I FREEtY confess, that, for a donsiiJerable 
time, pride prevented me from acknowledging 
(even to myself) that I had made fflistafcen calcu- 
lations. Strong circumstanCe« of private fHentt'^ 
ship at home came likewise to my aid: nevet 
before, until- 1 experienced the waiit> had I sd 
truly appreciated the value of having a sincere 
friend at U'^^nd to communicate with« 

It had required considerable resolatioii to com« 
ply with that which I considered 'my duty to my 
children, in formerly breaking up old connections 
and removing from England to settle among 
strangers in America; but it required much 
stronger resolution, by returning, to confess the 
mistake I had' made. Nor would I wish the 
greatest enemy I may have, to sofler the agcmies 
of mind I endured on the score of du^ mA 
friendship^ battling agdnst pride, before I came 



f04 

^ to a determination, tinder all the existing ciN 
cu Distances^ I at last resolved to swallow the 
cb^Jce-pear of my faW pri^de^ hy disposing of 
ihy farm and returning to £lngland^ in spite of 
the sneers I might sabject myself to from those^ 
who/ plusning themselves on an opinion of su- 
perior sagacity^ should exclaim^ .'', this is just 
what was to be expected from his mad scheme." 
Many of my acquaintance in England were 
of opinion that I had bought my estate in Long- 
island at a very dear rate. Hudibras says, 
" The real value of a tiling 
Is just as much as it will bring.** 
According to. this rule, therefore, I made a cheap 
purchase, or. at any rate a good bargain, byre- 
selling it for 800/. more than I gave for it. It is 
^ue^ the little I bad done gave it so different an 
'"appearance and consequent reputation, that I 
was afterwards informed it would have as readilj 
sold /or 4000/. qs. the 3600/. I asked and ob- 
tained for it. 

High as this price is, compared with what 
lands may be bought at in the back countries, 1 
could have made more from that (besides living 
more in the manner we bad been accustomed toj 
thap from the same property employed in pur- 
cliasing ai^d fanning the richest lowest-priced 
lands ^in^ Kentucky, the, Chcnessee-country, or 
aloiig the baij/cs of ,the; Mohawk. Yet, at the 
best, a man can only be a petty farmei: in Ame- 



205 

rica/ compared with what; he might be by em« 
ploying the same capital on a farm in England* 

I frequently drew a comparison between son^e 
of the best American farmers that I knew^ living 
on estates of their own, from one to seven hun- 
dred acres of land, and farmers I had known in 
England, renting the same quantity of land; 
when, the advant«kges, in every instance, ap-^ 
peared considerably in favour of the English 
farmer. And I am con£dent, that, if any good 
English farmer, with a property of from 100/, to 
several thousands, employs the same in farming 
in England, he will make con^derably more,^ 
from any given capital, than he possibly can in 
farming with it in America, and with ten tim^k 
the eas^nd comfort t^ himself and family. But 
what most surprised me was, that neither tlie 
cottager, (of - which class there are few,) Ja- 
boarer, cofunt^y mechanics, such as carpen- 
ters, blacksmiths, wheelwrights^ &c. nor tailors, 
nor shoemakers, appeared to live so comfortably^ 
either in their houses, families, food, or clo« 
thing, as the same description of people in £ng«< 
land, notwithstanding the extravagant wages 
they receive. 

I was for some time at a loss to account for this ; 
but the difficulty was in some d^ree removed, by 
observing more than one-half of their time, both 
in wiuter and summer, was lo^ or sp^nt jn idle* 
ness at their sottisli taverns, in their borse-f aces, 

VOL. II. T 



206 

fishing^fralics, shooting, buntings and Tvions 
other frolic^i all amaaementa ia America bebg. 
caflled frolicSi Added to this is the high price 
of provision, ia a country which has such ge- 
neral credit for cheapness of living, and which 
it fairly obtained befwre the revolution. 

For bread, we did not get half th^ weight fcr 
a shilling that we did 'm England, before we left 
it, and again, on otir return; for salt pork (almost 
the only meat these people eat when providing 
fbr themselves or families) I paid seven pence a 
pound, by the quantity, bones and all, and sold 
it at the same price when I parted with any from 
the farm. Cheese was from seven pence to ten 
pence per pound ; and one person in New York 
took all the butter Imade throughout the |^mmer, 
from twelve cows, at seventeen pence halfpenny 
a pound> as an average*price. Potatoes were 
two shillings for an eight-gallon bushel measure. 

I enumerate only those necessaries of life 
chiefly used by the afore-mebtioned mechanics, 
&c. in 1795, and 1796, and the prices mentioned 
are sterling. From this account, it would appear 
that farmers must n!iake larg^ profits; and so 
they do, in their way. But the whole quantity 
of grain, cattle, &c. that is raised for market, on 
Jarms of several hundred acres of land, is trifling, 
compared vrith that which a good farmer in 
England produces from th6 sai^e number of 
sores; and may justly be compared, in the one 



case^ to 9 small relnQ trade, :tbat makeis large 
profits on smal] Heturjas; and» m..th^ otber^ to a 
.wholesale trade making ^oall profits oa large xe^ 
turns. 

It is this which deceives so ^laay;, £i^gli/»^ 
iarmers naturally conceiviing^ that^ if they, can 
Iny land at a low price and sell the prodace at, a 
^dear ratey they muat consequently soon groiy ric^* 
Jffiit the .want of help confines them to the c]afis 
cfrretail dealers ofily; and I; sjjaifcejy knew ^ 
American fariii<3r who ^ould allow bimsdf . or 
&mil7 to eat a hutid}e of i^sparagus £rom his o.w& 
garden, if h^ could send it to market; and so. of 
every other minute produce^ I allude to in^p 
.iv^ho hold and farm several hundred acres of land^ 
their own property. .. 

'I. have been. sometimes, a^k^d, wjiat a good 
farmer in England could produce from good 
land of from three to four hundred acres ; aqd, 
when I have told them that I have known more 
than 10,000 bushels of wheat, oats, barley, and 
beans, altogether produced from such a farm, 
besides keeping more sheep and cattle than they 
did on a similar-sized farm, their logks have in- 
dicated, " I gtiess, now, that is an English lie." 

Hard-working labourers, and people of the ne-* 
cessajy mechanic trades, are the most iikely to do 
well in America; and, even of these, I met with 
several instances of their complaining and wish- 
ing they had not left their own country; for, that, 

T a 



208 

notwithstanding \tlie high wages^ they declared 
they saved no more money, did not live so com- 
fortably, nor could they find half the enjoyment, 
in their leisure^hours, for a "dollar, that they had 
in England for half the moffey. 

Among others, I remember a Welch tailor, 
who had been working in Philadelphia, for several 
months, at great wages ; and, taking me for the 
master of some ship as I was walking <mthe 
keys, inquired if I could help him to a passage 
home. On my questioning him about it, he 
said be could save more, and live much better in 
Wales, where he meant to ^return. I likewise 
met with Mr, Ru$se], from Krminghim, who, ia 
conversation, acknowledged, that his opinion of 
America coincided exactly with my own; adding, 
with a sigh, '' You can do as you like, sir, as to 
returning; but Dr. Priestly and myself came over 
to America on different principles; and, though 
much, very much, disappointed here, we cafmi>t 



209 



CHAPTER XXXlf. 



'Anecdotes; Captain Frazer, grandson of Lord 
Lovat; Duke de Liancourt; Sterne's old oficer 
realized; Colonel Hamilton; , Geheral Greenes 
tadom. . ' i ' . 



A; FEW anecdotes^ that occurred while in 
Aoienca^ ma^ probably be entertaining; sxA 
some instances of the vicissitudes^ of fortune^ that 
came under my own ob8ervation> may serve as 
useinl lessons of contentment to others as th«;y 
were tome. 

Captain Frazer,,a gmvidson of Lord Lovat • 

When. Prince Edward, arrived at Bos(ton from 
Canada^ on his way to Hartinioo> he was ex-- 
peeted to pass through Newport, in his way to 
New York/ I had dined at the house of Mr. 
^ore, the British consul at Rhode-is]andj when 
Captain Frazer^ calling himself grandson to Lord 
Lovat^ waited on the consul^ requesting he would 
introduce hina to the prince on hi^ arrival; say- 
iijg, he should be bappy to serve as a volunteer 
,Mn4^.Jw8^oypl highness. He informed m, that 
T3 



210 

fee had been aa officer ia the French king's 
jguards; that he had maintained his loyalty to 
that sovereign and was sent over to Saint Do- 
mingo, where the republican party gaining the 
ascendency, he, with ma^y others, took refuge in 
America. Without knowing who he was, I had 
noticed him and four more French officers as 
entirely depending on the charity of the state for 
support for several months previous to meeting 
with him at Mr. More's. Prince Edward em- 
barked for the, West Indies, from Boston, which 
prevented the application. Within a week after, 
M. Fauchet, the French minister in America, 
advertised for all French citizens to make imme- 
diate application and prove their attachment td 
the republican cause, on oath, or they would be 
considered aft emigrants in favour of royalty. 
What could poor Frazer do ? he had, through a 
se^tftre winter, been eating the bread of charity, 
without the least cheering notice from any, ex- 
*cept a passing stranger or two. Necessity com- 
pelled his loyalty to retreat; for, within a month 
after his expressing a wish to enter as a volunteer 
imder the prince, to go against Martinico, I saw 
him at Philadelphia with the tri-coloured cock- 
ade in his hat. 

Reflections unavoidably arise on the sufferings 
of this man's family in the cause of royalty. 
Obliged to flee from England and quit their 
possessions, on account of their attachment to 



'211 

King Jame*8 falhilyj they w^ere received by the 
court of France, and obtained establishments 
which Qreated atttehment and loyalty to the 
royal family of that country. Again they were' 
plunged into similar misfortnnesj flying from, the ' 
fury of one republic to receive a scanty hearts* 
galling charity in another. In this situation, he 
would have returned^ to the coloa0( of the coun- 
try of his ancestors, but fortpne or chance re» 
fused the opportunity. 

Dinke de Liancourt. 

I lodged and boarded, fbr a short time, in the 
same house at New York with this ci-devant no^ 
bleman, and could not but admire the composed 
philosophy with which he bore so great a<:hange 
in bis situation and circumstances: -from the pos- 
session of more than 100,0007. sterling yearly, 
he was reduced to live without a servant. As he 
was one day brushing his own clothes, he ob^ 
served, with a cheerful countenance, that, had 
it not been for the revolution in France, he 
should never have l&nown how easy it was to wait 
upon himself. 

Siemens old officer* 

There wanted nothing but the croixde St.JjOuis 
to complete the reality of Sterne's picture, in 
the daily appearance of a veteran French officer, 
at a corner of the Fly-marketj^ in New , York, 



SIS 

hmmg ia neatlmfcet of little rioh heart-cakes, 
made by his wife and daJagbte.O (and which he 
thus attaided to sell. vDifMl$aods jl^esides myself 
' xnovt haVe seen him mthin .the ]rearS: 1794, 95, 
«nd^, thoogfa. they may nQt baVe iipjticed him 
«o nnicfa. With a high cocted. ha(> he stpod as 
iipright as a soMier under arms^ holding ^e bas- 
ket before him widiottt saying a word^ qnlessiB 
answer* The featards .anid musdes of his couo- 
tenanoe seemed fixed^ as if repollectidg what 
was due to his former rank in life, nor could I 
ever perceive the faintest aj>proach towards a 
smile. . I cotdd not pdss: him without some of 
those .sensations which ;Stethe so irresistibly cre- 
Afces hy his : inimitable description, 2^. I became 
a oonstanli customer, either, to. his hasl^et, when 
any of my children were With ;mfe, or td^.his 
3nttfF-bQx,. in which I usuaUjr dropp^ a small 
pieofe of -siiyer, requeitiog- hie woii^ rq^lenishit 
against.my next call. These and. many isnch like 
instaaces, which I might enumerate, that came 
within my observation, opesate as wholesome 
checkn against repining at our owa lot. 

Colonel Hamilton. 

I was in conversation with this gentleman, in 

Philadelphia, while he was sea!etar;rK>^state, on 

the day that the motion foi: the deqnei^lrAtion of 

the British property was expcsded to be deteiw 

mined, The.mefnber, w^o had origifially Ska^ 



the motion, called to speak with Colonel Hamil- 
ton. On the colonel's return, he observed to A 
inember of congress, (Mr. Bourne,) who bad ac- 
companied me thithef, that Mr. Dayton obsti- 
nately persevered' in renewirig his motion ttbat 
morning. The colonel was vexed, and, to shew 
his detestation of the princi{)le of thie motion^ 
as ii|[jiirious to the reputation of* America, h0 
said it might be compared to an attack rnade^ 6n 
a beautiful virgin by a negro, (Mr. I>aytdn wa4 
member for Virginia,) which, thowgh repulsed^ 
would leave a stain; and, if carried into success- 
ful execution, must blast her character for ever. 
Colonel Hamilton was esteemed inferior to no 
man for abilities ; but, like General Washington, 
General Green, and others, met withungrateful ^ 
returns/ 

One instance of public ingratitude to Green's 
family I was witness to. The general^s widow, 
with a lovely daughter, was at Philadelphia, 
attending a petition to congress on the follow- 
ing account. During the war, when the General 
commanded the army to the soutt^ward, he found 
so great a difficulty in procuring supplies, on ac- 
count of the distrust of the validity of the pay- 
ments from congress, that, to procure those 
supplies, which would obviate the necessity of 
disbanding his army, he gave his own security in 
addition. It appeared, he had gone beyond the 
powers granted him by congress^ but it was al- 



ii4 

• l6vved by idl^ Hk^t, in so doidgy he preserved his 
9imy^ mid with }t t^ai p^rt of the country. Yet 
the ^aiate.be left to h$s iwiily was seized for the 
pRyflieiit^'an^ th«y wen^ in danger of ruin unless 
fPC^^iess vpted a provision for the payment of 
UiQSe supplies whiph Gepeiral Ore€;n had so ob- 
^ined« I was in. th^ house dqrtng the agimtion^ 
aQd^dojubt^d much, whether it woi^d he; grsDted 
frr n0t;^ it.was obtained with gr^at;4ifficiillf and 
pvif by a: sniiiU m^j^oriity^ . Ingratitude to tbcir 
)mt servantsi. for^p^hU€ fqrvices^ seeqas to be a 
strong feature in republican governments. , 



CHAPTER XXXIII. 

Cu8t(m8 in America differing from those in U^- 
land; curious instance of neglect relative to 
manure; hidden treasure; no fairs in Amerka\ 
sudden death of a man on his arrival, during the 
yellow fever; the property saved for his creditors 
at some hazard of my life; melancholy death-like 
silence in New York during this dreadful disr 
temper; resolutions in case of an attack* 



In some ckT the states, it is permiUed to attend 
to bay-m«di;ing and: the harvcal on Sundays as 



L 



315 

well as other diays: a practice I rsither approve 
than condemn^ not only as securing individual 
property, bttt of great essentiial consequence to 
the whole community. In myhumWe opinion, 
one of the strongest aiid best modes of testifying 
our gratitude to the beneficent Being, for those 
bounties of the earth, is by securing them in the 
bestmahnen 

I was Kkewise pleased with another circum- 
stance, as a pretty general custom in the New- 
England States. In a courtship, if it were 
known that the man inquired what fortune the 
friends of a girl meant to ^te with her, the lass ' 
in question would resent it so highly as to dis^ 
card the best suitor in the country, and he would 
afterwards have a difficulty in finding any girl te 
listen to him. 

An opportunity of procuring sea-weed in A* 
merica, for manure to a farm, is esteemed an 
invaluable advantage. Industrious fatmers, who 
po<jsess an abundance of it, will lay from thirty 
to sixty loads on an acre, as wet with sea*w'ater 
as they take it up from the "shore; and the bene- 
ficial effect produced by this manure was evident 
enough from the diflPerence in the same field, 
. where such manure was thrown and where not. 
But I could not persuade them to fcart it into 
their yards first, to mix with their barn and 
stable manure. Indeed, their negligence, in not 
using the manure raised oil their farms, is almost 



216 

iapredible. I h$ve already slightly mentioned 
Aere being some hundred loads of rich manure^ 
ivhich had been collecting for several years, to 
the great damage of the buildings, on the estate 
I bought at Flushing, in Long-island. When I 
had settled and paid for the estate, I asked Mr. 
Nichols, of whom I purchased it, if there was 
any thing, as matter of local information, that 
he thought might be useful to acquaint me with. 
" Why," said my predecessor, with a dry know- 
ing look, '' you old-country men are generally 
pretty smart in seeing things, but really now 
you have overlooked one matter, which I did not 
wish you to notice, and that's the truth onl 
Howsoever, you have done so fairly, in settling 
and paying, that, as you ask it, I will tell you. 
I guess, you will be obliged to remove your barn 
this summer, or you will not be able to get in or 
out." — " , How so, Mr. Nichols r — " Why, you 
must either move the barn or the dudg, and you 
may do the former much easier than joii can the 
latter, as I have already experienced three differ- 
ent times." I thanked Nichols for his informa- 
tion, inquiring if there was any thing else I had 
overlooked. He replied in the negative; and, 
taking me by the hand, laughed heartily^ signifi- 
cantly remarking, that he believed I should have 
a tough Job of it. 

A few months after, Mr. Nichols, who had re- 
moved some distance off, rode over with his two 



'«17 

t6hB, appatently in great aaxiety. tb« old ittan 
inqniped^ if tbe report of what I had said was 
trtte> diat, in digging rooad diehara and stable^ 
I bad foQBd a coiuiderable gddeti treaswts. I 
told him it was true enovgh. '' Bless me/' said 
the old man^ wiping the penpiration ftom his 
face, '^ how often have my ^ons and I searched, 
for it, not only on this estate^ wherever vfe 
thought it likely, in the day-time, hut have 
worked hard for hours and hours in the night, on 
the adjdning estates of my neighbours, on some ' 
particular suspected parts, thftt seemed to answer- 
the description where it was reported so much, 
money was buried during the war! And now^*' 
continued old Nichols, '^ you, who are a stran- 
ger» without any toil or trouble as it were>pop 
upon it, just as if you knew the exact place' 
where to find it But I hope you are honest 
enough to let me go halves with you ;*' and he 
was proceeding to assign reasons why he was 
entitled to at least half, but a sudden burst of 
laughter from me stopped him; and, on tdUng 
him, that> as I had purchased and paid for every 
thing fairly, I considered ft/? as my own, Nichols 
and both his sons began to be cross, and the. 
elder swore iroundiy that he bdieved t'waswdl 
acquainted with eveiy circumstance concernmg 
the money> and possibly was at the hiding as 
well as the finding, which uccoiinted for niy 
coming, like a crafty old fcrpen^ ta hHijj^bi 

VOL.11. U 



mttktt in such a hwry^ by. ^vtegalthis &thet 
jesked beftve I had half «xaw9^ i^. Taking 
my hnk oS, I hmed m^st cpurteooalj to tbem, 
te they sal on horaehaQk* mi tha»k^.thf(m for 
belling mie no good a hajrgaip^ addiQgi th?t cer* 
i^inty I would hav<^ gtvea more had they asked 
more, sooner tha|i have lost wh^t I was id search 
of at the time I purchased tl^ estate ; then^ bow* 
ing agaio, I left them in the road near the house, 
i^rithout expiaiaing any farther abpat the gokieii 
Iveasure; but I heard oiie of the young men 
^snrseme heartily for a damned old Satai^. 

J was qmch gratified by tbi9 rencontre^ as it 
HffibrdSd me the opportu(iity pf ptmisbipg theoj 
in a way they deserved, for a very jsqRrvy trick 
they had attempted on me as an entijre strfii^r. 
Ilaving agreed for the es^te^ ,tbey offered all 
the liTe^aad dead stock upon the farm» at a^iair 
appraisement^ to be taken that day week. As I 
walked abputp Ltopk notice sufficient of ibe 
sj;o^;i (of. ^e cQwsi in patrticular, ^ which Wj^rs 
very good,)/,so that^ on the moi^g wh^n eveij 
^ng was to .be valued, I found |he live stack 
almost wholly chmiged, and a quantity of old \ 
XQtfen stuff to be valued as implement^ whiob I 
learned afterwards th<y hi^ been collecting for 
the puifKite of takjpg the EngUabman in* I 
soon made up my mind^ and, wh» all was said 
%0 be readjjT, I asked Nichols, if jftte live .stpck 
we then saw in the ymb formed the whbie stock 



ma 

oTthe ferm. > Y^,** he rtpIieiL /' Th«»;M. 
observed, ^' I declace cliejr «re not ibt faraci, nor 
any vmy lUce the same, with that ^ducb I $fiv 
aiid a^eed for with yon thnilay week^t^tato 
now by appraaaement; and I dare yoii to cpiM 
forward, before tome of year ndghboar* pr^sest^ 
atid tale an oatK that the stock is the same you 
had on the farm when I consented to parchase.*^ 
This be could not do: I therefore declined taking 
any, but allowed Mm another week to dispose o£ 
them by public sale or any other mode he might 
ehuse, by which be lost considerably; and, from 
that time, the old man and I did not rightly ftO« 
cord. I verily believe, that to this day, if alive^ 
die Nichols and some others in the neighbmuw 
hood think I di^ up^ a considerable sum of mo?» 
ney; nor do I doubt, but^ when I afterwards 
sold the estate to another, it confirmed them in 
that opinion. ' * 

Throughout the United States of Amerieaj 
tltere, is neither a fair nor a shew of cattle, to 
accommodate buyers or sellers; so that, want 
what he may, a farmer nuist trust to chance for 
picking it up* A sale by auction, therefore, when 
occasioned by death or other causes, will draw 
lajmersi &c. for more than thirty miles, some to 
purchase and some to make a frolic of it* Bu« 
riids are attended in the same manner; and/ 
lioticing some indecorous behaviour at one- I 
U« 



S9f 

attefukdy I ask^d if: the meetings «t fatmA 
firete also Gansidered us/foA'ci • 

Tiiere are tdo many who ron away from En- 
i<ope' to America with the property of their cre- 
ditorg. Oae of these went out in the same Aip 
with my family^ oiider a disguised name^ bat his 
flight was soon termitaated^ at New York, by the 
yellow fever, and the property he took with him 
nearly lost/ from having neither friend nor ac- 
quaintance in America who knew any thing of 
htm* During the passage out, he spoke of him- 
self as a married man, desirous of seeing Ame* 
rica previous to determimng whether he should 
settle there, for which purpose he had brought 
with him a few hundreds to defray his expenses 
•f travelling, &c. 

At the time of the ship's arrival at New York, 
the fever brokeout. I was more thanfiOOmfles 
distant at the time. Hastening to New^Yorki to 
get my &mtly away, I was informed thia^ geotle- 
maa was ill, or he would have been glad to be 
introduced to me. He continued so for two 
days: on the third, I setoff in the morning, in 
my chaise, to shew my wife the estate I had 
bought. Returning, in the evenings we were 
informed, that, ^thin an hour after our setting 
off, this poor unfortunate man had sent for me, 
being told by the physicians, that it was necessaiy 
.for him to settle his affairs without loss of time; 
and, if be had any fqend he wished to ^mma- 



Ml 

ucate widii lie must uead for hiiii* H« hMA 
never seen me, b«t sent imaedwteljr to jrequeH 
my litteiidtitiice lo teceive the pcoperty he 
hftd wuh hifo^ and probsbly tb commanicate 
some other ifeiattcn, but J was imfortMaCely 
gone. Beiag freased to send for aoilie one dse^ 
as tbey were under the necessity of removing 
him from the city to the bosfkii, he then sent 
for the gentleman ait whose house 1 lodged ; but, 
so great a dread then fiervaded the people's 
minds^ he Was afVatd.to go n^ar th^poor man to 
receive his baid^-notes and gold though then 
sealed in the open air. He was therefore hor* 
ried awjuy to die ho^lal^ the cAptain of the 
ship he went iout in actemfanying him; bat ha 
bod s^n too much of the captain's conduct^ 
during the passage, to trnsl l^im: be died the 
same afternoon at the bosptlal. 

Oo di'e foIU)Wmg day, /the captain informed 
me, that the unfortunate man, being disi^^poii^ted 
at aoiy notcDmiog, had at fattt ^ent for the mas*^ 
tee of .a tavern where he had called, occasional^; 
IQ whottfc be bad delivered English bank-notes to 
a oonsiderable amount. And bere^.possibly^. the 
mattier would have died away and sunk in obli* 
vi<m with him; hny understanding that he had 
left a widow, who isight auffer nroeh from ne-^ 
ver knowing what was become of him or his 
property, and that the propcfty was in a ha* 
sar^oMi situation 9 some people of lespectabiiity 
U3^ 



£88 

likewise declaring, from tbar knowledge of both 
captjun .and publican^ that, sooner than quarrel 
to endaiiger the whole^ they would agree to di-* 
vide the spoil between them; for these reasons, 
7 engaged to stir in it. At any other tune, the 
staying in New York, to get sudi a business set* 
tied, would have been nothing; but, as it was, 
etery additional hour was fraught with danger. 

I called on the captain the following daji 
desiring something nought be done to secure the 
property; and, at last, insisted that he or the 
publican, or both of them, should adminbter 
properly to the effects and giTe security for the 
same to die legal claimants. This, neither of 
them was able to do, their credit was so bad. 
Whftt had. been required of them I was wUlingi 
I ohsenredj to do myself. On tber decliniag, 
therefore, I took two jre^ectaUe merchants of 
the city, as bondsmen, ppeieiired letters ad cdH- 
gendufu bona, md demanded the pispeity^ when, 
finding I was (oo much in earnest to he trMed 
with, on the thinl day I had beiwewfiTeaad 
six hundred pounds paid over to me, chiefly in 
bank*note^; giving a xeceipt for all I recmed, 
and delivering .in an account to the judge dTdie 
court of probates. I next made a careful eia- 
mination for papers ix any thing they might give 
•information about his ftiends, but all in vain* 

A captain's commission In the Royal SaiDt 
George's, Hanover - square. Volunteers, in the 



iC9 

name of L H. H. and two lettert directed to 

the same' name, were all I could find i by these, 

it appeared he must have gone by a feigned 

name. I wrote to England accordingly, and 

found, by retmrn of answers, that I had been 

hazarding my life for the creditors instead of his 

widow. Doubtless, the claim of the creditors 

was legaUy panimomit, and I was pleased to s^ve 

it for those to whom it was doe; bat I freely 

acknowledge, that I should not have run that 

risk, for so promiscuous «n assemblage of people 

as cr«dit<»rs ane in geimal composed of, which 

I so cheerfully undertook for the sake of the 

;iridow and family ; and I think that few besides 

myself would have so QuixotiisAily volunteered oar 

any accent for strangers, at a time when- every 

hourVstay in the city made it more? haaaidous. 

Even his trunk of new dothes, delivered, to me * 

from the ship, (apparcnily untouched^ since his 

leaving fogland,) was refused admittance into 

any house, and I was obliged to smuggle it down 

to my Sana by water, as one of my own trunks. 

For all this, I acknowledge I seceived a* letter 

from the assignees, superabundant in. expressions 

of veiy grateful obligations.^ CUstena iemU* 

In my account of the state and city of New 
York, I have given a concise opinion concerning 
this fatal disorder, as to whether it is more likely 
to be generated ox imported } bot, whatever was 



die bauae^ the tSkct was threa^yFul^ whkii I had 
several opporixihitica 6£ seeing. 

From earliest life^ it was a rule I laid down 
never to torn aside firooii danger, if duty of 
any kind ciilled me. The market-boats^ and car- 
riages of aU kinds, refused at last tago to New 
York. Having some artisdles there, essentia to 
be fetched avriajr, I tiras giving idirectroos to mj 
seryantiB, but observed an evident i^hictance in 
their iooks andmanhcrs. To piievent a positiTe 
xefiisal, I said it was not .my fmctioe to ask 
others to do what I was afraid to fb myself, 
and that I riioukl go With the waggon and take 
any t#awidi me that were not cowak«^. They 
:were then ashamed to refil9e> mvd.we set o£die 
nextdayj. 

It was ihe seeohd day of the greatest mltwta^ 
Kty that raged dui^nig the disorder. No lets a cabh 
mity coidd well . have pMdaced ^ch a death-like 
silence as reigned througbout the caC^. Witk 
greet difllculty^ I tfanaicted my business; and 
then called on « fewi^firrends, who wei^e f^eiforoiing 
Ijie last Had duties tothiir iseiBCDest conaectians» 
I endeavofved to chear' them with tke eonsdatioa 
of hofle, and stept that n%ht itk the city, at the 
TontiiDe Coffee-house f but Ithis, which veas in- 
tended for rgoiking tfie heart, was, like the rest, 
the boose of mooradng. Passing ial6t^ the 
streets, both on tbi^t ami the fdiowisg day, 
no human «voice was heard bot that of wailing 



aid hmtiitatioiij nd every 6fe I m#t bore 
strong characters of de$t>oiidittg melanclidy. 
The whole time I was there I noticed but two 
carts, exclude of :^e buriak-carts. I feh not 
the smallest appnsbensiott as to myself, and am 
persoaded that Bability to receive the infection,' 
as well as the recovery of those ill of the disorder, 
depends greatly on the state of mind a person it 
in as to alarm or fear. 

I had also taken the resolution how to act in 
case of an attack, and was provided with a stfoAg 
dose of ipecacuanna, which I had fbmid so effica* 
clous a( Bencoolen, in the Islaml of Sumatra, 
to clear all the passages as soon as possible, and. 
then trust to Dame Nature, assisted with cheer- 
ing tonics; but it was much better that i had no 
occasion to put it to the trial. 






tgjB^. 



CHAFTER XJ^XIV. 



Imprudence of son^e Englishmen; serious consC'- 
quences likely to have resulted *^ FrenchmaCs iri^ 
umph over an old Bnjgfish rejgimental eoah 



At the timt I resided at the Tbntiae Coffee- 
bousei in NewYork^ the imprudence of afeir 
EDgliflhmen had nearly occasioned a serious piece 
of business.' 

A strong partjr of New-Yorkers, in the French 
mteresti had, some time before, fixed the Ame- 
rican and French flags up in the public coffee- 
room, as united. It seems that the appearance 
of the French iri-^coloured flag gave such um- 
brage to these Englishmen, who were on their 
way from some of the sowthem states to Nova 
Scotia, that, in passing through the room about 
three in the morniqg» ta embark on board the 
vessel they were to sail in, they most courageously 
tore off the French flag and carriecf it away. 

I slept there the same night, and early the next 
morning, intelligence of the insult having spread 
through the city, all the Frenchmen and Ame- 
ricans, in New York, were assembling, threat* 
cning vengeance on the authors, if they could 



team who thejr vrett. The master of the hoaa^ 
being fta EiigltshWn> he and ever j EngUshniAn 
in the house ifer e implicated in the ^uipicionj 
and the hoas^ itself was threatened to be pulled 
doWB» Previously to this tumultuQus assemblages 
I had began my usual early morning wallrap' 
and down the piasza acyoiqing this room, un- 
conscioqs of the ofienCe committed^ until ihe 
vehement sacre Dieu^s drew my attention ; and 
I then continued moving among them as uncon* 
cerned as possible. Boats were manned with 
armed volunteers^ to pursue those who were/ by 
the waiter, reported to haVe done it ; thfs winds 
being so light as to allow the probability of over* 
taking the vessel they sailed in* At the same 
time^ strong suspicions fell on some English gen^ 
demen who had speat the evening with tbos^ 
that wei*e gone ; inquiries virere made for them 
to come forward and clear themselves^ but they 
deemed it more prudent to keep out of the way. 
A number of these enragti then made a search 
throughout the housci but without finding what 
they- sought i^ter It happened, however, that, 
in a roQm occupied by Captaia Codd, an Ebg-^ 
lish officer from CSamtda, on his way tp Europe, 
they fftixid a harmless old regimental coat, which 
they sei^d with great intrepidity and bore away 
in triumph, determined to sacrifice it to the 
manes of their insulted and departed trt^ohSved 
fl^g- T\^ destined victim was accordingly taken 



f28 

fbwtt to the pnblie oofif^e-room; and, in front ef 
tbe temainiag part of the iron stamp of ^the flag- 
BtaiBr> was hacked and torn into hundreds of 
pieces. Happy seemed every Frenchman who 
coald obt^n the smallest remnant, to bear away 
as a trophy of their gallant exploit ; though, from 
die excrementary indignities that were fir>t 
showered down upon it, I should not suppose 
that the odour arising from the trophy had any 
spicy4ike fragrance to render it accepuble to 
their mistresses. 

I scarcely know which to blame most; the 
Englishmen, who so courageously attacked the 
unprotected harmless flag in the dead of the 
night, then ran away and escaped the conse- 
quen<;es, leaving all their countrymen and there 
were several in the house) involved in a suspt* 
cion of being concerned) and liable to be mal* 
treated for a business they were wholly ign<H 
tant of; or, the equally-courageous Frenchmeo, 
who so manfully captured and destroyed the poor 
coat in the owner's absence. 

Fortunately for those who had so imprudently 
committed this act of foIiy> the boats returned 
in the evening without having overtaken them, 
or I firmly believe their Kves would have fallen i 
sacrifice to the enraged party ; as, from the refusal 
of tbe Mayor of Ne^ York to afifofd thesmaifett 
protection, on an application made to htm 
by the master of the eoffee-house and other 



S2i) 



inhabitants, it was evident enough he was fearful 
of doing his duty. Thus adding one to many 
other proofs I witnessed of the weakness of the 
executive power of a republican g0||^nmcnt to 
enforce the laws, whenever the multitude think 
proper to take the power into their own hands. 



CHAPTER XXXV. 

Genuine French equality; ^ntertuinment on board a 
Frenchfrigate. 



A FEW days after this, I ,had an opportunity 
of seeing genuine French equality, in all its glory. 
I was at Newport, in Rhode-island, when twelve 
of the principal inhabitants were invited to an 
entertainment on board the Medusa frigate. 
My two most intimate friends. Doctor Scnter 
and Major Liman, were among those invited; 
and, being a visitor at the house of the former, 
he was requested to ask me, in the most delicate 
manner, whether I would accept an invitation. 
I bad no hesitation in saying, that, as a traveller, 
m pa^smnt^ I considered myself at liberty in a 

VOL. u. X 



S30 

foreign countiy to ^accept any polite invitation 
whatever; adding, (to my friendii,) that I wai 
^ desirous of gratifying my curiosity, I might 
never meet with the like again; and judging, by 
the delicacy used in the invitation^ that I should 
find nothing particularly offensive to me as an 
Englishman, I would abcept the same. Governor 
Mifflin, from Pennsylvania, was the only stranger^ 
besides myself, that was thus invited. 

A general discharge of great guns and small 
arms saluted us as we went on board. To give 
any account of their appearance as to disciplinei 
when, at the request of General Governor Mifflin« 
the men, &c. were ordered to quarters, and 
by firing and loading went through a mock en- 
gagementt would be a very ungracious return for 
the civilities received. The politest attention 
was paid, and we sat down to an elegant dinner 
with all the commissioned officers belonging to 
the frigate. I was seated between Governor 
Mifflin and Monsieur Fauchet's secretary, and 
.can truly say I heard not a syllable the whole day 
Ip give the smallest offence to ttiy feelings, as a 
Briton. 

It was not long after dinner, before *the boat* 
swain, gunner, carpenter, &c. were introduced, 
and desired to take their seats. The captain pro* 
posed their healths, which were drank^ observing 
that thdse (the warrant, and petty officers) were 
the heroes to whom France was indebted for her 



fiSl 

glory. I admired ttiis manner of treating those 
officers, operating as a strong stimulus ta a full 
discharge of their duty^ on which much depends*. , 
But what can possibly be said for passively suf^ 
fering as many of the ships's crew as thought pro- 
per abruptly to pour into the cabin? most of 
them in the coarsest dishabille that can be con- 
ceived, even to disgust. Yet these people were 
allowed to crowd around and squeeze in upon 
part of any person's seat, helping themselves to 
the wines and liquors that were on the table, and 
out of any person's glass they could lay hold of. 

All was confusion, drinking, singing, an4 
dancing, (carmagnole,) men and officers jumbled 
together, dancing round in various circles, ap- 
parently mad and crazy in their enthusiastic 
shouts of Vite la R^ublique. Equality rod^ tri- 
umphant ; and, as a matter of curiosity, I en- 
joyed the scene. Nor could I have so fully con- 
ceived (much less credited) the accounts given 
of these fraternizing and equalizing systems, if I 
had not seen what I did. 



X2 



232 



CHAPTER XXXVr. 



Slavery in North America, in Turkey, Barbery, 
the European States, up the Mediterranean, and 
in the East and West Indies; observations on 
slavery ; hints for a gradual emancipation. 



In some parts of my account of America, my 
objections to any thing that seemed to counte- 
nance slavery are cursorily mentioned; and yet I 
afterwards acknowledge to have purchased somt 
slaves. I wish to remove any appearance of in- 
consistency on this headj and know not how I 
can do it better than by giving my opinion on the 
long- contested point for the abolition of slavery. 
It is an opinion I gave, some years back^ ta a 
much-valued friend, ^ho requested it when the 
subject was so generally agitated and claimed the 
public attention. It, is true, since that time I 
have myself purchased slaves; yet have I never 
changed my opinion, but remain more and more 
confirmed in it. 

Having seen slavery in a variety of shapes, ifl 
different parts of the world, not to have con- . 
sidered it would reflect on my humanity : I have 
often, very often, and with sensations that varied 



2S3 

as the time and circumstances occurred; and I 
believe the surest, shortest, and clearest, way of 
delivering my thoughts on the subject, will be 
by sketching an outline of the kinds of slavery 
that have fallen within my notice. In the general 
acceptation, of the teflfi slavery^ there is not, can- 
not be, a more sincere welUwisher for a proper 
abolition than myself. How that is best to be 
carried into execution, so as to produce the 
greatest good and occasion the least evil, deserves 
most serious consideration. 

In North America, taking those parts to the 
norAward and eastward of • Pennsylvania, the 
slaves are much happier, from being better fed, 
clothed, and taken care of, th^n they would be 
if left entirely at their own liberty; I am an ad- 
vocate, however, for emancipation. To enfranchise 
the whole immediately would not be the best 
possible good for them. What has already been 
done (bringing them or their ancestors from Africa,, 
to make them slaves) cannot be undone, but a 
continuance of the traffic is unjust and wrong in 
the extreme. 

In Turkey andBarbary, there are two (or more) 
kindir of slaves t those who are bought, and the 
Europeans who are -made prisoners of war. The* 
first we may class with the negroes in America 
and the West Indies, while the latter are to be 
pitied the. most of any description of slaVes I 
X3 



234 

have seem Dreadful, indeed ! > i& the isitiiation of 
these unhappy moKtals, compared vrith vhom 
the slaves in our plarHations are free men. And 
here we tm^y lament that we have not the power 
to interfere respecting a quick abolition of the 
slavery of these Europeans.*"'^ 

It is unnecessary ti^ notice all the similar kiiidj 
of slavery, seen in different countries; I shall 
select those only that appeared to me to. differ 
from the rest. In all the European states up the 
Mediterranean, they have slaves who have beca 
condeinned as such on account of crimes; the 
justice or injustice* oi, their ae5P$ericc« is no part 
of the. .present inquiry; but, admitting th^y were 
fairly tried and convicted, I hesitate not. to say, 
I think it^ much more justifiable to deprive them 
ef their liberty .than to take away their lives, let 
* 4h^: crime il;iey have cQmiyiitted be wha: it may. 
Of co^urse,' I .am no advpcate for abolishing this 
kind of: slavery; ye< it requires numerous regu- 
latk>05 to mal^e it answer the .intended purposes 
^ puHishment, r^ntance, reforpiationy .and ex- 
ample* ' 

In the East Indit^i slavery a$^umc8 a iniUer 
aspjsft, slaves being chiefly bought and kept for 
^mestic. ,uses. The native poor, with large 
families, \a ^inies9f: scarcity^ think they cannot 
do better ^han tp'di«p(I^S -of .their children, either 
to the opulent nativespr &tt*9feans;. and, being 
sold when young, they become strSkgJy attached 



to their masters or mistresses, from whom' they* 
receive everything, even to superfluities; so that 
lo enfranchise tbem, and turn them adrift to get 
their own livelihood, would be a punishment in 
nine cases out of -ten. ^ 

One matter^f facVl worth a dozea supposi* 
tions. I ha4^a boy sent me from Bengal to Ma* 
sulipQjtam, 'men about eight years old, as a 
present. Mj^ifriead,^ who sie^t him, wrote m^ 
word it was an act of charity, fojr the mother 
had been some time iniportunitig hvm to take the 
boy a slave ; and, on mentioning his intention to 
send the boy such a distance, she was perfectly 
satisfied when informed it was to an English officer 
of hit acquaitrtSihce. The boy continued with me 
lor some yeafifl^ ' When about to leave India>. I 
offisiedt him his liberty and to send him back to 
Bengal. On the first mention of the cireum- 
stance, he threw hiiaself at my feet as I sat; 
and, lifting ont of them up. with his hands, placed 
it on his beaid upon the ground, and desired me 
to kill him rather than turn him away. I accord* 
ingly kept him until we arrived at St. Helena^ 
where I made some stay; and it became a serious 
consideration upon learning that there had lately 
been great disturbances in England, by the 
emancipation of such numbers, who, thu» freed 
from servitude and restraint, were swarming about 
the streets of London, distressed to the greatest 






836 

degree. This detendined me; I gave him his 
choice, to go back to Bengal, free^ or to be 
placed with some worthy family at St. Helena. 
-Finding me resolved not to take him to England, 
and noticing how happily j^ey lived in the island, 
he preferred being turneiPbver to a master and 
mistress who would take care of him, to having 
his liberty and returning to his native country; 
s»d I am satisfied he made the wiser choice* 

The Maby idaves, whom J observed on the coast 
of Sumatra, both in the Dutch and English set* 
llements, di&r so little from those in the other 
settlements in the East Indies, that it ia uiuie« 
cessary to say more concerning them^ than diat 
their slavery frequently originates in an extra, 
vagant spirit of gaming, which induces the father, 
when he has nothing else to stake, to ganible 
away the liberty of his children t. and hence,. I 
infer, arises that extraordinary kind of madness^ 
so peculiar to the Malays,* termed rwamng a mnich 
I believe, the nervous system of a; losing gametfer 
is more violently agitated and convulsed by the 
sense of his losses, than by any other voluotaiy 
self-inflicted operation whatever; aUd, wliere the. 
paroxysm of the disorder has risen to such, a 
height as. to induce the miserable man to hazard 
his children heconung slaves to another, theieis 
scarcely any other radmess he can be guilty of 
that need excite sorjiorise: yet. the maimer in 



237 

which be seeks destruction, wbfch I hav« related 
ia a former part,* is unaccountable* 

I liave reserved to the last my observations on 
tlie treatment of slaves in our West-India 
plantations, as they ol% are tbe red subjects of 
the abolition-bill; and I conceive the foregoing 
ivill not be deemed either foreign or superfluous 
to the subject, since it may help, in some degree 
to account for the apparent difference in evi- 
dence given by gentlemen before the bouses of 
parliament, as well as the contradictory accounts 
in the public papers.. The practice of obtaining 
and conveying men, women, and children, from ^ 
their native land, merely because they are black, 
and therefore reckoned fitter for work in hot 
climates than Europeans; the original purchase, 
conducted by fraud, force, and artifice ; the 
transpoitation and sale of them, in a foreign 
country, for slaves ; altogether present the pic- 
ture of so diabolical a traffic, that I cannot suf- 
ficiently express my surprise at finding there are 
yet advocates for its continuance, after tbe inhu- 
manity of the practice has been so ably and justly 
exposed ; for, it is a mockery of justice, as well 
as an insult to. common understanding, to say, 
that, fxqm motives of humanity, they are re- 
moved by compulsion from a worse to a better 
situation, 

• Vol. L Chapter XLV. p. 205. 



,S38 

Liefe us suppose there were iuhabit^oJ^^f sonw 
distaDj^QUotry, as superior., to us in ^ire^tbof 
ariit^jrtifid nnderstanding as we esteem oursphes 
to- ^- poor Africans; and, trusting in thai 

'itrehgth, Jetns jfarthen ss^pose they were to come 
bither, and, %mong others, to make ,free with 
these advocates for slavery, I imagine these 
gentry would not be better reconciled to their 
fate, from being told, by their masters, it was 
doing them a kindness to carry them from home 
to livq.tuat j^avery uqder people so much their su- 
periors; -adding, withal, it was likewise necewiiiy, 

. or they (their lords and masters) could not eujoj 
ij^oite so many superfluities; and, I fear, that 
nothing short of so forcible an argument could 
or would convince them. For, as Miss H* M, 
WiUiams observes in one of her letters from 
France, (OBly I substitute the abolition of sla- 
-very for the de^ioUtion of the Bastile,] ^^ Thoje, 
who have contemplated on slavery without re- 
joiciog at tlie prospect of an.abolition, may, for 
aught I know, be very respectable persons and 
very agreeable companions in the hour of 
prosperity ; but, if my heart ' were sinking in 
anguish, I should qot fly to them for cons(h 
lation." I belieye it is Sterne who says, that a 
man is incapable of loving one woman as he oagbc^ 
who has not a sort of an affection for the whole 
i^ex. I am of the same opinion^ and as Me 



839 

should tJcHok tor particular 8ympatb|r frOtti tbdse 
wbo have no feelings of general philanttbropy* 

To return, the poor Africans, thus .«Qraelly 
carried oveit to the West Indies^ are exposed at 
a public market, frequently at a vendue, (or sale 
by auction j) and sold like beasts of burden to the 
highest bidder. A small proportion are selected 
. for domestic uses, and I am willing to allow some' 
of these to be ranked with the slaves in the 
northern parts of the continent of America; for 
comfort and even for pleasures> exoept in case 
of misconduct, when they are subject to be turned 
out as field-negroes, which is often the case ; un-* 
der which term> we may comprehend the large 
bulk of negro-slaves. These may truly be xalled 
miserable slaves; for, although it may be allowed 
•that in some of the plantations they are treated 
with humanity; yet of those who are treated the 
best, the very best, among the working fidd- 
negroes, it is a cruel lot to suppose any fellow- 
creature born, or subjected to the iron hand of 
power, without having committed an offence. 
What then must be the deplorable fate of those 
unhappy wretches lyho are the property of mas- 
ters (I am sorry to say mistresses, too) whose 
hearts are callous to every feeling of humanity 
towards them? Impressed, from their isradlesj 
with the idea that their slaves are little or nothing 
superior to the brute creation, they treat them 
accordingly. 



In uay youthful days, I remembered to have \ 
seen at Savannah-la-Mar, in Jamaica^ a Creole 
lady (as she was called) stand by while one of her 
negroe-wenches was so severely flogged^ in the 
public place, by one of her negroe men-slaves, that, 
if a drayman were so to flog his horse in the streets 
of London, I am persuaded the populace would 
wrest the whip from his hands and retaliate upon 
him the injuries of the animaL Yet, so accos- 
tomed to tliese sights and screamings of the poor 
wretches were the people at Savannah, that they 
past along unconcerned, until attracted by the 
greater novelty of « youth like myself interfering, 
by asking the mistress if she was not ashamed of 
hersel£ The good kdy then poured forth such a 
^ torrent of abuse, plentifully decorated with oaths, 
as to provoke a retort ^milaf; until, foaming at 
the mouth like a mad creature, she retreated into 
her house, cursbg me for a *' dom torry orse^ im- 
pudent sailor-fellow.*' 

What Mr. Jefferson remarks, of the conduct 
^f the master to the slave in Virginia, is equally 
if not more applicable to the West*India islands. 
The whole commerce between master and slave 
is a perpetual exercise of the most boisterous 
passions, the most unremitting haughtiness on 
the one part and degrading submissicm on the 
other. The children see this and learn to imitate 
it, man being an imitative animal. This quality 
is the germ of all education in hip; from hit 



241 

cradle to his grave, he is leftrniag to do what fae 
sees others do. If a parent could find ao: motive, 
either in his philanthropy or his self-love, for . 
restraining the intemperance of his passions to- 
wards his slave, the presence of his c)iild should/. 
always be a sufficient one. The parent storms: , 
the child looks on, catches the lineaments of 
wrath, puts on the same airs in the circle of,, 
smaller slaves, gives a loose to his worst passions; 
and, thus nursed, educated, and daily exercised^ 
in tyranny, cannot but be stamped by it with 
odious peculiarities. 

God bless the Duke of Clarance. I trust hi 
speaks honestly as far as he knows, but his royal . 
highness, as well as some other respeetable cha* 
racters, must excuse me for obs^ving, that their 
knowledge respecting the treatment, usage, and 
mode cf living, of the hard-working field-negroes 
on the plantations, must necessarily be much 
confined. The most that these men of high 
rank have an opportunity of observing is among 
the household or domestic negroes, where our 
opinions may partly coalesce. But, admitting 
that out cf curiosity they may have visited mauy 
and some of the worst of the (maltreated) ne* 
gro*plantations, is it not evident to common 
sense, that the owners or managers of such 
plantations would take the greatest care that 
every thing should appear in its best during such 
visit? Of coorsey they see no negro«driver fiou- 

VOL. n. Y 



24^ 

Tiarrin^ aftid'cjriicking^ his whip over the ne^grdes 
at work, to try his dtat^rity m cutting a musqui- 
to off any of their backs> merely to amase 
liimself. Nayy if these visitors condescended to 
inquire of the podr creatures themselves^ the 
^vretcbed beings too well know they dare not pour 
their sorrows into the ear of any but such as> like 
myself, (being> at the time I allude to, in 'too 
humble a station to attract the notice <tf their 
masters^) cbuld observe their customaiy dsilj 
treatment) with their hard scanty subsistence. 
While employed in the long-boat of the ship I 
belonged to, to fetch off sugars, rums, &c. from 
various distant plantations, I have frequently en-^ 
tered their huts with familiarity, at night, to 
give them a_ spare piece of salt beef <^r pork. I 
believe it was a situation as likely as any to obtain 
information on the subject, free from partiality 
or prejudice^ admitting the observer to have 
any human affections remaining; and, where a 
person has had frequent opportunities of obser- 
vation, it requires no very "great abilities to form 
a tolerable judgment on the subject. 

I do not hesitate, thetefore, in saying that 
the traffic of transporting fresh slaves from Africa 
ought, in common justice^ to cease immediately, 
as it cannot be Justified on any principle of hu- 
manity, expediency, or necessity. So far, then, 
I again express my surprise that there should be 
two opi^ons on the subject, among men who 



S49 

are Doi interested in it. The sons of Mammqu. 
ar^ out of the question>,for they, whether ia 
the semblance of merchants^ shi{i-ownerS| pr 
plantefSy will endeavour to justify it under sanc-^ 
tion of their religion, self-int;erest ! 

The great . and almost only difficulty, I con-* . 
eeiyci is in forming and adopting snch a plan, lor 
their gradual emancipation as will best answer 
the humane intention of releasing so many ihou- 
sands of our fellow«^creatures from bondage. To 
do this hastily, to say to them, " Ye, are &\\free 
from this instant," would be nearly as cruel as 
first enslaving them. If there. were only a few 
hundreds or thousands thinly scattered over the 
islands, it mattered not bow soon it was done ; 
but the liberation of such a multitude, whose 
~ numbers far exceed the Europeans, from whom ' 
they must (whether freemen or slaves) expect a 
maintenance for a considerable time to come, 
would not only be productive of the worst con- 
sequences to those Europeans, but equally so to 
themselves : the excesses, so sudden aa intoxica- 
tion would plunge them into, would be dreadful. 

Probably, much better plans than I have to 
offer, for accomplishing this desirable end, may ' 
have been suggested, and I hope they will be 
adopted ; but the following was what I proposed 
to caf ry into execution if I had settled in any of 
ahe southern states of America, where slaves 
.^one at pcesent perform the work; «||dirom this. 
Y2 '^ ^ 



344 

I %ad promised myself ro small gratificattoDj ra 
the good I might have done as an indi^idualj and 
a hope that the example might induce others to 
do the same when they found it their interest, 
whatever their principles might be. 

Under their present owniers, tbey have not the 
most distant prospect of gaining their liberty: 
^to pmrchase sacb'slares) with a view to afford 
them an opportunity of working out their own 
redemption, is justifiable. Supposing, then, I 
bad purchased a number of slaves^ worth on an 
average fifty pounds each; on becoming their 
master^ to encourage them in diKgence and good 
behaviour, I would have allowed them one day 
in each week to work for themselves, allotting 
m piece of ground to each to work upon ; assur- 
ing them, that whoever,* by their industry and 
frugality; saved a fifth pari of their prime cost,. 
.;vay ten pounds,) should then be intitled to 
purchase/ with that money, another day to wort 
upon their own account, and so on until they 
cleared the whole of th^ir thne. Possibly, it 
win appear to some people as requiring a long 
time for a dave so to emancipate himself, but it 
is far from being so. A free negro can easily 
earn half a crown a- day, most of them twice as 
much ^ a slave is found in the necessaries of life 
and cloathing by his master. We will suppose, 
then, that he earns no more than half a crown 
on the day first given to him, calling it Satur- 



day^ and that he expends one shiiling on himself; 
he then lays by eighteen pence a week. Trifling 
as this may appear^ at fijcst viewj to the accpm- 
pllshpent of so great an end, it will eAable him 
to makie hi3. first purchase^ of another day ^f 
freedom in the week^ in little more than two 
years and a half. Should he then apply the 
whole additional earnings to the former eighto^ 
pence^ one other year will purchase him anpth^r 
day of liberty^ and the heaviest half of his task 
is then accomplished. 

He is now half free, beginning to feel a :pro* 
portioi^te consequence, and may probably ii|* 
cr^se his own enjoyments a little more. jM^ 
mitting this, in two years or two years and a hedf. 
more, be may complete the full purchase of hb 
freedom ; but if^. instead of six years, it even 
takes them s^ven, eight, or. nine, it is fax better 
for them than if they had their full .liberty anAC' 
freedom at once; and, being the work of their 
own hands> by favour of their master, it inqul- 
Gates two good principles; indttstry>. with a true 
knowledge of its value, from which it is likely to 
become habitual ;. and gratitude for their master^, 
whose work they will then behappy to doas fre0^ 
servants* Nor have I much doubt^'but> the 
ppleaaing hope of such liberation, while they are* 
gaijfting it. by degrees^ wtU afford them nearly, if 
not quite, as much comfort as the final accom- 
plishment. At any rate, th^,gi[a4\ial ac^^ire^ 

Y3^ ; 



5146 

mcnt of it will be the best meaos to prevent their 
being madly intoxicated at the completion. 
They will know the value betteri and will have 
gained snch habits of industry -and frugality as to 
insure their future welfare. The owner receives 
the full value, with an ample interest from the 
work done for hiin, exclusive of the high inen^ 
trf gratification of liberating a fellow-creatnre 
from fliavery. 

In the account of my farm in the state of 
New York, I have mentioned the mode I. adopted 
there for liberating those I purchased, as similar 
to the foregoing as the difference of climate and 
country would permit; and the gentleman, with 
whom I left them upon the farm, engaged to 
fulfil and pursue the same plan. 

I allow that the bulk of the slaves employed in 
the West-India plantations haTe the appearance 
of b^ing but a few degrees above the brute crea- 
tion; but it is their situation which makes them 
so. Teach them better by good usage, and sti- 
niulale them to industry by sweetening their 
bitter cup with^a cheering prospect of obtaining 
tb^ir liberty, and they will soon exhibit sufficient 
proof of tlieir capacity to deserve and enjoy it. 
At opr family-devotions, on Sundays, my ne- 
groes, whom I called in to attend likewise, could 
scarcely conceive what was purposed; yet in a 
«hort time, from receiving the best instructions 
ia my power, and perceiving, in my address to 



247 

the 6ne Almighty God, that they werecofUH<ter«j 
as equal in his eye; according to their deserts^ 
they attended, with earnestness and gratitude, ta 
he better ^ informed of their dependence on his 
Proyidence for the comforts of this life, with 
the hope'of a better hereafter. These were cir* 
cumstances, concerning which their former owners 
had never given them the smallest idea<, 

I must acknowledge there was one thing,, res- 
pecting the negroes in some p^rts of America,, 
which-astonished me much, nor was I ever able 
to account for it to my own satisfaction;, but 
truth requires it to be mentioned. On the sub- 
ject of slavery, every feeling heart will naturally 
sympathise for the parent whose mind^ we sup- 
pose, must be tortured with agony when he con- 
siders his children bom to perpetual slavery; 
yet how shall we account for the very common 
practice, among the free negroes in America, of 
preferring to marry «Zat«-wenches, by which they 
make aft their children slaves ? The fact is so, 
and the only reasoil I could learn, or can assign-; 
is that they value not their liberty at the price of 
their maintenance. But possibly this may arise 
from the long degradation of their minds, which 
a more liberal ti^eatment and enlightening educa^ 
tiou might correct and bring back to a natural 
sense of parental duttest 



S48 



CHAPTER XXXVn. 

Jonmey to the City of Washington; from Nes 
York to South Amhoyy by water; French Inva* 
Kds^; to Burlington, by land; to Philadelphia, 
hy water ; curious accommodation at the Frank- 
lin's Head, at Philadelphia; set off for Baki- 
more; travelling^xpenses, treatment, and remarh, 
on the road; Baltimore, price of provision in 
1796; set off for George-town; remarks on tht 
toad, and in passing through the new city. 



Bevobe I finally quitted Axnericai I took mj 

wife purposely to see- the then much-talked-of 

new city of Washington*. This was in 1796, and 

I well remember readiag a naragraph in an Eog- 

lish newspaper^ but a few days befo|re we began 

our joumeyy wheran it was asserted^ that this 

new city' was making BOoh rapid progress that 

&ere were pXxt^j upwards, of 7000 houses built 

and' inhabited^ with, a proportionate number 

erecting to .answeci the great demand for more* 

I beg this may be borne in remembrance^ iifheo I 

state the plain matter of faet as we found the 

new city. I will give a cursory accoun.t^of the 

journey^ to enable the readef^ to judge of the 



249 

mode of travelling along the most ifirequenled 
public roads ip America. ' > . 

To diversify our journey, we took the packet 
from New York to Amboy, the distance thirty 
miles. We sailed from New Yofk at two o'clock 
in the afternoon^ and reached Amboy at sevea 
in the evening. The packet-boats are common 
dious, and ^e sailing would have been pieasa&t^ 
but for thirty-five French passengers, (chiefly in- 
valid soldiers and sailors,} who were tiaken in 
from the hospital on an island, upon oar passage^ 
when we had no remedy. 

There is but one house at South Amboy whiich 
they call a tavern: two rooms were allotted to 
the French, who, in the true spirit of equality, 
eat and slept all'tbgether ; men and offioer^^ with 
their women, spreading their blankets on the 
floor. There were fourteen of us, exclusive of 
the Frenchi We were fortunate in obtaining 
eoflfee, toast, and fried veal, for supper ; atid, by 
bribing the house-servant, I secured a bed in a - 
closet for my wife ahd myself; we, therefore, 
could find no reason to complain, while the poor 
maimed invalids seemed so merry and happy with 
their harder lot^ For our passage^ sapper, and 
lodgings, I paid two dollars^ and a half. ^ 

At four the next morning, we set off in a 
coachee-waggon, something like our English 
vans, without springs, a wooden top, and leather 
curtains on the sid^. Onr breakfast at Gran- 



bury, wilh ilie coacbee-fare to Burlington^ dis- 
tance fifty miles^ was no more than five dolkn. 
IXoing at Burlington^ we were gfaid to catch at 
any thing and wait on ourselves for* half a dollar 
each. Fortunately, a packet was leady soon 
after we bad dided, when we had a^ delightful sail 
down the , Delaware to Philadelphia, where we 
arrived at eight in the evening, paying half a 
dollar for our passage, the distance twenty miles. 
The master of the George-inn (who knew me} 
not being in the way, I was told tho house was 
full; and the porter, who brought up part of our 
luggage, saying he could take us to another inn, 
where we should be genteelly, entertained, we 
were induced to follow biii^ t^ the New Franklin's- 
head Inn, and were shewn into a dungeoa-like 
back roQm# oVer which was our bed-ro(»n. After 
^ moderate supper, I cnrdered a bottle of ma* 
deira as the best and cleanest reireshment, and 
then retired to a most miserable bed, infested 
with dirt and vennio, and in the morning found 
no less thair three mice drowned in the urinal. 
Our accommodation' on the road was bad enough, 
but here it was execraUe. In the morning, we 
obtained a decent breakfast, and for the whole of 
my entertainment I paid five dollars and ten 
cents. Shifting our quarters as quick as possi- 
,b]e, we were decently accommodated at Mr. 
Hardy *8,^<w;hom I had foi;merly known in £og- 
h^di) diurii^ the lim^ we staid in Fbifeddpbia. 



We pslA oUr respects to tbe Pitesiihsnt stiid 
Mrs. Washington; and attended soltie interesting 
debates in congress^ where I again experienced 
politeness 'from sevel^I members^ particularly 
from Mr. Bourne^ of Rhode-island. During our 
stay, the lime passed briskly iind pleasantly; ^e 
visited the theatre, inilseuiD> &c. not omitting 
the prison. 

We then set off in the mail for Baltimore, at 
eleven in the forenoon> passed through Chester^ 
fifteen miles from Philadelphia; and, 'crossing 
the Brandiwine, on which are a number of good 
corn-mills> stopped to dine at Wilmington^ in 
the State of Delaware^ thirteen miles from 
Chester. We were seven in ntimber) and had 
a small piece of roast beef> and two fowls so very 
old we could not eat them> without a morsel of 
Vegetables, fbr which we were charged five shil-- 
lings and sixpence, or fifty<*seven cerits, each> 
besides liquor ; the landlord treating tis with ar- 
rogance nearly amounting to insolence, observing 
we were more obliged to him than he was to ns. 

Four miles from Wilmington, we passed 
through Newport, a small village, with sloop* 
navigation, in a low swampy situation.. Sixteen 
miles farther brought us to the Head of Elk, 
about eight at night. The land, from Philadd-* 
phia to the Head of Elk, is in general a poor 
hungry soil, except some gmss land near the 
river, which I was informed sells from thirty to 



252 

sikty pounds ftfl acre. We paid for our supper, 
(tea, coffee^ and fried veal^) with iodgings, one 
doUar and a half. 

We set off at four the next morning, travellkig 
some times over 'hilly and at other times swampy, 
hot all extremely poor, land, through Charlston 
to the Susqueh^na, Crossing over to Hayre-de- 
Grace, we breakfasted at half a dollar each. 
From Havre, the land is much better, growing 
good strong timber; continuing so until we came 
near Bushy twctlve miles from Havre. From this 
place, we passed over several rugged hills^ abound- 
ing with iron ore and having some intervals of 
tolerable land, until we dre\^ near Baltin^ore, 
where the soil is one -entire scrab oak-barrcn. 

The fare in the mail-coachee, from Philadel- 
pUia, was eight dollars each, ike distance ninety 
miles. Some of these <;oachees are tolerably 
convenient for warm .climates, but there is a 
material difference in them. The best are like 
covered waggons, shaped a little and painted to 
look like a coach, . having doable curtains of lea- 
ther and woollen, to furl or letc^wn atpleaaure. 
Some ere hung on springs, and travel easily, others 
quite the reverse. They have more or fewer 
benches, accordifeg to the number of passengers 
they engage Co carry. M. Brissot compliments 
tbeffij in compari/BOn to the cumbroms heavjr dili- 
gences in :firance; and he might have added, 
that they are $s much beneath the stage-coaches^ 



253 

&c. of Ebglitaci, as ihey. exceed, those of 
Francs^. .Tbrir hor«eg, indoed^ are Bot to be ex- 
ceeded^ hardly equalled, by any country, foe 
hardy . stage-travelliog, and they are very iH 
u^ted. Brissot likewise ^dmued the equalizing; 
and fraternizing custom of. tradesfnen and mem«- 
bers of congress riding together in the^ car- 
riages. He might have improved the picture, by 
isapng that you have as equal a chance^ at leasts 
of being seated by the side of a negro as » 
member of ^ congress, there being no outside^ 
passengers. 

The price of provisions, in . Baltimore-market, 
in the month of May, 1796, was thus: beef and 
mutton, sixteen pence -J veal, nine pence ; butter, 
half ^ dollar; cbeese> eighteen pence; per lb. 
Maryland currency ; fowls, half a dollar each. 

We stopped a few days at Baltimorti, to see 
some frietids, and then set off in the miail-coach, 
at six in the morning, for George-U>\yn ; die 
tare, four dollars each. The first seven miles, 
until we came to Patapsco-ferry, was, a cjjiyey 
soil^ over uncultivated hills. At £lkri4ge, th^ 
laud improves all the way to Spurrier's, a ^pb- 
stantial farmer and tavem-keep^er, wh^e we had 
a comfortable clean breakfast for forty cent^ 
each. 

. Five miles farther brought ns.to the Patuxept, 
where, o^ar the river-side, I nolice^ som^ of the. 
bestlaod^^oa this road. Froqi Sj^rriet's to Bla« 

VOL. II. Z 



'Aeu}mtghf where we dined^ the dUtahce is 
twenty-one sniles; the soii iti general either a 
Cold clay er a sand, witli a few iaterral bottoms 
of tolerable land. Bladenburgh is a neat town^ 
situated at the bead of the east branch of the 
Patowmac, feut miles above ship-navigation i 

From Bladenburgh to George-town is eight 
JiiileSj where you travel most of the way throo^ 
the new eity. When .we first entiired this city^ 
We were shewn (by the Citizen Driver) one or 
two of t*ie main streets. These were long wide 
avenues^ cut through woods and across fields^ 
without a house to be seen ; until> travelling on 
a few milesj we saw a few new-built brick houses^ 
in various directions; some of tbem a quarter of 
a mile and others half a mile distant from each 
other, which, with intervening woods and ifields 
of grass Sr graiRj bald an appearance of pleasant 
iiiarra-houses. 

Continuing thtis, for a mile or n^ore, we came 
to the capitol, an intended building, of which 
dne wing only was about one*third cfrected ; pro- 
fiaiising, when- the whole should be completed, to 
be a noble edifice. The hotel soon caine in new, 
a handsome large house, then just covered iny 
built to .eh^re accommodations for the m«nbers 
of congress; the money for it was- raised by 
puWic lottery-. Still keeping oA for George- 
town, at the diisrta:n^e* of a mile or more f?am tbe 
capitdJ; we }iasssed the President'^ intcMed 



855 

house ; and, except half a dozen houses, that 
were covering in, and the foxindations of six 
more level with the ground^ there really was 
nothing to b^ seen that had the smallest appear**^ 
ance of forming a street. 

At GeoTge-town, which is close adjbitiing the 
City of Washington ji we were set down -at a 
large hew inn^ built on speculation for the pui;* 
pose of entertiiining visitors and others coming 
to view the i>ew »ity. W^ stopped here a few 
days before we pf^8^4 the Patowmfu:-riv{^ iotQ 
Virginiai and met; with more attmtioii from th^ 
JandlOKd. of this bpnie tbun froni any otber 
clprtpg |be wfaole journey > ai^ he found his a^ 
count in it. When travelling by myself, and in 
^i^rpftiU qf 9l^qe particular object, I did no!t Ir^- 
gard difppplties; but^ with afemf^Ie companiod^ 
a^ ft tpur of pfes^ire^ it W9S d|i&]reat, 



Z« 



256 



CHAPTER XXXVIII. 

Mfonarh and observations on the City of Wasbifig- 
.. ton* 



We took several circnitoui walks and rides, to 
DOte all that was to be «een of Washington-city, 
oontainrng little besides open 'fields ' and'' laifec 
^dods^ with avenute cut through fbetti, of iniles 
•fti' length, to shew where the streets w'ere^ in- 
^tended tobe^ • ; 

The situation is pleasant and I conceive heal- 
thy. Tbe P^towmac (between two branches of 
which the intended city is situated) is most cer- 
tainly a grand river, having a clear inland ship- 
navigation of 200 miles from the sea to this 
city; yet, in my humble judgment of these 
great undertakings, I doubt whether they have 
not commenced at the wrong end. A place, that 
is first established by trade and commerce, taay 
swell gradually or rapidly to a large «ity; but I 
doubt how far the building a city to force com- 
merce, between two well-established powerful 
rivals, in a free country, vvill be likely to suc- 
ceed. Neither Baltimore, in Maryland, nor 
Alexandria, in Virginia, seem to apprehend the 



857 

smellefit disunudon of their trade, hut were 
bmlding and increasing £soter than ever; vM^ 
respeening ibis intended city, I question mudi 
whether there ever vnm be a soffici^nt number of 
honsef bulk to jentitle it to the name of a great 
city. It is true, the pnUic buildings are erects 
iog on a grand sc^le, possibly too much so for bO 
young a dountry. A century hence, should the 
uiuon of the states continlie so long, they might 
correapond ; at present^ they do not. It is to b^ 
TemembeKd that these remarks V9eve made on 
the spot, in 1796. 

The President's house is 180 feet ip front and 
B8 deep, bitilt of free-stone of an excellent qu^ 
Hty. Not more than a fourth part is btiilt; but, 
when finished, it promises to. be on elegant 
bttildtng. The capitol, building with the sam^ 
materials, is 380 /feet in front, by 120 in depths 
of •ify'hich one wing only is just raised high 
enough for the first scaflMding. But few med 
•were at work- either at the public or private 
(buildings, and several oiF them 4K)ld me they 
oould get more work than- money. Brick- 
making was the prini^ipal business gbingforward; 
and for this purpose, the whole body of earth 
that I examined (where they had dug for cellar^) 
seems vr<}ll adapted, and the Well-water good. 

If any part of the whole might be said to have 
the appearance of a town, or rather a village, it 
is at.the ea«tem point,. nearly three mileft from 
Z3 



258 

t^ President 5^ and where Mr^ Lai^ ahd Mr. 
I>uin?asoD, two gentlemen of fortune^ from in* 
Jnoy were the only individoak actoally ^sgaged 
in InatUliDg private houses. The workmen loM 
sne, that these gentlemen were the oniy peopTe 
whom they could depend on for money; one*or 
two others^ that had begun/ having left off. 
■Here, again, (as I have befdre observed resfcct- 
ilig the usual mistake of Englishmen,) I fear 
these gentlemen will find, to their cost^ that tbey 
hi^ye calculated on English ideas, unnecessarily . 
magnifted by Eastern habits. 
. In this pfart of the city, there are four or five 
gfoupes of. houses^ four orsix in a groupe, at 
jK> great distance fmnd each othery in different 
stages- of finishing, with but few that are inha- 
bited; wdi reckoning up all the houses I coold 
see or hear of, as belonging to the new Ci^of 
Washington, they did nol amount to eighty. I 
""was the morte particular in remarking this, frcHu 
•the extravagant false accounts that had been 
sent to and published in the London papers^ ad 
befotie mentioned. Had they described them as 
house-riots, it might, have parsed, but wou](d^nQt 
have answered their purpose, ^s it was these 
lots, to build houses ol), th$it they wished to sell 
by such puffs df the rapi^ progress which the 
' new city was snaking. ' » 

Bad as I apprehend it is, and will turn out to 
be, to the pifchasii^.speculatwP,' it has proved 



259 

of greatadi^uBitage to tlie old proprietors of the 

land. WJien coBgvess' first, determined to build 

a federal city, Gettceal Washington was desired 

to fix on the mosl2 eligible spot. He «;hose . the , 

prese&t^ the land of whitb. was not then worth 

more. than five poainds an acre, Maryland money^ 

Treating with the proprietors^ it was agreed that 

all the streets, avenues, squares,, grounds for 

public buildings and uses, should be paid for at 

twentj^five pounds an acre: the rena4ii|4^r of 

their respective iMids to be divided into equal 

lots ; one-half to be sqI^ ^^ the . bonefilr of the 

public^ by.commissioners,. the other at the;dis» 

posal of the original proprietor. 

On an avarage, an acre Q|:ig^ound is noW; estr- 
mated at 1500/.;^ and a >Mr.&r-^ — , whose estate 
of nearly 500 acres was not worth more thait 
3000/. (more than which be was said to i owe,) 
has bcrjEby realijBed a jJroperty of 80,000/. 

Having seen- aad examined every thing> and 
gained all the inibimatien I coidd concerning 
this 5o-mucb-taU(ed-of city, I sat down , between 
the President's :h0uae and the capitol,.aad: en^ 
tereid the following in. my minuterbooir,. aa my 
opinion^ viz. • ^ ' . •. 

'^ Should the public buildings be completed, 
and enterprising individuals risk considerb^bly in 
building houses^ should the Union of the States 
continue undisturbed; should congress assemble 
£ai a number of year3; until the nationa) bank 



f 

md otli«r puib^ ofioes tteoessajdly dfamr the mo 
nied interests to it; the- City of Washington, in 
the Goufse of e ctuAuvy, way form a focus of 
attraeci0fli.to jnefc&rBtile and tnufitig people, suffi- 
cknt to make it a benatiiiaL 'Commercial city^ 
.deaenmag the name of it» Ibvader; but I appre- 
liead so many hazands^ aa to be most uniriliing 
to venture any pait of my property in the uder- 



The pffioc of provisiona ait Ckprge^town is 
much the same as at Baltiware. The good peo- 
ple iQ tliit towD,. as weA as erery other aea^port 
4 waa at ou the contiaeat of ^Niu'tb' Amerm, 
are remarkably fend of dir^s. At <»iie obapel in 
•€l«orge*tawn, I ngcjeed pcesbyterian semce per- 
:i6mied in the morniojg aad episcopal io the 
«fterneQa<. >. 

Qaour rotuyn'fi»>m a ahoit excarsion in Vir- 
ginia, back tlirotigh GjBorge-toWQ and Washing- 
iton-city, I was imfaormed that ^oongress had 
.giuoaDteed a loasi, to enabit^bem to go on ^th 
the piiblie buiIdiogs> i^bich renovated the hopes 
^f tbe^paoatators. Batl^id'llheu, and do still, 
fiecommend emigrants. and> fWeign specalatars to 
be on their guard against the delusive flatteriog. 
.aotoifatS' that for many y^nris will be spread 
<«bioad# I 



i** 



i&h 



CHAPTER XXXIX. 

Return to Bahimore; kospitaliiy of Mr. and Mrd' 
" Sitotoden; cross the Chesapeak to French-tomi^ 

distressed French famUies \ to 'Newcastle, hy land; 

Citizen ,Darrogh^ the tavern-keeper; packet for 

Philitdelphtd; remarks on sailing up the Dela^ 

ware. 



Wfi mtiurned to Baltimore the: same^ way ;«<(t 
came^ with nothi^^ worthy ^f remark, bat 4ha 
politenesci o£ a Mr«» Saowden^ whose houte aloo4 
some little distance from the r<^. J^pecting ^ 
lady of her acquaintance to he passing that day^ 
she with'her sister had wa&ed down toimeei %W 
coach, drd^i^ing Inex servlmts to hdng wine, 
brandy,, water, 8tc. to refresh all that would 
accept. I was also informed that Mr^ Snowden 
frequeAtly took opportunities of pressing* tc^velr 
lers ta stop and accept the entertainment of his 
hospitable mansion. 
Before the revolution, instances of this kind 
I were frequent through America; but, now, it 
seems as if equalizing liberty had banished, the 
liberal hospitality that North America, was . s^ 
famed for before the war. Every dropi i^ ^^ 



Ic 

la 
tV 

P< 

cc 

til 

an 
pr 

on 

1^ 

6tr 



"^ — - =z: T -:=: :B£iiii ir jJ:. y>d 



I ha.i 




aBCTTC^ 






as 









•-T- It- 



=-- j^ t:j c:>-.:: 
r^TcET ci- 



te 




«e2( 

Tfras «ighte^ i»iks» over a level country, ivith a 
few g^rftly^sfoping h\\h. The timber-^ii'ees. w«rf 
pxetxy. hjpjge, whicb^ with a mellow-lookiii^ loam> 
ia^icated go0d land) 

Between ten and ekveny.we were driv^a to the 
tavern of ^ Mr. Darrogh, w^ho^ bonsiderhig us 
fair prey^ Woutd act allow any to be shewn to a 
bed) ««til> after waiting iwo hours £or tea^ coffee^ 
toast, and fried vealj our ho£t wad enabled to 
make bU charge for is«pper& .With a little 
bribing interest^ I then proK^ured a pai^ of clean 
sheets; and, making o«r own hed, we were glad 
to turn into a dirty cabin^Iike closet, on the 
grouod^ftoor; 

In the .mornings the French fmiilies natmraUy 
wished to breakfast in a separate room ; the 
American travellers, with ourselves, the sanies 
tn vain were a^plicatibns made, by both partieii, 
to beindtilged with two b^esricfast-tables: Citizen 
I)arf Ogb, told us plainly^ that| if we did not like 
to brebklast together, one. party might wait until 
the Qtli^r bad done. Finding entreaties were 
useless, . I sallied out ; andj observing the next 
house to be a tavern likewise, I Returned, |>aid 
Mr. Darrogh one dolkrand a half ,ibi*<yur lodging 
and supper, kad ouc tranks r^sio^red; and> 
making, up our party, weiit to the adjoii^ing 
house to breakfast.' We had the additional sa- 
tisfy tiou olsp of mortifying Mr. 'Darrogfa, by 
ordtaidl; ati early, dinner- £Dr all the passengers 



^64 

^fao chose to dine^ as the packet fdt I^iiadd- 
|)bta did not sail until after one. And f believe 
me all drank as freely again of inilk*punch as 
we otherwise should^ from observing the effect 
it produced on Citizen Darrogh| who paraded ia 
the street ^before our window^ swearing like a 
trooper vand^ when we good*naturedly drank his 
healthy he became more enraged and vehement 

1 omitted menttoning that our passage^ from 
Baltimore to French-town^ was one dollar and a 
half each, . paying tbree*qdarters of a dollar 
more for a dinner on board; but this is optional, 
as pass^nger$ may carry thdr own predion if 
they prefer it. The coachee-fare, from "French- 
town to Newcastle, is one dollar and a quarter 
each* 

Newcastle is a neat pretty town, chiefly ^p- 
ported by the shipping, which take in stock, &c. 
here, somewhat like Grav^end. There is one 
hou^e in this to^mi, said to be built before I^ila- 
idelphia was h^im* Tlie tide in the Delaware^ 
■passing by Newcastle, runs full three kttots (or 
miles) an hour. It seems remarkable, that the 
land, im the Jersey^side of 4he Delaware should 
be so uncultivated, while the Delaware and 
^Pennsylvanian shores opposite are beautiful to 
the eye, with thickly-^settled farm-houses, towns, 
and villages. 

Passing in sight of Wilmington, seven miles 
irom Newcastle^ we Cftmc to Marker's Hook| a 



i65 

pleasant fi$hing*village» than which I do not any 
where recollect a place that coitimands a more en- 
gaging rural prospect. ' A small hut to the south- 
jvard of Marker's Hook forms the line between 
Delawar'e and Pennsylvania.. There are some rich 
grazing-grounds along the shore, defended by sea- 
banks. We passed Mud-fort, opposite to Red- 
bank; places full dearly known to the English in 
the American war. They were building a pier, on 
the opposite side to Mud- fort, but little more than 
a quarter of a mile distant, on which was intended 
to be erected a battery, to guard Philadelphia {torn 
attacks by sea ; but, if it be not better planned 
and executed than other forts which I haVe seen, 
and that "have been erected since the embargo of 
1794r it can be of little consequence, as they are 
not worth the interest of the principal laid out 
upon them. 



VOL. II. A a 



^e 



CHAPTER XL. 



Land at Philadelphia; Doctor Priestly, his farme] 
sermon; his opinion; he and Mr. Russell acknow- 
ledge their disappointment, with their reasons for 
not returning to England; Doctor Perkins; re- 
turn to New York. 



About seven in the evening, we landed at 
Philadelphia, paying a dollar €ach for a very 
agreeable passage of forty miles. 

On the Sunday following, I heard Doctor 
• Priestly, at the meeting of the Univei"salists« He 
had previously gone through a course of sermons 
on the evidences of the Christian religion ; at the 
conclusion of which, he had declared his inten- 
tion of preaching but this once, as taking his 
final leave of public preaching. The place was 
crowded. 

The form of worship was thus: he first pro- 
nounced a prayer, then read the 139th Psalm 
and part of the 12th chapter of Mark, after 
which there was singing. His text was from the 
18th, igth, and «Oth,. verses of the 17th chapter 
of the Apostles, considering himself, he observed^ 
nearly in a similar situation. He delivered him- 
^clf freely and opeply as to his faith, declaring 



25r 

hts belief in one God only, and denying the 
divinity of Christ, though he considered him as 
sent by God to instruct and save, as were many 
other great and good men. To relieve himself, 
he here closed this part of his discourse and gavb 
out a psalm to be sung. 

He then entered into his second objectian to 
the generally received doctrine of Chfistianit)|» 
viz. the doctrine of atonement by the death of 
Christ. .Next» be cursorily noticed the absui^ 
dity of original sin and eternal damnatioa; de- 
claring bis OWA belief id a final retribution; hy 
ffieans of adequate punishments*, in time reform* 
ing tlie wicked^ After the &ermon» a psalm was 
sung, and he then delivered a prayer* At the 
close of the service* he administered the Lord'^ 
Supper, a» an acknowledgement or testimony of 
being Christians, (as philosophers might of being 
Newtonians*) but not as necessarily obligatory or 
requiring any serions preparation. In one of his 
prayers, I noticed a singular expression, viz. in 
hopes of becoming eitizem of heaven, which 
I considered 'as rather trimming his sails to the 
wind. 

The day following, I called on the Doctor at 
Mr. RusSieU's* to compare notes respecting Ame- 
rica. He said* that nearly all the English emi- 
grants, with whom he had conversed, agreed in 
acknowledging themselves to be much disap- 
pointed; ladies and women in particular. H^ 
AaS 



tnentioncd one or twa, who'vere thrown into such 
deep' melancholy as obligeii them to be confined. 
He said, he had seeit b.ut little himself, yet believed 
the complaints to be just ; that Ae had no choice 
Init to remain during life; acknowledging him- 
self surprised to find so little appearance of reli- 
^pn in a country where he had been led to ex- 
pect so much. 

Mr. Russ.ell not being al.home, I promised to 
breakfast with them the next d^y, which. I did. 
1 had delivered my own qpinion very freely 
respecting America,: with. the consequent detei:- 
■mination . of quitting it, when Mr« Russell, turn- 
ing to. his. son, asked htm if it were possible for 
Words to express. his own (the father's) opinion 
and . soitiments about An^erica more exactly 
than those I had used; then^ addres^ng himself 
to me, he observed, that, having made so con- 
siderable a speculative purchase in. some lands, he 
must wait the issue, and as to farming, which 
he had flattered himself with managing to so 
much advantage, he had. given up every idea. 

While I was conversing with Doctor Priestly 
one morning, we were rather abruptly broken in 
upon by a Doctor Perkins, a jphysician from the 
State of Connecticut. This gentleman had. dis- 
covered an extraordinary power in certain metallic 
substances, which would operate to remove and 
cure most inflammatory topical pains in a speedy 
manner. He had discovered what produced, the 



269 

effect, and wished much to engage a gentleman 
of Doctor Pfiestly's scientific knowledge to assist ^ 
in investigating the cause. Conscious, of a little 
intrusion, and ' anxious to gain bis attention* 
Doctor Perkins made no hesitation (when 4n*, 
formed that I was an English gentleman wha 
bad been travelling over America in search oC 
knowledge, and was returning to England) to 
give such information and intelligence as he 
possessed and was necessary for Doctor Priettly 
to know. Strong proofs of their' salutary powers, 
were produced* one very recent. The day before 
a man had been struck down with lightening* 
coniiniiing some time in a state of insensibility 
until restored by the tractors. Doctor Winchester* 
the celebiated preacher* having been, present*. 
vouched the troth of this and some other cases. 
Doctor Priestly turning to me, observed* '* sir^* 
we are yet children in the knowledge of what 
eifect the electric and' magnetic powers may 
have on the human body.'' 

Being thus accidentally present at the time of 
investigation, I bad an opportunity of learning 
its principle, which I did not negka* Of the 
salutary effect produced thereby*. I have wit- 
neistd and proved too many instances to have 
any doubt that the instruments may be bene* 
ficially used in many cases, nor am I to be 
laughed out/ of what has been evident to my own 
senses. -^^^ Mme time, I do not mean to give 
AaS 



countenance to the oveir-stretched and deceitful 
accounts which have, been published .concerning 
them; farther observjing, that they might as well 
have been sold for so many pieces of silver as 
th^ have ,of gold. 

From Philadelphia, we returned to New York 
by the regular land^stage. The first eight or ten 
miles,, the land is poor and hungry, mending as 
we approached Bristol. Thence to Trenton, 
through Penn's Manor, the land is level, lately 
cleared, and tolerably good,- requiring nothing 
but maaagtmentto keep it so, otherwise it will 
soon be worn out. Various pleasaift views of the 
Delaware pxsesented tltotnselves as we passed 
along; ^nd^ driving the coaches and horses in^o 
a long ferry-boat, we crossed the river to Trcn- 
ton, a^pretty town, thirty miles from Philadel- 
phia, where we. dined at one dollar each. 

From Trenton to Prince-town the' land is good, 
distance twelves miles, continuing so until we drew 
near Rocky-hill, whence, to the ten-mile run, it 
is bad. Here it improves a little. . The^ road to 
Brunswick is a red, heavy, barren,, earth. Oor 
supper and lodging at Brunswick one dollar 
each. At four the next morning we crossed 
the Rariton, over a ne\f -built bridge ;. then tra- 
-vellcd over a red, stone-like, clay, country to 
Woodbridgie, where we paid half a dollar for 
breakfasts. From this place, we continued our 
routejovcxa delightful rich icountxy flproachiag 



271 

9 

and. passing through the very pleasant towns of 
Elizabeth and Newark. Thence, over two bridges 
crossing the PQsaick, and, along a causeway 
three miles and a half in length, we alighted at 
Fowl's Hook, and, ferrying over the North-river 
in boats, we landed at New York at noon. 

The roads in genehd, as torepair, (particularly 
through the Jerseys,) are left to- Frovidence» 
having little or nothing done to themf* In weti 
weather, they are, consequently, very bad, and 
in dry weather intolerably dusty. The fare from 
Philadelphia toNew Ydxk, by the mail, is eigh^ 
dollars ; by the other coaches,'^ six* dollara ; the 
distance ninety-six miles* ^* 



CHAPTER XLL 
On the American governments 



I CANNOT well quit America without giving 
my bpini^ of its gpvernmcnt. The liberty of 
the people, the goodness of their laws, and th^ 
freedom of their government, arc th^ir boast. 

The goodness of their laws, I allow, how should 
they be otherwise, being selected diicfly from th^ 



272 

£ngiish laws? But there xg aot sufficient energy 
and strength, in the executive branches of sovern- 
m4^nt, to carry those laws into execution^ whenever 
*the people^ in their mob- wisdom, think proper to 
direct otherwise. The liberty of . the people, 
therefore, • degenerated into licentiousness and 
. destroys the freedom of tbdr government. Pope 
^ says, that is the best governpient where the lavs 
aare best adixiinistered; I think the same, and, ac 
cording to this doctrine, the government of Ame- 
rica is indiiferent indeed : for, of what benefit is it 
to a starving man to be told, there is plenty of good 
proviiion in the l^Bse, if 1^ can get none? It it 
just so in 4^merica» I have seen at BaltinKNre, I 
have seen at New York, I have seen at Rhode- 
island, where, in the face of the governing-powers,, 
the multitude have risen in open defiance of the 
laws. I halve known some of the fir^t native inha- 
bitants and merchants threatened, by the lawless 
leader of a mob, with an introduction of the 
guillotine,, shpiild they continue to say any thing in 
favour of the British nation. I have seen a notori- 
ously-despised worthless fellow, without the least 
shadow of authority, assemble a number of people 
together, go on board an English schooner, that 
put into the port from stress of weather tt the timr 
the embargo was laid, (bound from Nova Scotia 
to New York, with passettgers,) run her on shore, 
and unbend her sails to present the completion of 
hertoyage; notv^thstanding the proper officers of 



273 

the port had consented to her proceeding to New 
York, upon the" captain's giving the necessary 
security, which he. was ready to dp. The conse- 
quence was, that the ' passengers left the vessel 
without paying him, and the poor man had no 
redress. This man (Captain Jack Wanton, as they 
stiled him) and his associates thus set the laws at 
defiance, and no notice was taken of the outi. 
rage. 

Whto the liw sleeps, whether through fear* or 
indifference, k is the same thing to theisciffering; 
party. At present, the higher, order. of people 
in America (and it it abnird to suppose thewafe 
not hi|;faer orders in. every coumty) are too. feeUe 
to. give energy to ,the laws. . The tarring and 
feathering, exhibited . at the iioie I am .fp^Jsing 
of, at Savannah, in Georgia, at Ndrfolk,;iti Vir^ 
ginia, and B^lkimore, in Maryland* too clearljjr 
evince the weakness of the laws for die protection 
of persons, and it is a mockery of words, to talk 
of liberty without protoctton. I sincerely hopd, 
that time will meliorate and improve the govern*- 
ment of America to true genuine liberty, without 
licentiousness, and that the laws will be suffi- 
ciently energetic to. protect persons and property 
from insult and outrage; At present, it , is the 
reverse. 



S74 



CHAPTER XLTI. 



Quit America ; arrive in Ireland; packet to Bris- 
tol; engage a house for the zff inter. 



Quitting Amtrka, I crotfed thie Atlantic 
for the fourteenth time, and arrived io Irdand 
MnA that part of ny family Ihad taken orerto 
Aaieeicak die rest having sen^ined im England 
§at education. Making but a short stay there» I 
took the packet for Bristo), where I engaged a 
house for the ensuing winter. 

I was sound in bealtb» but something the worse 
for more than half a century's hard struggles to 
obtain a permanent abode. The prospect before 
me was gloomy emNi^* as relating to my young 
family; nor could I well determine what farther 
measures it were best to pursue, to enable me to 
put them into some eligible way of life. 

Had it been for oiirielves, or with the addition 
of one or two children only, we could have bees 
well satisfied to retire (after such fruitless at- 
tempts to mend our circumstances) to the bum- 
.blest privacy, rich in content and happy within 
ourselves. But duties, paramount to selfish con- 
siderations of ease, would not, did not, allow our 



275 

own jpersMal ^uiet to be consulted in opposition 
to oitr children's welfare* The past struggles re-* 
quired a little rest, and the new ones that might 
yet occur demanded serious consideration* I 
resolved, therefore, not to engage positively in 
any thing under t^ree months. Although I im- 
posed Ais irksome task of rest on myself, as to 
pursuing any raiploy for my own future establish* 
ment^ I was not idle in seeking immediate em« 
ploy for my two eldest boys, to whom I had 
given the best education in my power. They 
were now' ready for launching into the wide 
ocean of life, but I had neither spare sails nor oars 
to give them foriusistance. 



CHAPTER XLIH. 

Liberality of the .v^hole court of the East-lkdia 
Directors ; disinterededne$$ of their appoifUments; 
generotts appointment by an individual Director, 



Go INC to London, I was there advised to 
make interest with some Director of the £ast.» 
India company for an appointment for tlie 
oldest pf my soius, wbo w^.ne^ seventeen yesurs of 



276 

age. I know not how to account lor my diaposl- 
tion ; I want not what is commonly called courage, 
nor am I reckoned over bashful, yet never could 1 
allow myself to dance attendance and solicit indi* 
viduals for their private patronage, with a tenth 
part of the freedom and earnestness I can a public 
body, on whom I conceive I have any kind of 
claim. A thought struck me and I pursued it; 
this was, to address by a petition the whple court 
of Directors, stating a few « leading circumstances 
in my life, and grounding my principal claim to 
their notice on my former suffering services in their 
employ. 

Wholly , unacquainted as I was with the chair* 
man, I waited upon him at his house. I frankly 
told him, I was an old o£Bcer come to solicit his 
attention, for three minutes, to the petition 1 
handed him* With a heart-soothing benevolent 
air, he desired 'me' to be se^tt^d; ^observing, that, 
if a much longer time could be of any service, he 
would cheerfully devote it to me. Reading it 
with attention, he kept that and kindly directed 
me to take another copy to the deputy-chairman, 
making use of his name as an introduction. 1 
did so, and my memory will never Iosq sight of 
the generous sympathy that beamed on his coun- 
tenance as he perused and re-perused the con- 
tents. He said but little, and that not flattering 
me with any great hopes of success; but it was 
delivered in so mild a(nd gentle a manner, that I 



27)f 

departed with as much gratitude iu my heart a» 
if I had really obtaiaed the boon I wa^ soliciting. 
Such is the easy power of p]easingj to those 
whose hearts are nicely tuned to benevolence* 

On mentioning the step I hskd takeui I was 
told by many that it never would succeedj the 
court having long since resolved not to attend t^: 
any such public applications ; but the hearts >q( 
these people were too cold to make a distinction 
between the various kinds of public application. 

I returned to Bristol with a confidence of sue* 
cesSj which I had no real ground for from any 
thing that had been said to me. The first post» 
after the meeting of the court of directors to, 
make their military appointments for India, 
brought me a letter from the chairman himself, 
most kindly informing me, that the whole court, 
having taken int^ consideration my petition, had 
made an extra appointment in favour of my son, 
to go out as a cadet on the' Bengal establish«- 
ment; and I understood afterwards, that every 
director present voted it with a ready generous 
sympathy. How much more satisfactory and/ 
honourable to the feelings of an old officer was 
this appointment, than to obtain it by private 
patronage, I leave to those considerate minds 
who can appreciate the difference. 

Paying compliments to one at the expense of 
others is not what I am accustomed to do, yet 
I cannot deny myself the gratification o£ de« 

VOL. Wm ' ' B b 



278 

claring, tbat there is no military service ia the 
worldj which has fallen within my obserratioo, 
.(and I have seen many,) to be compared to that 
of the Ea8t*India company, for the disinterested* 
ness of the appointments,^ free from purchase at 
the first, with the certainty of regular prefermeoi 
by seniority after appointment, provided any 
demerits of the party, by sentence of a court- 
niartial, do not justify his supersession or dis- 
mission. Such, indeed, is the excellence of this 
service, tbat the governors-general cannot pro- 
mote his nearest relation or friend over the head 
of any officer, whose commission is a day 
older. 

I ha^ another strong instance to adduce of 
the disinterestedness of their appointments. My 
Second boy was as desirous of goiog into the sea- 
Service as his elder brother was the land. My 
former acquaintance in that line had been veiy 
numerous ; but, after a retirement of more than 
twenty years, I could find but two, out of nearly 
as many hundred, to whom I could apply to 
procuire my boy a birth on board an East-Iodia 
ship. The one. Captain Ralph Dundas, (who 
has since paid his debt to Nature,) was so ill 
at Bath, that it was with extreme difficulty he 
could write an answer to lament his inability 
from his present situation. The other. Captain 
P. Broomfield, (likewise since dead,) advised pe 
i>jr all means to endeavour at procuring huf^ aa 



279 

appoiDtmeat ia the Boiabay-maria^^ as the bcsi 
Ma-service he knew for any yoimg maii who had 
not great strength of interest or good property^ 
and that he wonld then be equally provided for 
with his brother, and rise by seniority in like 
manner. This was certainly most desirable for 
me to obtain^ but I could not with any pro* 
priety think of applying to the court again; 
What little interest I formerly had with indivi<- 
duals was^ like that with my friends and acquainti- 
fince in the sea-service> nearly extinguished 
The number of appointments for the seasan were 
iewj and I had not the smallest glimmering 
prospect of succe^, but by applying to the pri- 
-mte individual patronage of ^ one of those gentle* 
ineil who had already so con3iderately attendee! 
to my public claim. 

I considered for several days before I could 
bring my mind to the determination of intruding 
again on gentlemen, to whom I was a perfect 
stranger, otherwise than as my former memorial 
had made me known to them f but what will not 
necessity, in the cause of our children's welfare, 
urge us tof I had trodden my former ground to 
their houses with humble confidence, I now r^ 
traced the same steps with much timidity. 

Mr. Inglis (now Sir Hugh) generously said he 
would bear it in remembrance when the appoint- 
ments were made, but it was uncertain. I soon 
learned that there would be but twelve that sea«» 
Bba 



.280 

son ; and^ well knowing the number of applica- 
tions ther6 would be for them, aided by great 
strength of interest, I ^scarcely dared to hope. 
Soon after this, Mr. loglis was confined by a 
dangerous illness, which prevented any farther 
intrusive inquiry^ until the time for the ships de- 
parture made it absolutely necessary. 

I was received by Mrs. Inglis with a flatteriog 
courtesy, that much enhanced the value of her 
-information, " that Mr. Inglis had reserved-his 
appointment for my son." Is it possible to 
suppose a more disinterested application of bis 
patronage f thus bestowing it upon the son of an 
"old officer of th^ Company, who had no other 
interest with him than his former services and 
struggles to maintain a large family against a train 
of unusual adversities, in preference to the many 
applications he must have had from others^ whose 
friends might have it in their power to oblige him 
in return. Long may the Court of Directors of 
the Honourable East-India Company be thus 
nobly and disinterestedly filled^ and may they 
individually, as well as collectively, enjoy the 
heart-comforting pleasure of doing good as long 
as they live! 



S81 



CHAPTER LXIV. 



Reasons for not engaging again in farming; flan 
for an agricultural academy. 



My heart was still whole; and> having $uo- 
ceeded beyond' expectation in procuring appm]?Lth 
ments for iriy two eldest boys^ as before related^ 
my spirits grew light ; but> as age advanced>> in 
addition to broken bones badly spliced^ I faund 
jny activity shaken and a greater necessity for 
securing some home-stall^ however humble. 

Having pursued agriculture^ both instudy and 
practice, long enough for it to bec6me a far 
vourite employment^ I should certainly have pre- 
ferred a continuance in the same pu^'suit to any 
other, if I could have met with a farm which* 
might afford some tolerable prospect of Ji>enefit ; 
but tibe extravagant high price of provisions 
having raised the rents ^ of farms beyond any 
thing I could fairly calculate on for a continu- 
ance, I own I was fearful of engaging, ox 
taking a farm on such high advances of rent ay 
were every where required. However, beforse I 
finally determined to give agricultural employ up 
entirely, Iiesolved tp make application to some 
Bb3 



S8IS 

few gentlimen^ to see if I were likely to obtain 
encouragement for instituting an agricultural 
academy. I had long considered that such an 
institution would be desirable to |nany gentlemen 
of property, who might wish to obtain for their 
sons a suitable knowledge of farming their 
own estates^ or at least qualify them to be their 
own stewards, and thus fix their sons where they 
might receive the necessary instruction, without 
risk of contamination from men of coarse habits; 
-the general run of real farmers being too illiterate 
and harsh in their manners to think of placing a 
young man of education with; and few gende- 
men-farmers would like the trouble and care that 
is necessary to do them justice. I conceived, 
therefore that, if a gentleman of character, of 
general knowledge of men and manners, with a 
Btiidied practical experience of farming, would so 
far devote himself as to make it a business, it 
would not only be advantageous to his pupils, in 
their acquirements of such knowledge, but be the 
happy means of forming habits of industry at a 
dangerous time of life, (from sixteen to twenty- 
one,) when, from a want of 'such employ, as might 
be made highly entertaining as well as instructive, 
young men are too apt to contract idle habits and 
plunge into excesses. 

I thought myself competent to conduct an 
undertaking of this kind, but two difficulties 
occurred} to be fully assured of a sufficient 



.283 

number of pupils firsts before I risked, the hiring 
of a farm^ at so high a rent as would not support 
itself without such pupils; and to meet with a 
suitable farm^ house, &c. at so reasonable a rent, n 
that/ either with or without .pupils, I might be 
able to make it answer as a farm. These inten- 
tions I made known to several intelligent gentle- 
men, who much approved the design. Among 
them was Mr. Matthews, secretary to the Bath 
Agricultural Society, who said, he had long 
thought such an institution desirable, and likely 
to benefit the public as well as the individuals 
thus educated. Mr. S. More, secretary to the 
Society for the Encouragement of Arts, &c. was 
likewise of the same opinion; but they all appre*- ^ 
hended I should find it very difficult to meet with* 
a suitable farm without an extravagant rent, and 
equally, if not more so,, to obtain pupils before 
I had a farm. I wrote also to the Board of 
Agriculture, from whom I received a polite ac- 
knowledgement of my communications respecting 
an agricultural academy, and my observations on 
the husbandry of North America* 

I sao^ found, that, without vesy persevering 
close applications, and of a nature that I could, 
not bend to, I had no chance of advancing:, no^ 
but I am persuaded there are noblemen, gentle- 
men, aud ladies, who, from a beneficent desire 
to encourage an nndertaking so likely to be use- 
td, would forego 8<»ne advantage in point of rent, 



284 

ftud oheerfiilly patronise it by granting a suitabk 
farm pn moderate terms. I was not fortunate 
enough to meet with qae, Uierefore relinquished 
the pursuit; but, supposing I had met with a 
suitable situation, and procured my papilsy I pro- 
posed to farm one-half the farm in the best re^ 
galar course of crops, suited to soil and circum- 
stances ; and under such management as to til- 
lage, by rarious instruments in husbandry, use 
of oxen and hoises, as, from the best knowledge 
to be acquired of fanning, might appear most 
profitable. One->quarter of the farm to have 
been applied to such experimental crops new^ 
invented machinery, and well-recommended re- 
cent improvements, practised by others^ as might 
be thought adviseable from time to time; the 
other quarter would have been devoted to any 
new improvemen ts, contrivances> and experimeutsy 
af our own. 

It is not probable thM I shall ever undertake 
the superin tendance of an agricultural academy; 
yet, as it may assist others to carry such a plan 
into execution, who m-ay be more fortunate in 
overcoming the first dii&cttlties, thet foUowing 
hints for organizing such an academy may pos« 
aibly be of some utility. • 

In the formation of my agricultural institution, 
I would consider my pupils as a young com- 
munity^ just entering into busy life, where tb^ 



$85 

were to learn how to provide and take care fof 
themselves; at the, same time experiencing, by 
their own community^ the great advantages 
arising from the association of npmbers, bound 
by laws of their owji assent. I would set forth 
the necessity there is for every man (let his cir- 
cumstances be what they may) to learn some em- 
ploy-that is useful in. itself, healthful to mind 
and body, and conducive to the acquirement of 
property, where it is wanted, or preserving and 
improving that which has already been acquired^ 
That, among the various employments in life, 
none are more useful, necessary, healthy, or 
certain, than farming; yet, notwithstanding its 
appearance of simplicity and ease,' to an indif* 
ferent observer, it requires considerable at- 
tention, observation, study> and practice, in 
order to acquire the knowledgie of directing and 
managing a farm to the best advantage. That^ 
for want of this knowledge, one man sliaH toil 
an^ labour all his life without advancing a step^ 
while another, by being well-inf9nned at first, 
shall with ease and pleasure to himself improve 
his farm and circumstances. 

In addition to such preparatory introduction, 
I would take my pupils to fields of various soils 
and different states of improvement, for regular 
courses of crops, informing : them how much 
greater analogy there is between the vegetable 
and animal systems than is in general thought 



«8» 

of; shewing that varioiui 9oiIs^ Tike different kindi 
of animals, require distinct and various kinds of 
food <maaure) to put them into the greatest 
strength of vegetation^ some wanting more rest 
and others more cleaning^ that the best land, as 
well as the best animal, may be tired and worn 
oat with continued hard labour. 

With these and other observations to prepare 
the Inind, we might proceed to fields exhaosted 
by a course of crops, and from bad management 
out of condition for farther cropping, until re- 
cruited by the kindly assistance of the plough 
aad harrows in making a good fidlow. In the 
various operations of the plough^ harrows, and 
rollers, they should attend, or rather assist, until 
they knew whether the work was well performed, 
and how to give their own directions iq future. 
Particular notice should be taken, if any pvt or 
the; whole of such fields wanted draining, as no 
crop whatever exhausts and impoverishes land so 
much as that which lies in a wet sodden state. 

If scouring the outside ditches is not sufficient 
they should be taught where and how to make 
under-drains, or landrditches, in order to cure the 
sqiraly wet parts. Then, according to the natural 
strength of the soil and' the crop which is first 
intended to be sown, they should leain what 
species of manure is best suited to li^is or that 
soil, and whether it should be applied direct or 
to some after crop. 



1187 

The kind of fencing best adapted to the fattik, 
and the care of hedge«row timber^ would come 
under consideration, while fallowing each enclo** 
sure. From'ibe fallow^ I will suppose the follow- 
ing course ofcrop^s; viz. turnips, or rapeoseed, 
Che same satnmer, (the land being fresh ma- 
nured^) and fed off; sown with barley or oats ia 
the spring following, and laid down with cloyer 
or clover dnd grass seeds. If clover only; to be 
sown . with wheat after the first year's clover | 
and, whtre the land is strong and in good hearty 
the next year might be planted with beans or 
some other meliorating crop, to be kept clean 
by frequent hoeings^ which would then aSbrd 
another fair crop of wheat. But if, when with 
barley, the field is laid down with clover and 
grass seeds for a longer continuance as a lay, it 
should be again kaanufed for the second year's 
clover^ Sec. siQd, when ploughed up, to b« 
planted with pease, beans, &c. and then sown 
with wheat. 

In this routine of crops^ (or any other that 
may better suit the soil and circumstances,) a 
great variety of useful instruction would natu- 
rally arise^ affording abundant matter for lectures 
on every part of tillage«4igrioulture, such as fair 
experiments of the use of oxen and horses, as to 
proftt; the broad*cast, drilling, and dibbling, 
systems; horse-hoeing and hand-hoeing; hay- 
making in. fine weather, and preserving it in bad; 



2»8 

Wvesting the different kinds of seed dnd gcain^ 
with the greatest secarity; management in the 
bam and granery, and thence sending the corn 
to market; breeding of sheep and cattle^ suck- 
ling of calves, fattening different kinds of stock, 
in the speediest and cheapest way, with the best 
management for raising the^eatest quantity of 
rich manure ; irregation and flooding of meadows, 
<Nr watering them where 'they cannot be flooded; 
planting and assisting the growth of trees, and 
raising Uving fences. With abundant inferior 
matter of liianagement and information, bene* 
ficial and necessary for the pupils to be made 
well acquainted with, before they undertake to 
farm for themselves. 

Youth is the season for enjoyment as well as 
improvement. I would therefore recommend 
rural sports and exercises without doors, and 
raitiooal amusements within, to occupy and im- 
prove their leisure time ; thus making home the 
most agreea1;)le place to them, and giving a bias 
towards domestic comforts and enjoyments, that 
might probably continue through life. 

General laws and regulations, applicable to 
the institution, should be subscribed to ; anj 
breach of which, or other misconduct, to be 
tried among themselves, as a court of honour. 

An institution of this nature would be a na- 
tional benefit as to experiments;, but, as there 
are difiiculties to be overcoi&e> in the hirir^ of 



a farm i«il»nd9d {0r.» perii;i9neot spboql far ^^gu* 
euHiiral ^perifTieats, as..w:^II ^& ^r^e,t^ijtion. qf 
indi^viflfials, J ihifik that, /Bomethiog like the £qI^ 
lowifig pUi^ foof .« rpernjanenj; estiablislwajfeat of 
ihe fcipdy 9ught be a«coinpK$)i^d with less di0i«> 
culty and greater advantage, if patronized by 
the recomijiendation of ugricul^Uiral societies^ 
an4 eacourjigcd by tbe/rjends of sucb Jin iostitu- 
tion^topiircliase a>uitable e$tate. I will.sqppose 
from tea to twenty thousand pounds necessary 
for the pur^hase^ 8cc. A subscription openedan«^ 
recommended as aboye> to jbe aubscribed for ia 
shares of prxe .hundred pound3 eavh> beariqg at 
first aft. interest of only three per cent, on eaclf 
srhare; the whole to be secured by the estate, and 
th^se shares jU> be transferable by sale or otherwise. 
Trustees to be appointed^ yfiih power to. grant a 
lease^ &c. to ^u^ person who may be cboseii> at 
a general meeting of the subscribers^ to conduct 
and manage the 'institution, under such cove- 
nants and regulations as may have been previ- 
ously determined on by a committee. For which 
possession of the farm, the person so chosen, as 
master of the agricultural academy, should pay 
a net penny-rent, equal to the amount of such 
interest. 

Any society) proprietor, or proprieters, that 
shallhave subscribed for or possess ten shares, 
shall have a right to direct any course of experi- 
ments upon ten acres of the farm, by applying 

VOL. IX. Co 



to the committee for an order to the teflant. 
.The committee to inquire, judge, and determinei 
whether such proposed experiment is likely to be 
attended with any loss to the tenant, and allow 
for such loss out of the interest due totho^ ten 
shares^ 

When, hy such continued improvement of the 
estate as naturally will arise at the end of every 
lease, the e^state shall be considered to have risen 
in value, sufficient to allow of an increased rent, 
the interest may be gradually raised until it pays 
five per cent, but no more. Any farther increase 
of value to be applied, as the committee may 
direct, for such purposes as are most likely to 
\>enefit the institution. 

This is a theme I could continue to some 
length; but, as it may not be so pleasing to 
others, I will now drop the theory as I have 
been obliged to do the practice- 



291 



CHAPTER XLV. 



Advice given to my sons on their embarkation for 
the East Indies. 



Seeing little or no prospect of engaging my^ 
-self in any profitable employ, without considera- 
ble risky I deemed it most prudent to be quiet 
and wait patiently for what chance might tura 
up ; but care, old care^ whom I had been acciis* 
tooiedj while young, to set at defiance, begai^ 
DOW to exercise his power with tyrannic sway« 
However, the fortunate and happy provision I. 
bad made' for two of my sons tended much to 
smooth my brow. 

The following advice and instructions, which. 
I ^ave to each of them on embarking. for India^ 
may possibly be of use to other youths, whose 
destination may be the same. I judge so« from 
having been requested by some parents who had 
read them, to take a copy of such parts as suited 
their sons, when going to India* 

" My dear soiv, 

'* You are now embarking on 
the wide ocean of life, the happiness or miseries 
of which will much depend on your own manage* 
CcS 



359 

menty care, inspection, and fortitude. I have 
endeavoured to do my duty as a parent, by 
giving you an* education far beyond what my 
shattered circumstances could prudently afford. 
Of my affectionate care, from infimcy to the 
present period, I need not remind you, were it 
not to shew, that, in the government of your 
conduct through Hfe, you may see the obliga- 
tions you are urid^r to perform acts of reciprocal 
kindness to others. 

" Your first, most constant, and never-ceasing, 
dnty, IS to that Being, Who created and gave as 
Bfe, certainly for some more especiul purpose 
tfian merely to eat, drink, sleep,, or waste our 
lifiie in idle gratifications. The various and dis* 
^rdant opinioris of mankind respecting the 
Almighty, their different modes of faith con- 
cerning his divinity, and conjectures relative to 
the present and ultimate designs of his Provi- 
dence towards mankind, have caused greater 
toimdsities, provoked more quarrels, and occa- 
litoned a greater effusion of human blood, 
Attended with diabolical cruelties^ thdn any other 
totise tharl know of. To avoid siich evil coose- 
qucDces, in this World, is of itself a sufficient 
motive for a wise man seriously to consider the 
subject; coolly and carefblly examining, reason- 
ing, atld determining, for hiiAseU^pon the nature 
Of his owfc obligations to that Being; what maybe 



293 

the designs of his Providence^ in creating, and 
sending him into this world; the consequent 
duties that belong, to him through life, with the 
certainty. of his enjoying a mach happier state in 
another world, according to a faithfnl discharge 
of those duties; and by a wilful neglect of them, 
and the commission of actions which his con* 
science (a faithful monitor in the breast of every 
man) tells him are wrongs the apprehension of. 
subjecting himself to a deserved punishment of a 
xniserable existence hereafter. 

** I am far, my dear son, from asserting that 
thisy or any one of the many religious opinions^ 
which are maintained concerning the future dis- 
pensations of Providence, is precisely correct; 
but, if every man were to make up his own mind 
according to the best of his knowledge and infor- 
mation, and then act up to what he thinks is right, 
witliout disturbing others for holding a different 
opinion, he cotild scarcely err. 

" It was about your time of life that I deter- 
mined to reason, think, and judge, for myself 
in matters of religion> and: my duty towards God, 
the world, and myself* My opportunities since, 
for forming a more matured judgment^ . by ob- 
servations- among! so> many diiferent nations and 
various modes of faith, have all tended to coib- 
firm.me.in an opinion, originating in a compari- 
son of the early, prejudices I had imbibed, with 
Cc3 



894 

kfae many I saw areiiBd me, that the reiigioh 9fa 
^ood man cannot be bad* 

" I conceive it next to iropoteibte for any 
rational being to persuade himself into a disbelief 
jof a God, or snperinteBding Providence; ^o, 
from the works of his creation bU arouad as, our 
own perceptions, and reasoning faculties, we 
tnnst conclude, is all-powerful^ aU^wise, and benZ" 
ficent. Thus for, be has best-owed upon ailinan«> 
kitid the power to read and understand him: 
concerning these plain, sttfoHg, simplified, at- 
tributes of the Divinity, there can be ao differ- 
ence in opinion^ and I have found all nations 
aeral religions, with which I have been acqaaint- 
ed, pjerfectlyto agree in these three grand essett- 
lsais« 

'' Finding ourselves here, however, under such 
AJmighty prote/ction, whkt ought we to consider 
Bs our best course to ensure his favour? Most 
certainly, to fulfil the duties of the different sta- 
tions and allotments through life, in which his 
!Providenoe places us, to the best of oUrlpower 
and knowledge. Self^-preservation is admitted 
by all as the first law of nature ; by which is to 
•be understood a decent care of our worldly pur* 
i9uits> as well as personal defence, by^ aU such 
*fair means as do not wilfully, wantonly, or ma- 
4iciously, injure others ; and, until a man \m a 
'family of his own to pixyvide for, bis near rela- 
tions should be considered by him as a part of 



ibsii self, ^ fnr in&hb a1>iUties will enable )iim to 
give aid and as^istan^e toward^ tbeir preservation. 
For instance^ Bfa<>uld it please God to take me from 
this world before I have done as well by youjr 
brothers and sisters as I h^ve by you, it will be 
your doty to supply my place with re|;ard to 
theiii^ as far as your power admits. 

*' Another grand dyty is the faithful discha^rge 
of whatever employ we are in. Yours being a 
military temployi in which you may possibly rise 
to the highest honours of the profession, yo% 
should consider it not only possible but probable; 
let no opfonunity, therefore^ be omitted to ac«- 
quire a perfect knowledge of military tactics, 
and do not merely satisfy yourself with learning 
a little parade-^Utyi as too many do, who thea 
think themselves complete soldiers. Be assured, 
if you neglect to seek occasions of instruction 
while a young soldier, you will find itawkward^ 
diiiicultj and disagreeable^ (pot to say disgrace- 
fulj) to acquire such knowledge, afterwards^ as 
is requisite in an old oflSoer: In a young soldier, 
there is merit in the acknowledgemeat of igao- 
ra]ice> with a view to gain information ; and his 
superiors will esteem and honour bim for such 
laudable attention to his duty, instead of giving 
way to idle habits and dissipated company. 
Form early habits of strict, attention to your duty, 
and they will grow as you advance m rank, mak« 



. 29ff 

ing every thing easy and pleasant ; but, if neg- 
lected, the reverse will be the case. 
• *' In the course of a long military life, you 
will have frequent opportunities of proving your- 
self a good citizen of 'the world, (as weil as a 
good -soldier,) by doing good and preventing 
evil. Attend well to this, and steadily discharge 
the social duties in life : rely firmly on the Pro- 
vidence of God, that every thing is wisely or- 
dered for the best, although we may not perceive 
it ; and recommend yourself to him by good ac^ 
tions that may benefit society, in preference to 
deputes of faith; act thus, and the thoughts of 
futurity will not occasion you much anxiety. 

*' Thus much have I thought it my duty to 
observe on the score of religion, without wishing 
you to pin your faith on mine or any other 
man's sleeve ;* but I do- mo^t earnestly wish yoa 
to think and judge for yourself, but with humility; 
and what youi: eooscience tells you is- right> 
act up to. 

. /* The military service of the Honourable East* 
India -Company, you have often heard me say, I 
considered the best io the world for a young 
soldier of fortune; since> being once appointed 
therein, it requires- no farther- interest or pur- 
chase, eo necessury in other services-; for, he is 
sure [to rise regularly to the higher ranks^ in the 
service, provided his misconfluct does not: subject 
him to a loss of rank, by the sentence of a court- 



297. 

martial. This service has likewise been Ittadc 
much better, by late regulations in favour of* the 
Company's officers; but, with these greai aslva»* 
tages oa one hand, it should be considered. that 
an officer's whole dependence is on-his gOQd^oi 
ill conduct; for, as there is no purchasings aa 
likewise there is no selling out. H^i^wev^r neoesr 
sary and commendable it is, therefore, for men 
to behave circtimspect]y> prudently^ and atten?* 
lively, in every station of society^ and dticharge 
their duty with proprietyi stiH more so is it the 
Cine lierei linice a false step or two may: s«ili|ec^ 
them to the disgrace of lost of raak or emisa 
dismissal from the service ; and, greatly aa Llova 
ybu, tay son, to heat of an hononraWe death 
would not grieve me so much. But aUdangeir 
from this is easily avoided j by eariy habituattoni 
in a steady conduct, as before recomnwoded; 
an assiduous attention to duty, a manly respect 
to your commanding*-officers, a polite freedom 
of carriage and conversation to your companions 
and friends ; avoiding boyish tricks and famili- 
arities, which frequently breed mifchief ; accus- 
toming yourself to be complaisant to all, but shan- 
king (as you would the plague) low company, 
rioting, excess of drinking, and gaming or play- 
ing for any sum of money, the loss of which 
might make you uneasy and tempt you, for its 
recovery, to risk deeper and be ruined, as tbou^ 
sands have been. 



. 298 

•'" Suffer not yourself to be tempted by the 
bad e3(Bniple* of .other youths, nor to be laughed 
ottt of what your own judgment tells you is 
nghr. Resolution is the foundation of every 
virtue; without it, there is none. Even those, 
who may try to ridicule or laugh at you at the 
first, will soon treat you with greater respect 
than thfey do cacfh other, when they perceive 
that your condact is uniforqaly steady and, firm, 
Superior officers of credit and character wili no- 
tice such conduct^ and ^ be glad of your com- 
pany when they - observe that you know how to 
lespect yoursdf ; therefore^ let resolution be yoar 
maiQirale of conduot. 

. ^ On your passage to Indiay be careful with 
whom you form any intimacy. Wait until you 
know a little of their diaracter i>om their gene- 
ral behaviour, and this you may do without being 
particularly reserved. The officers of the ship, 
down to the fourth mate, are most of them gen- 
tlemen^ with whom you may freely associate if 
vyou find them agreeable; but, with the inferior 
officers^ such as the carpenter, boatswain, &c. 
yoa must avoid an acquaintance. Not but these 
men may be as worthy as those above them ; but, 
in every naval and military service, there is a 
certain gradation,* which must be attended to by 
every » officer. The cadet or ensign is fit com- 
pany for the general, but must not associate with 
the sergeant, however respectable he may be in 



299 

hisJlne* The midshipmaa is also fit coi^pany 
for the captain or admiral^ but he must avoid: in-* 
timacy with the warrant-officers; for, in propor- 
tion as a young man respects himself^ by avoiding 
inferior company, he will be noticed by those of 
higher rank* This is not meant to encourage • 
airs of pride and assumed consequence ; far from 
it, for, nothing appears more, contemptible: a 
pleasant condescending civility is much better, 
and due to all men,. In so long a passage, where 
people are confined together^- most of the cha- 
racters on board are discovered, decided on,* and 
reported accordingly when tbey arrive in India: 
this makes it still more necessary for every young 
man to .be very circumspect in his conduct during 
the passage. 

" You cannot be too attentive to frequent 
washing and keeping yourself clean, particularly 
.so in combing. B^ careful, of your clothes and 
whatever other little property you may have; 
husbanding it well, by spending no more than 
is necessary, for all fortunes are made by saving 
a little at first. . Avoid making a shew of what 
littlo you do possess, and remember that he, 
who is not mindful of his own property, is not fit 
to be entrusted with that of others. 

^' ELeep a regular account, of every thing, and 
accustom yourself to keep a journal, not only of 
, transactions but Ukwise particular thoughts and 
^eotimentSi the perua^al of which hereafter will 



300 . 

til* ft ^iirce of ]>Ieafiing idstntctive amiiseinent. 
. -But, above every other costom that I ca^ re- 
tsominend 1:0 your notkisey at the close of every 
day, wheo retiring to re»t, inquire withia your- 
self if the last foof-aiid*twenty hours have passed 
to the saiis^ction of that nevier*failing monitor^ 
yottrowQ oons<^ienGe. If they have> bless God 
for it and eticonrage 'yourself to a cdntinuaoce of 
doing well; but) if otherwise, whatever may 
' have been ih^ transgression, against yourself or 
others, bombly pray to Almighty God to 
strengthen your resolution to amend and not to 
do the like again ; acknowledgement of oiir errors, 
as soon as we l^ecome seiisiide of them, is one 
of the truedt marks of genuine courage. 
. ** My dear son, there is one resolution I wish 
you to fonn and keep firmly until you .arrive at 
one-and^t^etlty years of age; this is, to refrain 
fitonk drinking more than three glasses of wine^ 
or othet liquor, after . dinner, in general. Avow 
your resolution openly, andsuffer not yourself to 
be tempted from it by the common drinking- 
parties df young men, who, thinkihg to shew 
the stirength of their heads, arq sure to betray 
the Weakness, of their understandings* Particu- 
lar occasions may sometimes arise, in company 
With j^ur superiors, when you may find it politi- 
cally tiecessary ' to deviate a little, rather than 
give offence, but endeavour to excuse yourself 
as much as you can> and retird as soon as possi- 



aoi 

ble ; -fof^ wl^atever viay be «ai4 9t the mement, 
tbey will be sure to xespjQot a j^ang officer for 
auch prudent coaciuct; and, if yoH should be ou 
du4^ nt tbe time> you cafuatot be too detenaiscd 
Hnd r€SK>Hue in refuaiag^ l^t wba will tjry to temrpt 
or eptbrce your driakiag more: than a very few 
gl9/s$es. Wbat I have said, lespeetiag ^^^^^, 
peranc^ aflier duiner, applies . nearly . tbe saisae 
.to the eveniag; and, if en duty^ strictly sa.' 
Haw^v/er, oa stuch partieii}a» oceasjions a& I alv 
l^^d \o ^^QX^, there is lesa inconveoieibce ia 
d^inl^i^g Wj^'e f«eely in an evening than in the 
^j^> ^tteji^d t^ thb ioju&ction and advice for a 
ie^ year$^ an^ your; oyf.fi dUc^ielioii afid judgment 

Yi^W 4u.e$^ y<m 9^te«w^^.. 

^' I come now to tHk 9ut>j<ee<^ I diould have beea 
gk^l j^ 'f^n4 ?A 9<^nae io\ nob meiiifeionitig 
or VlUu^^ lOk »A *l|li Vwb so slarongly do. I fe^> 
t^ i^c^a^y 9^ it> by youc Eee>ovaL to. a distance 
jby m^Im^ .%^! f^rlbei' sii>peri»teadanoe of youi; 
^Qf^xx^ a94 co|9^$(9q^i|i^t affedaoo^^ a<lvice> of 
^ Pfl^ffsnt;,. is reii^ed impossible,, that^ un^a*. 
s^t 9s ii1f ijj^i wi^bpiat; lA i feel( assumed niy duly. 
^f^.4 1^9)1 b^ dis^h^Hgedv Yoiib ace' arrtlving- . 
%^ji ^ijQe qI liife i«(h0A ^.p^^sioos will become 
s^'oj^, a94 tb(9 WiOirm cliina&e.yoMiai>e. going, ta 
ig^j inores^e ^ de^ii'efo^ gi:§tifi]CatiQ»» To e^tpect 
^ ijequ^s^ ^u, ^<\tif*Q mQi^iftcattion, would be 
^bsiH^^; but, to bW^g^ tiii^ under q. degree. o£^ 
subordination, so as to prevent evil and ruinous 

VOL. II. D d 



302 

effects to youf person or property, is pritdetit, 
manly, and necessary. The expenses attending 
the married state, in India, are «o very extra- 
vagant, and in a military line so incouvenientj 
that, to SL young officer, it is death to all prospects 
of ever attaining a competency to return home 
with, should he imprudently engage in a matri-^ 
snonial connection before he has acquired where- 
withal to maintain a family qr obtained some 
appointment, exclusive of the income arising from 
his station in the army. Therefore, however 
nuch you may have beard me advocate the cause 
of a connubial life, either in Europe or wbeo 
with me in America, I must dissuade you from it 
in India, until you have acquired a fortune (or 
situation) sufficient to support it. 

'^* To avoid this, ifiany gentlemen in India mii 
^without perceivbg tt at first) into a much greater 
inconvenience. The mere keeping of a native 
girl^ at the first, is considered trifling, coraparecl 
with the expenses of marriage, besides their 
being at liberty to release tbemselves at option. 
In both these expectations, they are most com- 
^monly deceived. Children ensue, tlie attach- 
ment grows too strong for. separation, and the 
Asiatic women use siK)h luxurious artifices to 
fascinate^ every moment of' their time being 
studiously eiuployed for that purpose, that instead 
of lessening, the expenses are fi^equently greater 



SOS 

than if the gentlemen had married a prndeni; 
woman; and akboiigh the niitaral claim of the 
children^ arising from Buch connection, is a» 
strong and just for the protection and affection 
of the father^ yet it is not possible for him ta 
receive the full delicate satisfaction that he would 
have done^ had their features been freer from the 
Asiatic tinge of their mother. 

'' The warm climate of the East seems to have 
made it necessary for the legislators of that country 
to provide, in the best and easiest manner, against 
this, evil, as likewise to prevent the eVil con^e*-^ 
quences that might arise in private families, by 
eftcQuiaging a distinct class of females, galled 
Jhtnciag^pirhj born to that state, or bought while 
infiuits,. and brought up (strange as \% may sound 
to European ears) to attend the various deyovt 
ceremonies of their xeUgion, and yet submit to 
th^ desires of any who may pay them for thei>r 
ailtendance, when sent for. They have, however, 
this aingularly • great advantage, in com|>ari^ 
aon with prostitutes of other countries, that their 
principles have not been vitiated or degenerated 
from chaster education and practices; but, on 
the contrary, they have been taught to considej* 
it a duty. It is right to observe, however, that 
prostitutes^ at the Presidency are nearly as bad as 
in Europe. 

" This iufornwition I have thought it need- 
ful to give you, on a subject I would gladly 
PdS 



3m 

have avoided; but, by being thoB foie- 
iramed of the respective it3c6nvehtene€i{ in that 
country, you may be betiter en>aUed to form 
yomr own judgment and prudence when com- 
pelled to make a choice^ remembering that trhal 
might be inexcusable in one situation may be 
allowable in another. 

*^ And now, my . dear son, ^ it may be the 
kist material good I may have an opportufiity of 
doing for you, I beg of yon often to read the 
foregoing lines for yotir own sake and for mine, 
•who have ever loved you most tenderly. Above 
aH things, foar God, as the Supreme Aathor of 
all good; love htm in your soul and be reii* 
gious, (I have already ejcplained my neaoiDg as 
la religion,) but detest every trftctiire of byp6* 
crisy. Preserve a regmrd for ait mankind, of 
-whatsoever natiooi, profesisioti, or fstth^ while 
they are honest, and be ever so thyself;, be as- 
sured it is the best policy in. the end. Pay the 
strictest regard to truth, for no character is 
more justly despicable thantbat of a liar; I ever 
tuspect such, as capable of every other vice. 
' Guard against idleness; it is the root of every 
misery, to which bad company gives the finish- 
ing stroke. Love oeconomy without avarice, and 
be ever to thyself thy best friend. Fly from the 
excesses of debauchery, they will rot thy body 
and prove a cancer in thy mind: to keep both 
'Soniid, be never behind hand with thj corres- 



505 

pondentd, with thy creditor, with ihy daBy oc- 
eapations, or with thy conscience; and thy soul 
shall enjoy peace. By using- air, exercise, cBet,' 
and recreation> thy body shall possess health and 
vigour. • 

'* My dear sod, should fortune frown, (which, 
depend upon it, she sometimes will,) thltn look 
round on thousands more wretched than thyself^ 
and who» perhaps less deserved to be so, and* be 
ooiitentt content is better than gold. 

** Wish not for* death, h is a sin : but scorn to 
fear it, and be prepared to meet it every hour, 
since come it must, while the good*' man»stniles at 
it&s^gand defies it» point. Beware ofpasstoii 
and cruelty, but rejoice in being good-natured, 
not only to man but to the meanest insect; that 
is, the whole animated creation without except 
tion : forbear injuring them but for thy food or 
in thine own defence. To be cruel is the portion 
of the coward, while bravery and humanity go 
hand in hand and please the Creator. Obey, 
with temper and even pleasure, those set over 
thee ; since, without knowing how to be obedient, 
none ever know how to command. 

** And now, my dear boy, if it should please 
God to take me away from my present wife, love 
her and her little children from thy heart, if ever 
thou hadat a real love for thy father, who re- 
quests it of thee. She proved a mo^t tender 
help in thy infant state; and while thou art a 
Dd3 



biotb^ to her be^les^ l^uh pnes^ pvove ^j^ 

B}^ be in thy ppwer as thou adyai^cest in Ule- 
4:«^t thy good SjC^w ever promote p^o^. wi h»i^ 
mony in my dear family^ so that the blessiaga of 
Almighty Gad may pvers^hadow^ you aipd thf^i* 

^' My d^ar softj^ sho^uW Pr^videpc^ so diiifct 
tbi^t we i^eet x^Q moj^e ^iji tbi§^ woirldj. i^vy we all 
(together with thy 4^eased m^her and. many 
other viduable frien^ i^eet happily in ^ iiitaie 
ftate; whei«> wit^ a fullei; ^4 wtose exlensive 
kv^qi^ledge of our H^veoly ^^uei^c^, purj^ 
f nd h^pine^is ab^l be sffive ^omple^. Th»^ 
C;^^ ^iH bl^ ^ P^fi^^ W dew ?oD, pw» 

, '' m«:WJ?!?t aff^ctiowt;!? fiath^r, 

'^ John Hai^riott/' 



307 

■: --SI 

1 



CJTAPtEil XLVt 

hoyalty-loan ; proposah to the hrd-mayor, hankers^ 
and monied men, at the tinie of the bank stopping 
the farther issue of cash ; ammers^ 



GftEAT txai com^rtable ae these pro^isidtH^ 
weipe for lijy two boys> serious attention' was* ne»- 
ee«sarily requftfedf to iaiy other domestic- con* 
eeffis. Yet thiis did m>t prevelnt my eftdeaveni^ 
to l^e useful to my cotmtry, to the besi? of my* 
power and abilities, in the hour o^ tm\ an^ 
danger. I considered it tfe duty of aH^ Vfkm 
possibly cou}d^ to assist io filling th^ Loyalty*^ 
loan^ in order to give vigour to Lord? Malnie*- 
bury's embassy; this was my* true and on]y.i(i6- 
tive^ which I trust the following eiroumstano^ 
Will suffijciently evince. 

I had paid the first instalment oi 60&i. and^ 
being in London when the great alaozi took 
plac^^ from the Bank ofEngktnd demunritigto 
issuie cash, I heard that the bankers, merdiaQts> 
and monied men^ of the city^ had tnet at the^ 
Mansion-house to consult what wias bestto be 
done: never did I see so many gtoomy^couHte^ 
nances/ in the Gitg of Londop^ as on that dK(y» 



JOB 

I seldom take long to' consider in cases of emer- 
gency, and therefore wrote the following letter 
from my inn, addressed to the Rig}it Hon. Brook 
Watson, then lord-mayor, the bankers, &c. at 
the Mansion-house. 

" My lord and gentlemen^, 

" It is the duty of every man to 
step forward in such ccitical times and tender his 
best services ; either personally, with his property, 
or with his advice, i£ hft has any to offec, As a 
citizen of London, as an invalid bal£*pay offieci, 
who has seen real service both at sea and. oa 
shore, wkh such knowledge as experience tDSf 
have given him how to^ act or advise, and a. pro- 
petty (thougb small in itself), sufficient to prove 
my fiddtty» I thus make an o&r ;, £xst, of assist- 
aaoe.irom pioperty^, to^ help to maintaia the csedit 
of At, nation,, and let those, who b»9e greater 
property do sO' in proportion; secondly, of 
advice*, for the better defence of such par^s of oar 
coast as are most likely to be invaded ;, and^tbird- 
]y^ of my personal service, if re(}uired. 

*' In point of assistance from property, Ipm- 
poie \% thus : I sui)acribf4 5Q()L to the. L'oyaltj- 
loaQi asi a half-pay lieutenant's mite towards 
stren^enipg the nation^d credit while. Lord 
Mal^lsb^2Y's aegptiation. was afloat^ The exi- 
gencies of the times require a saeizficft of private 
topvblifi merest: lather than iocrease the luun* 



309 

bcr of sellers of Eaglisli stock, of which I ^m 
likewise a holder, I have directed Americap stock 
to be sold, tp enable me to pay the whole of my 
loan^t once, in hopes that my feeble example 
may stimulate others, who have greater power, to 
dq the like ; conceiving, that, if other subsQri- 
bers would come forward at this momertt of de- 
pression and do their utmost, it would strength- 
en the hands of government, the public credit 
of the nation, and do honour to the City of London 
in particular. 

*' My advice follows. As an active magistrate 
in the County of Essex, with a knowledge of its 
coasts^ rivers, islands, &c. eoupled with some 
military knowledge, I am persuaded that the^ 
following plan would be attended with incalcula- 
ble benefit. Let the inhabitants of eveiry parish 
on the coast, capable of bearing fire-arms, or 
even a pitch-fork^ be enr<Jled at the parish- 
chujrohf and, chusing their own officers from 
among themselves, according to their numbers, 
oblige them to assemble pne day in eve;:y week, 
at the tolling of the church-bell, with, a flag 
hoisted on the steeple, undeK pain of military 
law, for non-attendance or disobedience to their 
officers when assembled- The fire-arms in the 
parish (with necessary ammupilion^ to be put 
into such hands as are best suited for them; and 
those, who have pot fire-arms, to be provided 
with long pikes^ a weapon, which, with a little 



510 

discipline and rcsolntiofif, mny he mftd* to do 
more execution, in the hands of a strong plain 
undisciplined man^ than a musket and a bayoDet. 
Such of the inhabitants, as are no% so capable of 
hearing arms or pikes, to have the charge of 
driring the cattle up the country. Proper look- 
out places to be fixed on, with wAtchmen to give 
the earliest intelligence of the appearance of an 
enemy on the coast. Masts to be erected from 
station to station, with appropriate signals to 
convey various intelligence, so as to give the 
necessary informaiion for the more distant pa- 
rishes to assemble, &c. and march where ordeied 
by their officers. The whole to be linder the 
direction and orders of some appointed military 
commander, who ought to possess Ibcal know- 
ledge of the division: this commanding-officer 
to be assisted by all the neighbouring magis- 
trates; with a variety of other arrangements, 
which time will not permit me to detail at 
present. 

^ Of the great benefit arising from such mea- 
sures, if properly adopted and managed, I feel 
confident; and that it might be done at little 
expense* The parishes to find the pikes and pay 
the men, when training; the country at large to 
pay them, when called on service. The landing 
a few thousand men would make no impressioa 
on a country where all were trained ready to op- 



$n 

|)ose thmn; or> ahould the enemy mak$ }io 8eri-> 
X)\xs aa attempt as to be too powerful for theae 
irregulars^ still they would be kq>t in cheeky until 
a regolar military foree coUld march to their 
assistance. 

*' Such is my advice, which, if approved> may 
be recommended to the directing power8> with 
whom I pretend not to have sufficient weight to 
get it immediately introduced; and, lastly, to 
carry any part of it into execution, my sword and 
time> if wanted, shall be at my couj^try'a service." 



To lihis letter, which I dftted from the ino I put 
Hp at> { received the following answer. 



''Sir, 

''I should be extremely remi«^ 
were I to ^elay my acknowledgements for your 
sensible letter of yesterday; it expresses senti^ 
ments and suggests ideas worthy of the gentle* 
mon, the soldier, and the magistrate. You, sir, 
knaw it is not with the lord^^mayoi', alderiaen, &e. 
to arismge modes of defence for the nation ; 
nor ought tbey to suppress any ideas suggested 
to them, which may have a tendency to public 
secufitf. Hence, I think it my duty to sencl 
your lieller to H^s Royal Highness, the Duke 



81« 

of York^ whose considerate miiid will «?ail itodf 
of yoBr opiniom* 

" I Bta, sir, 

'* Your most humble servant^ 

" Brook Waifson.*' 

iCaxuion-House, 
fftb.of|€Viuacy, ir97,^ 

On the following Friday, (March a,) being at 
the Bank to pay in the whole amQunt of my 
' suhsGiiption^ as promised, the k)j:drjnia3K)r came, 
while I was settling with Mr. Newland, to an- 
nounce the victory obtained over the Spanish 
fleet* by Admiral Jervis ; I embraced the oppor- 
tunity, therefore, of introducing myself, to prove 
I was performing my promise of setting such ex- 
ample as I had fecommended. His lordship, 
taking some letters from his pockety presentad 
me with one he just received, and desired me to 
keep it. It was asr follow& : 

Bors^'Guards, 2d ManA^ 1797* 

'' My lord, 

". I have had tl\Q honour to. Uy 
yolic letter of tl^e ^th ult. with its^ euclosiire 
(wbich is now returned) before the Duke of 
York, and am commanded to expiDe^ Hi^ Royal 
Highness 's thanks to your. loi^hip for tbe com- 
monication of Mr. Harriott's ve^y spirited 
and pauiotio letter* Hk Royal Highft^ai bas 



313 

directed a copy to be taken of it, as it may be 
useful to refer to the advice it coatains. 
•• I am, my dear lord, 

«• Your faithful and 

obedient humble servant, 

•• R03. Browkrigg/' 

Rt. Hon. Brook Watson, . - 

Lord*Mayor. 



CHAPTER XLVn. 

Thoughts and suggestions on the tolunteer-system, 
comprehending the sea and riv^fencibles; plan 
for making volunteers more effectual. 



FkOM some inquiries made long since, I fear 
that I stood a single example of paying in the 
whole of my loyalty Joan, on the principle I re-^ 
commended. My suggestions, respecting the 
erection of masts, &c. along the coasts, with ap* 
propriate signals to convey quick intelligence, 
have been literally carried into execution; and 
the numerous corps of town and parish volun* 
teers, that have since been formed and officered 

VOL. II. E c 



344 

hy their own tiominatioii, tnake it not v^ry im- 
probable that my lettar might give the finl 

idea. 

My thoughts were spontaneous, rising on 
jthe occasion as described; and the dates will 
shew it was long before the system of volunteer- 
defence was generally adopted. It is the idea of 
the thing, and not its perfection, I lay any claim 
to: mine were the crude hasty thoughts of the 
moment, which I have digested since, at my 
leisure, and endeavoured to impress on the minds 
of my superiors* For the sake of connection, I 
wifl introduce here, though in point of time not 
£0 correct, what I humbly conceive to be a much 
more effeaive way of training and employing 
volunteers, or, as I would term them, irre- 
gulars. 

I am aware, that it may be deemed pre- 
flumptuous in a humble individual to proffer ad- 
vice to the governing fowers of his country; yet, 
in these tinies, it would be still more unpardon- 
able in any one, who, having had experience 
enough to enable him to think oov the various 
means of defence against a threatening eiiemy, 
did not make known errors, where he conceived 
there were ahy, and suggest measures he might 
think likely to be more effectual. Should these 
suggestions attract notice and the smallest be- 
nefit arise, it will repay the writer a thousand- 



315 

fold air his labour^ being happy m thus contri* 
bating his mite. 

The very great and numerous bodies of. the 
volunteer-corps, the sea and river fencibles; &c. 
certainly reflect the highest credit on themselves, 
as' Well as on the^ country at large; as I was 
among the foremost to attempt arousing the 
national spirit, as well as to lend my feeble local 
aid towards forming some of them, and yet 
continue to command a little tough knot,* that 
in point of discipline and obedience yield to none, 
(and without being any additional expense to 
governfment,) I hope to be still considered as 
BKMt friendly to the principle, although I think 
there is abundant room for improving the system. 
The following were my sentiments at the time 
I delivered them, and still continue; they 
were printed at the time and distributed in the 
neighbourhood* 

* The officers and men, amounting to upwards of eighty at^ 
tached to the Thames*police ; whose tender of personal senriee 
being sahmitted to his Majesty, was most gsanonsl j accepted. 



£e!t 



316 



•* At a General Meeting of the In- 
habitants of the Parish of Saint 
John, of Wapping, holden in the 
Vestry- Room on Monday » the 
23th Day of July, 1803, to consider 
of forming an armed Association 
in the Parish, JoHN Harriott, 
Esquire, one of the Magistrates 
at the Thames - Police/ Office, 
addressed the Meeting in the 
following Words : 

** Permit an old officer, who has seen some 
service both by sea and land, thus to address 
you: — Should there be no invasion, it is of little 
consequence how or in what manner the infaa* 
bitants of every parish are trained to resist an 
epemy. But, as it is admitted^ by the first au- 
thorities, that a most daring, powerful, and in«> 
veterate foe> is strongly determinied to make an 
atemptto invade, subdue, ^nd etislave, this coun- 
try, I cohceive, that, in order to be able to make 
the best defence, the wisest _way would-be first 
to suppose the enemy really landed, and. ourselves 
called upon to oppose ;and resist an immediate 
attack. At such an awful time, how earnestly 
woul4 every one (men of spirit in particular) la- 
ment that the moa effectual means were not pre- 
pared, without any regard to parade and show! 



SIT 

If this be admitted^ and the most capaBle iniia« 
bitants were formed and trained on thijs. principle, 
Englandrhrave happy England; the whole united 
Kingdom^ might bid defiance to every threatening 
fecr however numerous, rash^ and inveterate. 

**- It require? bat a small C9mparative l^ri^ing' 
to become a useful soldier^. to what is^ wanted for 
a showy manOBUveidng parade, and the expanse is- 
propostionate. It is the hold energy with which it 
is cenceived and determined to be carried into- 
effect. 

CONQUER OR DIE 

should be tfie sacred pledge given to each otfier^ 
sooner than submit tathe homd slavery- of French 
principles^ or foreign power. Tb die-is* easy,, but 
to conquer we must be- well prepased*. 

" Your Kittgr your Houses of Pariiafneht, iTv 
fact, your own glorious and envied constitutionr 
invite and say to you, • make a choice^ volunteeir 
your services efiectuaUy and satisfactorily, op 
abide the consequence of constitutional- compiiU 
sion.' Who can hesitate? My age would exo*. 
nerate me ; but my wounds, formerly obtained in 
the service of my country, would blted: afrcshi 
were I to remain inactive, and not freely volun* 
leer the best services^I am capable of*. 

«• If I conceived there were any whose apathy 
wanted rousing, I wouJd say, • Sons of Britons,, 
the day of glory is arrived to prove your title ta» 
EeS 



818 

Freedom, as descended from your ancestors. 
The bloody standard of despotic tyranny is raised 
to enslave you. Do ye not already hear the hoarse 
threatening murmurs of the soldiers, to ravish, 
murder, and destroy, your wives, your daugh* 
ters, and your infant children? Forging ignoble 
fetters to enslave those who are dastardly enough 
to survive the loss of freedom. Britons ! will ye 
bend your necks to the insulting cruel Corsican 
tyrani ? to the Gallic yoke he is preparing for you ! 
Already has be dared to boast he wilt make him*, 
self master of your destinies. 'Tis false, never ! 
never! so long as Britons are true to themselves* 
To arms ! therefore, to .arms ! and hurl Britain's 
proud defiance on lier foes. Consecrate your 
voluntary service, in defence of your King and 
Country, by a religious vow, by laying your 
hand upon the altar* and there firmly dedicating 
and pledging yourselves to conquer or dicj in de- 
• fence of your teligioth your king, and constitution. 
I promise to be among the foremost to make the 
vow, and sign and seal it .with my blood, to 
maintain tbe post at which I may be stationed.*' 

Of tbe sea'fonciblest on whose aid, in case of 
an attempt to invade, so much has been reckoned 
in general, I hesitate not to declare, that, as they 
now are, there is more of evil than good pro- 
dticed by the system. Of landsmen, in general 
it cannot be supppsed that they understand much 



31^ . 

of ..sea>»a&tr»; it is therefore not diiScuIt to^ac* 
count for tfaeir error; in thinking, that to embody 
all) the fishermen, watermen, smugglers, &c. 
that are jHqng the vaniouft coasts- of this island^ 
must be highly advantageous in resisting the a|>» 
proaches of an enemy; I feel assured, howevcFt 
that .1 can convince them^ as well as seamen, 
that it is not 80». and for this plain reason, (though 
it may at Snst seem rjather paradoxical,} that the 
sea-fencibles. are composed mostly of fine stout 
young men, inured to every^ hardship on the 
water by smuggling, fishing, &c. who* enrol 
thetn&elves. in those fencibje-corps; chiefly for the 
sake of the protection. The navy, therefore^ is 
thusr deprived of their full and efficient help ; 
and not only so, but every &uch man would be of 
ten times the value, on board, a. proper vessel 
for encountering the enemy, than he can be in 
any of the coclde^shejy^ boats, &c..that they are 
to act in as fencibies/ But the fact is,, that, iin«- 
potent as their strength would be if so applied, 
two^tbirds of the younger fencibles would not 
be in the way at the time theii^ service is re? 
quired ; for the truth of which I; dare appeal to 
the oificers commanding sea-fencibles, that, on 
any sudden alarm, and consequent orders for as<!> 
sembling, the chance is,, that not more than one« 
third of the whole (including the aged) would be 
found. 'The stout hearty men are almost con* 
stantly out, employed in smuggling, &c.; but 



520 

we wrTl admit that they could be and were aflat 
home at the time wanted^ ready and willing to 
do their utmost to annoy 'the enemy, in the 
boats and craft intended and fitted, (of which, 
nearly nine-tenths are mere fij)hing*>boats> belong- 
ing to the place, and not in the least sailed for 
the purpose,) and prepared to receive one car- 
rod^de, the only arms they are provided withv 
I would call on any impartial naval ofScerr who 
ha» seen service, to say whether, any man can 
pqipt a gun, witfi any degree of truth, in such 
tubs of boats, that are bobbing up and down in< 
all directiorHf, when in the smallest popple of » 
sea or motion from a swell. Near to the enemy 
they dare not go, as a small discharge of mus- 
quetry only, would perforate through and through 
f uch boats, to the ready destruction of the men' 
and the boats too, and at a distance, they couldi 
accomplish but an Occasional slight injury,, that 
would not retard the enemy a moment; To place 
this in a clearer point of view, let us- reverse die 
case, and suppose an English afmy of from forty 
to one hundred thousand men, properly equipped 
and embarked, for the invasion of France;. 
should We not ridicule and laugh' to scorn their 
pretending to oppose us in fishing-boats ? The 
only utility I can conceive such slender craft to 
be of, ai wch a time, would be in attending oar 
vessels of real force, ta.take possession of the 
enemy that surrendered to them. For that pur- 



pose, the old fishf rmen and disabled seamen, who 
are past performing a more permanent and active 
service, together with such of their apprentices 
as are yet too young to render greater aid, would 
do as^well as able men, and produce all the be- 
nefit reasonably to be e^xpected from such craft/ 
I am aware, that it may be said, there are sottk 
stout cutters, ^c, equipped with one lai^ge car* 
ronade, for the same purpose. My ans^wer is^ 
there are but few in comparison, and they arc 
seldoai at home, being mostly engaged in smug- 
gling, and manned wholly by the stout resolute 
felfows, who, I observed, are thus protected 
to the injury of the revenue of the country; 
when they might be much more usefully em- 
ployed in the royal navy. 

Old and disabled seamen and fishermen, with 
their boys, as sea-fencibles, would be making 
something out of nothing, in a military point of 
vfew, while the present system of enix)lling many 
of the stoutest young men along the coast, for 
the slender chance of being a little useful, i» re* 
' ducing a strong capable force to almost nothing. 

The river^fencibhs^ comprehc;nding all the va- 
rious corps of fencibles upon and attached to the 
River Thames, it would be gross error to con- 
sfder as affording any real military aid against an "^ 
enemy advancing so near the metropolis, as where 
their services would be expected. This must 
not be* understood as meaning in the least to dero- 



322 

gate from the true spirit and courage with which 
the o£BCers of these corp«» as well as other volun- 
teers, would be ready and willing, together with 
the men under their command, to meet and fight 
the enemy wherever they could; but I venture 
to say this will not • be on the River Thames. 
If the strength of the riveF-fencibles is calcuhted 
upon in that view, I conceive it Cto be an error. 
Still the river-fencibles may be reckon#d a very 
useful and necess«»y body of men, for the pur- 
pose of aiding <mr real military force, in trans- 
porting and conveying them» with their stores^ &c. 
from one place to another. Their merit in this 
might be as great as in really opposing the enemy 
in battle; butthen^ as I observed of the sea<>fen- 
cibles, they & not require, for this kind of ser- 
vice, such able active men (seamen, watermenv 
and others) as are now prptected under the de- 
nomination of River, Deptford, and Greenwich, 
fencibles. Some hundreds of these would be bet- 
ter employed in serving their King and Country, 
than ill the way they now live. 

I have already expressed the high, opinion I 
entertain of the zeal and spirit of the great body 
of volunteers on the land ; and I trust and hope, 
that neither they nor the sea or river-fencibles 
will conceive that any thing I advance is intend-^ 
. edv in the slightest degree, - to lessen the high 
esteem and great character they so well deserve 
from their country.^ Yet k may possibly 



SS3 

battle some to hear me assert, that, with one- 
fourth part of their numbers, organized, armed, 
trained, and disciplined, as I am about to sug* 
gest, (leaving the remaining part of the volun- 
teers as they now are,) I feel satisfied that an 
invading enemy might he more effectually op- 
posed than by the remaining three-fourths. By 
mentioning one- fourth, it is not to be understood 
as a limitation to any number, more or less, as 
requisite for the service I am going* to suggest. 
The numbers to be trained, in the manner I 
wish, would be for the superior , judgment of 
government, if the plan should be thought wor- 
thy of adoption. 

Plan for making volunteers more effectual. 

If a part of the volunteer-corps (particularly 
those upon the sea-coasts and part* adjacent) 
were trained to the use of swivel wall-piece guns, 
mounted with stock and locks, the barrels six or 
eight feet long, the bore one inch diataeter, and 
four men appointed to each gun, they would be 
able tq anftoy an enemy at a much greater dis- 
tance, adv^ncmg or retreating with more faci- 
lity and safety, than by any other mode. The 
length of the guns, turning on a swivel, would 
enable a conunon marksman to aim with the cor. 
rectness of a rifle-man. Every hedge-row and bank 
would serve to fix their wall pieces and conceal 



. Si«4 ; . ' 

ikem until they had fired, when they might taLe 
^ Bew position, if necessary. The distance, at 
which such a piece would do execution, would 
add to their security, and encourage their irre- 
gular attacks by continually harrassing the enemy, 
with but littje risk of injury to themselves. 

First,, on their approach towards landing, for 
hiore than a mile would these wall-piece guns do 
considerable execuiion among them ; again, while 
they were landing ; and, after they were landed, 
by banging upon their &mks, &c. day and night, 
the .latter in particular. So that, from -the con- 
stant alarm from balls of such si^e penetrating 
their camps in all directions, from a distance 
their scouting-parties could not reach until the 
wall-piece irregulars had taken . another position, 
and being thus surrounded by a defence they 
cbuid not see, the whole country would appear 
alive »to oppose theno. They would thus never 
obtain rest, and become half exhausted, as well as 
impeded in their progress, -by the time a sufficient 
regular force coi|ld be brought against them. To 
oppose any strong force the enemy might land, 
the regular volunteers alone could not prevent 
their rav^ing the country; but, by retreating 
slowly, and checking them in front, while the 
walUpiece irregulars harrassed them all round, 
every volunteer-corps, thus situated, would be 
immediately and essentially useful. 



325 

Forty meu, with ten guns, might he called a 
company, having a captain and lietttenant to . 
command them. To six companies, a iield'^officer 
(say a major) might be appointed, who would 
receive orders from the commanding-officer 
where ^o endeavour to annoy the enemy most, 
and then give his directio'ns accordingly to the 
captains of companies. The duty of the four 
men to each gun would be thus : one> the best 
marksman, to be called captain of the gun, as 
on board a ship, and to direct the others. .Two 
of them to carry the piece, which they would be 
able to run briskly along with ; and the fourth 
matt to carry ammunition. In advancing ot 
retreating, every building, every wall, every 
bank, every hedge, every copse of wood, or or- 
chard, would serve to conceal them and to annoy 
the enemy in every direction. 

I know of no mode by which a considerable 
part of the volunteer^corps could (as young sol- 
diers) be sobeneficially and usefully employed, 
against an invading enemy. Frenchmen, after 
they are landed^ whatever may be the force ac- 
compauyingy should never be allowed to sleep 
vnannoyed so long as they remain armed. Pos- 
sessing little or no cavalry, an invading enemy 
cannot; scour the country far enough to prevent 
this harassing annoyance and constant alarm. 
The wall-piece marksmen would have great ad 
vantage over the rifle-men whom the enemy might 

VOL. !!• Ff 



326 

1)rittg with tbemi vfho, ij^erafit of the country^ 
would keep witbia or clothe to their owb lines, 
while our people^ from a knoi^rledge of the coud« 
try, would be at a certainty how to advance or 
retreat in safety. 

When on such duty^ any ligbt waggoa8> vans, 
t>r carts^ with two or more horses> or riding 
horses, migbl; be .impressed, if not volunteered, 
to aid and attend each company, to quicken their 
advance or retreat, where tbe roads are gQod^ 
and tbey might be employed to convey surplus 
ammunition. The fore parts of such vehicies 
might be easily prepared to fix two of their widl- 
pieces to fire from, when convenient* Active 
men, of any size, would svtit thi$ service, and re- 
quire but little time for training; tb^. best dress 
they could adopt would be smock frocks and 
trowsers. 

I hope not to be thought arro^ting too much, 
on the experience that time and ppportanities, 
both oi a soldier and a sailor,, have afforded nsue; 
altliough disabled from active service, I am not 
the less observant of what passes in the military 
world. The French appear to have gained wich 
of their advantages by advancing in strong co- 
luinns, in preference to an e;^nded line ; from 
which, it is reasonable, to suppose, that, if ever 
they are enabled to land in any force on our 
Gpasts, they 'will pursue similar measures. I coo* 
ceive, therefore, it would be onr wisest plan to 



3f 7 

prepare against the possibility of such an event;.' 
to ineet them in thejir own way, by keeping our 
strength together in certain points and sufficient 
distances from the coast, so that, upon theit 
landing, a proportionate superior strength to the 
enemy might as sooti as possible be marched 
ngainst them. Otherwise, ishould we attempt to 
fJefetid oUr very extended coast jby line, the pro*- 
lability would be, that, by rapid movements 
With their cortcentred force, they might cut 
through our line,, and obtain more considerable 
ildVrfntaste, by encotinteriiig us in detail, thaii 
tftey could When met by art equally concentred 
force on our part. • 

And here it would be, that the plan I propose, 
of voltinteer wall-piece rifle-men, would render 
much essential servicCi They might securely 
oppose the enemy, at considerable distances, be- 
fore th^y landed, while landing, and continually 
€kfter; more especially if aided (as no doubt they 
Would be) by some of our regular cavalry, as well 
as the light-hoi-se volunteers of th'e district. In 
plain truth, I am strongly satisfied, that, were all 
the volunteers along the coasts and parts adjacent 
ti^alned as wall-piece irregulars, their service in 
this Way would be incalculably more than it is 
possible for them to render as ,they now are. I 
believe, likewise, that great numbers would theft: 
join thein, who, for various reasons, at present 
keep aloof. In this manner, they would fear- 
Ff2 ♦ 



328 

lessly harass the enemy^in every direction and 
situation, until met by an English army in snf- 
ficient strength to give them battle; when these 
volunteer wall-piece irregulars would probably 
continue rendering greater service than those I 
. distinguish as regular volunteers, of whom, in a 
first close engagement^ without officers of ex- 
perience^ it is not too much to. say, they would 
fight to great disadvantage. 

This is humbly yet confidently submitted, by 
one who would readily and cheerfully devote 
himself to oppose any invading enemy, to the 
utmost of his power, in the irregular mode of 
attack he has here suggested. Nor has he a 
doubt but there are thousands more^ who, like 
him, though incapable of one service, would spi- 
ritedly engage in this. 

I know there are many who contend, that it 
is on our regulars alone we must rely for pro- 
tection ; chi^y I readily agree, but not soldy. 
If the war continues, we shall not only have oc- 
casion for irregulars, as well as regulars, but for 
valour of* every kind and among every descrip- 
tion of men, civil and military. Our exertion 
must be commensurate with the magnitude of 
the prize we contend for; we are fighting for oar 
existence as a nation, and we must fight one 
and all. 

On this subject, I will only farther add, that 
men, thus trained and armed tQ oppose the in- 



3S9 

vaders, on and hear the coasts where they reside, 
would be happy to know that their families, their 
stock, &c. were moving securely from the 
enemy while they formed a barrier between them- 
Their families would feel equally secure in their 
r^Hoval, instead of increai^ing the alarmv afid 
danger, by an over e^erness to save themselves. 
The common peasantry of the country, likewise, 
would be encouraged to join and might render 
considerable service, especially if allowed the 
pay of' a soldier during such service, instead of 
wandering d^ut the country out ofemploy, and 
eonseqiieatly ready toengis^e in. mischief by the 
fiilse allurements of the^seditious. 



Efs: 



330 



CHAPTER XLVIIL 



S^ggeUions sent to the Lords Commissioners of the 
Admiralty, at the time of the mutiny in the royal 
navy. 



: .At Ifae time of the matiny on board the fleet 
at Spitfaeadi and after w;ards at the Nore, I ac- 
knowledge I felt more apprehensive of serious 
danger to the country from this^ than any other 
event I have ever known. 

I took the liberty of addressing a letter to the 
Lords of the Admiralty, from which I extract 
the following, and I still think that the principle 
therein recommended, is equally good for adoption, 
now or hereafter. 

It was this : that at the close of any war, every 
person who had entered and served in the 
royal navy as a good and orderly seamen^ M. 
(certified by the report ofhisconimanding-officer,) 
should be entitled to a medal, accompanied by a 
certificate, identifying the person; and^ accord- 
ing to the length of time he had thas faithfully 
' served, or being invalided by wounds, every 
such person should be entided to a wedkly al- 



3S1 

Io9irance, suitable to bis incapacity of support- 
ing himself; the quantum . of such allowance 
should be mentioned oa the back of the certificate 
from, the Admiralty, to be confirmed by an order 
of two magistrates in the neighbourhood of the 
parish he belonged to, whenever he became 
chargeable to such parish ; unless, in the judgment 
of the magistrates, the officers of the parish 
could assign su£Bcient reason why the allowance 
directed from the Admiralty ought not to be 
made. In which case, an appeal, stating the 
objections, should be made to the Lords Com* 
missioners of the Admiralty, who should have a 
power to adjudge and finally determine. 

A regi8tfr;ofsuch volunteer seamen, being. kept 
from the time of their first entering, with the pa- 
rish they belong to, would not only be a check to 
their bad behaviour or desertion, but, when the 
services of those who were still capable were ag^in 
wanted, they might be readily summoned by 
sending to the officers of their respective parishes ; 
and, if they did not appear in a given time, 
or assign sufficient reason for not attending to 
6e#e, after receiving such notice, or knowing 
that the country was again at war, in either of 
these cases they should be liable to lose the be- 
nefit of their former certificate. An allowance, 
from six-pence to one shilling a day, (or more,) 
according to their length of service, age, and 
disability, would be a comfortable expectation 



and enepUrag^mefit for men to prefer the royal 
aarj to tbe merchaiitB service^ and to bchaye 
ordferly And ^tll while epertiiig, from the fear of 
being repotted ittldeserViH^. Nor is such allow- 
ance too tUMbh fot the parish to pay for the pro- 
tection affordi^d by th^ bravery and good conduct 
of such parishioners, iii pr^fej-ence to their ordi- 
nary poor, betweeri wbo^ there oaght to be 
some manifest distinction. I am airare, that 
isomc objections may bfe made on account of its 
felling heavier oh particular parishes^ near the 
coast, than on those inland ; but I believe not so 
much as might be imagihed, and the iheqnalit]^ 
might be easily remedied/ e$^^c^lklly if a siaiilat 
provision were mad^ for soldito, Who had seen , 
real active s^rvifee*. 

My Ifetter was ^tled t'he Sth of Jun^, 1719^', «ffld 
en the following day I rec^M&A k^Her of Aanks 
froth t!^ LohJs CoratilSfeilOhert fe*- injf sugges- 
tions. 



533 



CHAPTER XLIX. 

Origin of the Thames-police; riot and assault, with 
intent to destroy the same; two men killed and 
others wounded in quelling the riot; one of the 
ringleaders condemned to death; salutary con- 
sequences. 



I COMB now to a very important part of my 
life, not merely as respecting myjsiclf, but like- 
wise the great commercial interests of this coun- 
try. I allude to the origin and formation of the 
Thames'poliee. 

. In frequent conversations with a worthy near 
relation, (Mr. Staples,) who was a Police Magis- 
trate, I was led to consider the great advantages 
that would result to aU concerned in the shipping- 
commerce of the Port of I^ondon, if a river- 
police was established. I soon formed an put- 
line, and consulted, my relation, who much ap- 
proved of it. I waited on the lord-niayor, as con- 
servator of the river, and was informed the city 
had nothing to do with it. I made various inqui- 
ries, and at last wrote to the Duke of Portland, 
then secretary of state for the home-departmentj 



534 

with a plan for a River-police ; my letter was dated 
the 30th of October, 1797. 

My original plan was on a larger scale than the 
one adopted; the estitnate I caiculated at 14,0CX)/. 
a year, the present is but 8000/. And now, when 
I look back, it surprises me to think that so much 
was achieved, with so small a comparative 
strength, against the numerous strong hoards of 
cksperately-wicked water-fi rates, that had so 
long existed, without an attempt .being made to 
impede their progress. " I 

I imagine that it wa^ rtTe largeness of the pro- 
posed expense that prevented its being noticed 
fto eaily as I wUhed artd expected. The oedes- 
Bity atid u^efnlii^si ctf siieh an inir«itutioii ap- 
pear^d to me so evidfenti that I oorielttded it miy 
wanted to be bietiliotied iil-drd^f to be sdcm 
adopted; yet I do most candidly allow and 
firmly believe, fhat> but foi* the ^^pi^rior know- | 
i^g^ arid clearer irisightf^ itito the management of 
obtaining attention ^ fhiwg&^f this kind, which I I 
had the gddd fertatlfe tb 4*5cperien<*fe sbine months 
afterwards, Wheh introdaced to Mr. Colquhoon, 
the plan for thfe ifWfct'^oliee would have died in 
emliryo. I acfcnowUdgfe to po(isess* a certain 
pirid^ of feeling, which is tkft thfe best calculated 
&f getting forward in the ^world. t should have 
no dMiculty, for iristance, ?h tfiaking the first 
direct af)plication to the itidst august personage ' 
o^ assembly that* can eirist, yet ftofhing but dire 



m expmU^tion pp ^it\}^r- This pri^de^ that ^ 
speak of> is not owiag to tl^^e sligi^jtest wish to 
wicb^ol^ a leppectfyil ^€Bt^n to a^y fipperiors ia 
ra^k and £iitiu^io# ^n Jifie^ for I rejoiqie and feel 
gratified ii^ every opportunity of shewing such 
Teppectfql fifitfjewj to men elevated by talent^, rank, 
and cbar^ter; i;>att I ^ai^not be^d to an i^ji^se- 
quioupne^s that has aii ^p^rfince of sinking or 
lessening my pwn qh9rapteFi 

In the April foUowingi I r^eived fsn^ ii^vi^itipa 
to dine ^t Mr. Cplquho^n's^ §. gendew^n whpni I 
then only knew by name; I accompanied Mr. 
"Staples, who desired me to take my plaa for a 
river-police with me to shew to Mr* jQ^uhoun^ 
a^d fpr thai; purppse we were to go an hour 
sop^r. Mr^Co^^houn Wfis pl^^ed to e^pres^ 
a veryjl^ering ^pprp|>,atioij, aj>4 reqji|«at^d me 
Co leave the pj^n.wi^;!^ hm^ ^imt^im plight shfiw it, 
to Mr. Dundfi^i no>v L^ird Melvi]!^. I f^lt, 9^ J 
^xpres^fid fl^jftetf, ngiiicfe lOjbljgJBdj m^ did m he 
d^ired; apd th-^ mU dny J «ent soother copy to 
IjLpwlwi gftrdp», Eiq, (a ge^J§ipj|nj who, ad*- 
miitting ^ne among the nwii^^r pf his pi^vi^te 
friends, i^P^&r^ed aabpqourl ^hflM ^ver pme ^9 
iM«la9^i) jreqvie^tiflg his aid ):pward9 geUiog k 
mUiod^Q§i a^ notiq^d. 

X waited afco oa .^om^ pf the Elder Brethren of 
jthi^ %Mni^-C;pi|Vwatipn, m ge^tl^men pieouliariy 
qiiaj^ed tP jydge Qf Ha imfQXtMfi^ and probible 



336 

btaefit to the commercial interest of the t^ort of 
London : their judgment not only confirmed my 
opinion, but their extensive local knowledge 
pointed out other benefits which I had not then 
contemplated. My acquaintance since with 
Mr. Colquhoun warrants my assertion that he is 
not only one of the most punctual men living, but 
I think him the most indefatigable persevering 
man I ever knew in whatever he undertakes. 
On Sunday, the 22d of April, 179B| I saw and 
dined with this gentleman for the first time, and 
on the 25th he favoured me with the following 
letter. 

" Sir, 

^* I have lost no time in trans" 
mitting your very sensible paper to Mr. Dundas, 
which contains a very excellent plan for the pro«> 
tection of shipping in the River-Thames, to 
which I ardently hope due attention may be paid. 
It probably escaped you to mention the pro^- 
|>riety of placing Jire engines on each of the 
barges, and I have supplied that deficiency 6*001 
the suggestion contained in the paper you left 
with me on Sunday. I have mentioned to Mr. 
Dundas what I knew of the respectability of yoat 
character^ and of your great eiflperience and 
knowledge of matters of this kind, which I hope 
may induce him to request a conference. I ^ank 
you for the perusal of your very excellent plan for 



537 

^arcltng the sea-^o«st» wtitttii in thcf mbnilli dfi 
November last From its similitude to the sys-* 
tern adopted by government^ I canndt entertain 
a doubt of great benefit being derived by the 
ommtry from what you suggested. Agreeably to 
y^oar desire^ I return you the plan under cover* 
" I am, with esteem^ dear sir, 

^' Your obedient humble servant, 

*' P. C0LgVH0U5/' 
«'.JohaHm«tt,£8q> 

From this time, Mr. Colquhoun. incessantly 
exerted himself until he obtained the sanction of 
government for the establishment of what was at 
first called the Marine-police; and, but for his 
great exertions with the West-India merchants, 
as wen as with His Grace the Duke of. Portland 
and Mr. Dundas, I am satisfied that the River*-, 
police would not then^ if ever^ have be^ii 
adopted. 

With Mr. Colquhoun, I was appointed to act, 
and the office was opened at Midsummer^ 1798. 
In the organisation and carrying it into complete 
execution, I need not hesitate in saying I took a 
full share. We seized the bull by the horns, and 
never quitted our bold for upwards of two years. 
It was a labour not unworthy of Hercules, and' 
we succeeded, by our joint efforts, in bringing 
into reasonable order some thousands of meo^ 
who had long considered plunder as a privilege. 

VOL. IT. G ^ 



Mr. €olqohdtiQi^s Tfmiiae on the Police of the 
Rtvor Thomea aufficienUy explains and shews ibe 
state uf the river; previoiu to the e^lablishmenc 
of a pblicBwnatituttQB. I will, ihec&fore^ only men'* 
tian one ctrc«mstance» tio ahew to wfaat a pkcb of 
depraired andftcity t&ey carried and eit'ecnted tbeir 
robberies. 

A oaptaiii of a ship in tbe rim, turning out one 
moaung i|i tbe summer, soon after day-light, 
heard men's voices, and walked fcnrwatd to learn 
the cause. Looking over the bows of the ship, 
he saw sevf n^ mtn in a large bo4t; atid iuquired 
nhai tbey wer« doing there.. One of thetei l^k- 
i»g«p>wd, *' Ab! eaptaidi is U y^q? bow are 
yoni'[ aQd> on thQ i^ptain r^pi^aiing hi$.qites* 
tjon, to know what they were abont, be replied, 
vritb a kind of dry iftdiff^eitoe, ^^ only we&gbed 
your anchor, mptaio, and wt yoviv cable, thiiCs 
s^i good mommg, capt^m!" and away they 
went with the anchor and cable up with tbe tidej. 
t^rougb Loado^bridge, oleai* away hmg before 
b^ could i^oiHire help to foUow them. Ia4ead, 
such wa^. tb^ir dariag and w^llrkwwn ferocity, 
that tbpse, who koew well wb%( ibey were about, 
^ sfvw th^uL when coii^|t;iag%Hcb deprecations, 
vf^^ afiraid to divulge such klwwW!g!i* Tbo. im- 
pDPity wUb which thn^ riiaeis^piratfa wer« al^ 
lowed lo pteiMfer induced otbera «o do t)^ same; 
m&^ with (bek iiimber% tibe^ oi^^« in- 



939 

eremtd to sq gte^t a height an to tbrea^^ ib 
oterthrow the eommerce of the Port of Londoiw 

The ^rm of the law, however^ whe» resolutd|r 
and steitdDj exerted^ may be made toi^ork wait- 
ders ; aud iM3 yet in the recoUcciion of bnidred». 
if not tbeusnnds of creditable people^ that^.m 
tbi» kidtatiee^the RiTer-police has^wccmght afurp- 
^igiouf) nsferm. Among ot^cfiSj. it is not a'smnil 
thing to biive 1^ far reclaimed inch an utirulj set 
of beings as the half-savage Irish < coal-^heaYecs^ 
whoj from, invetetate enetme8> assembling at the 
commencement of the instteulion avowedly to 
destroy the magistrates and all that beloaged to 
it^ do noir consider them as their best friends. 
There* are from twelve to fourteen hnodred gf 
this dass of men, who mostly reaidk in Ae neigh- 
bourhood of the office. 

Previously to the establishment, these men 
had long been in the constant practice of each 
man taking his sack, containing two or three 
bushels of coalSy whenever he went on shore from 
the ship he was unloading. Neither the captain 
nor owner of the ship or cargo durst resist their 
taking w.hat they claimed as a perquisdte^ and 
most of these men, having followed it as a custom 
of their predecessors, thought they had a fair 
title to such coals: when found with a boat ready 
to sink with their plunder, aild made to account 
be&re a m/igistcate how they came by it, they 
conceived themselves to he the injured, pasty. 
Ggjg. 



340 . 

Cuti0m was tbeir invariable plea, (and s6 it was 
witii every odier description of working men on 
the rivefj when detected in the act of bringing on 
shore with them from forty pounds to two han- 
dred weight of sugar, coffee^ pepper, tea, or 
other articles,J and in vain was it that Mr. Col- 
qohoun and myself laboured hard to eoovince 
them of their error; and, by' reprimanding only 
at first and ordering the coals, &c* to be takea 
away, endeavoured to correct the evil. 

On oiir being obliged at last to resort to severer 
measures, and punish^ those who repeated the 
ofibnce after admonition, they threatened resist- 
ance ; and, trasting to their strength in numbersi 
fbme- hundreds of them assembled before the 
•office, threatening, with most horrid imprecations, 
the magistrates and all that belonged to the insd- 
tution, if some coal-heavers, then under exa* 
tnination, were not discharged.; However we 
might have been disposed to shew lenity to the 
offenders before us, had we not been thus 
threatened, it now became a duty to be firm : a 
small penalty was ordered to be paid, or conse- 
quent imprisonment. 

This was in October, a few months after the 
office was established; and, between seven and 
eight in the evening, we were proceeding to 
examine other prisoners on a charge of felony 
concerning ships stcdres, when some hundreds of 
eoal^heavers, encouraged by notorious receivers 



and otlii&rs, made a most furious attack dUtiie^ 
offite, tlie windows of which fronted the street,; 
They first attempted the door; when, findin|^' 
that too strongly secured for them to force, they- 
tore up the pavement in the street, and soon dO"-* 
mofished the shutters of four windows of tTie 
room we were in. It was fortunate, that nofcf 
of these large stones which they threw in, strocli 
any of us; for, with their weight and the force 
they came with, a broken limb would have beeii 
the least to expect; I believe I was iho obif 
person in the office, at the time, that had evet 
smelt gunpowder burnt in anger, before, aad 
many years had elapsed since I had been so en« 
gaged. 

I imntiediately saw the neeeiisity of prompt 
resolute measures, for the infuriate madness of 
tlie assailants grew stronger e^erjr instant:. or<* ' 
deting the fire arms, seeing to their loading, and • 
giving necessary directions, seemed to electrify 
and make me young again* Not a moment was to 
be lost ; for, if they could onee have got in,«having 
but six or seven officers with us at the time, W^ 
must have been soon overpowered. There* w«|e 
two or three gentlemen from the City, attending 
on business; but one ran up to the top of the 
house and hid himself, and the rest made a pru- 
dent retreat by getting into a hoaft and rowi&g 
away. As soon as the pistols were loaded, I 
ordered them to fire down on the assaUaills^ Wc 
GgS 



342 

soon Aterd that one of ihem was ^Hot dead : lie. 
proved to te one of the ringleaders. They 
*^agR«d bis body away from tb« front, retreating 
from the office to a short distance, but threaten- 
ing dreadful vengeance. 

We then ordered the door to be opened, and 
advanced into the 6treet> where Mr. Calquboua 
vead the riot-act; at which instant, one of our 
officers^ standing close to us, was shot, as he 
liekl his arm u^ through the palm of his bnndt 
1^ soon after, another of our officers, who had 
advanced nearer to the rioterst ran past us, cry- 
ing out that he was shot. A few more discharges 
from our pistols drove them away, but we beard 
they were assembling in greater numbers, deter- 
mined to renew ttie attack. The volunteers iii 
the neighbourhood soon after assembled, and 
^came readily to assist us« .Hearing, about eleven 
p'clods, that a part of the rioters were still to- 
gether at a public-house, some distance from die 
office^ I accompanied the volunteers to the house, 
with intent to secure any I might find there ^ but 
ibey were gone, and from that time all remained 
quiet. Our poor fellow^ who was shot, was taken 
to the hospital, where he died. 

Whether any, or how many, more of the 
jriotons assailants were shot, we could not learn. 
One of the principal ringleaders was apprehend- 
ed, tried, and condemned ; others fled, and 
ke|>t out of the.,wp^y for a tim.e> whom -we might 



343 

Iike\vise have convicted. ; But, as enot)gh had, 
been done for public justice, and as every ap- 
pearance of farther disturbance had subsided/ 
though we continued punishing offences simiiar, 
to that which occasioned the riot, Mr. Colquhonfi 
- and myself thought it best not to proceed agaixut 
more -of them; contenting ourselves, as frooi 
time to time they appeared before us, with ac- 
quainting t^m that we were not ignorant of 
their former proceedings, and admonishing them , 
to make a grateful use of such forbearance for: 
the future* I have often since received, and sti|l, 
continue to receive, much satisfaction in seeing 
--^ some of thos^, who might have suffered iftried> 
now maintaining themselves and families ia coiiw. 
fort, and are among the most ordei:ly . 

Severe ais the measures were that we were 
obliged, to take, to quell so outrageous aa assault^ 
I an^ persuaded much good has en^ed from itv 
T'be roqgh ignorant multitude were forcibly con«' 
viaced that the magistrates were not to be fright- 
ened from doing their d^ty, which is a nuiia 
point in police as lyell as in militiiry concei^Ds, 
It is true, that courage in a magis^^'ateis not 
ikely to be called ipto exestion so often as in a 
military man ; but,, whenever it does happen t# 
be n6cess/ary, as in ^all riots and tiimults,, where 
his presence is required, 1 conceive it to be .of 
more importance for a magistrate to possess a 
coqI intrepid fineness thai) it is ii^th^. other; as 



S44 

was dreatjfiilly proved in the riots of 1780, wbicfa> 
from . aW ihht I have heard, might easily have 
heeri put a' stop to but for the timidity of the 
chief magistrate of the city. 
' The extensive benefits derived from the River- 
poHce were so conspicuous^ that, after two years 
trial of Tts efficacy, government thought proper 
'to pass an act, making the institution permanent, 
with an allowance of 8000/. per annum for its 
support: a sum of money, which, instead of 
being a burden, I am eonfidenl yields a very 
considerable! profit to government, tkrisiug to 
the re venae by the almost entire supprcfssiou of 
smuggling on the RtVer Thames. Tfce diflference 
it made in the salc^^ at the Custom-house alone, 
was said to be po great, that, not ' having the 
means of proving, I do not t^huse to mention the 
sum that was reported; but the annual allowance 
lor tnatntainlng the insdtation is ^mnS in com- 
parison. I feel equally weH Satisfied, that the 
flavitig in the plunder of navali ordnance, and 
victualling, stores, ii to the fall as great as the 
other; and here, again, 1 am fearful Of repeating 
what I have heard, the officers of the navy and 
victualling stbres at Beptford declare to be their 
opinion, the ahiOtmtVoiild. appear so toormous. 
At the commencement, ther^ were thousands 
of plunderers and hundreds of veeeivers; the 
former, 1 Believe, are reduced to less than hun- 
dreds, an4 the latter to tenis. I have, the satis- 



3*5 

£eu!tfoii^ therefore^ of katitig'lited id see the 
good it bas pr6dttoed» and to hear it acknow* 
ledged by all from whom sucli ackAo^wJedgmeiU 
is desirable and creditable^ i 



CHAPTER L. 

After the 9tonfis and $truggles of an adventtcrou^ 
mnd eventful life^ the Author's gratefid satt^ac- 
tion at having brottght his vessel safe into forty 
his content atid resignation* 



Tkds Iiave.I bionght. jay.barh safe into port; 
and, though somewfantalMittered and uafii for 
sailing far uuder a roving «comiiiia$ioi># tbe timr 
bers art.yet sound a&d still capable of barbc^ir 
doty. 

The evdn tenor of tbe leal ten yean, has ena* 
bled me to tiim soait of my attenitOA to #a 
improvement lot. v^odung of ships panips> Mubi^ 
I bad ki cosKempUtion for many years, as a 
point of equipment that had been too much 
neglected. The superiority of a horixontfli or 
capstan-bar motion, at which a man stands &rm, 
without injuring bis loins^ baa been sq iniMtntesti- 



346 

hfy proved, ibmt I fisudr nyaclfit will, be the 
means of ftaviBg many Hires a« w«U 89 much pro* 
petty/ CM board, leaky ships at sea, loog after I 
am forgotteu as the intlelitoh : 

Under the blessing of Providence^ I have 
lived to see five out of seven o( my children so 
far advanced In life^ that the futare lies more 
"with them than myself. My own wants are 
bounfjted and suppjie^ by f^ moderate competea- 
cy ; additional riches might give something more 
to convenienccj but nothing to mental happiness. 
Insatiable and nnbonnded.as were my curiosity^ 
and rambling desire of knowledge, in early fife, 
the world has now nothing new for me to admire 
or covet. To be compelled io live in a state of 
fiishionable afflnence Qir.QOVrtly rank^ would be as 
irksome and unpleasant as formerly my ambition 
kd «!« CO wish for it ^with avidity. Tfte greatest 
pageantry :or alniir, tbsft faasaanuignificence can 
«]tbfibiii> wouM not tempt rac to any particular 
oMftioii tc^ view )l; yet I jwokld still toil in any 
cause of humanity, or climb up a burning moniw 
taiot^ view any great opehttion of NatiMS, as 
^ftlai^iQ^ my views andgiKiDg new energies to 
my adortition of die Gireac Omanlpotent. 

i am no misanthrope, bii,t look back,, with 
moi« pleasure thab regref, at the T^frious strug- 
gles and misfo^'tunes'tbath^rve fallen tamy lot; 
freely acknowledging Vtie nouvitliim mimy mind 
to b«^ that Adversity has been .my tffct teacher 



347 

how to appi'eciate that which I possess. So 
long, therefore, as I can live with comfort to 
ipyselfand benefit to those around me, so long 
and no longer do I wish to live ; feeling assured, 
that in^ my last moments, while my intellect is 
clear, I shall have more of hope to cheer, thaa. 
fear to depress, my mind in the awful but not 
unwelcome change. 



THE END. 



.^. 



' ^ted bjr J. Skitrea, BatGUfrHighwa;.. 



' * 



APR ? ^ 1976