hout difficulty to
dispose of my cargoes. A lady of some consideration in the county was
one of my chief purchasers. Some one giving information to the officers
of excise that her house was full of smuggled goods, it was searched,
and they were discovered, when I was accused of having brought them
over. The officers accordingly laid their plans to entrap me. I had
come across from the Isle of Man with three other boats in company; they
were seized, but I managed to make my escape, and sailed over to the
coast of Scotland. Here we landed our cargo, which we hid in a cave--
but how to sell it now that we had got it safely on shore was the
question. I proposed that three of us should assume the character of
pedlars, and dispose of it piecemeal throughout the country. My plan
was adopted; a pleasant time I had of it, travelling from place to place
and visiting the lord's castle and the farmer's cottage. So successful
were we that my share amounted to a hundred and fifty pounds. With this
sum in my pocket I travelled across to Edinburgh, where, dressing myself
as a gentleman, I took lodgings, intending after seeing the city and
enjoying myself for a brief space to return to France. I happened,
however, to meet a Frenchman long settled in Edinburgh, and the owner of
several vessels which ran between Leith and London. Happening to
require a master for one of these vessels, he asked if I would take
charge of her. To this I agreed, and carried her safely into the
Thames; but, unhappily, a fire breaking out in a large warehouse near
which she was moored, she with several other vessels was burnt, and I
with some difficulty escaped on shore with the property I possessed.
Assuming my Irish name, I took lodgings in Carey Street, Lincoln's Inn
Fields, for the sake of being near a Mr Donnell, an Irish gentleman
famous for his knowledge of mathematics, from whom I received
instruction in navigation. Through his recommendation I obtained the
command of a vessel, in which I made frequent trips backwards and
forwards between the English and French coasts, greatly increasing my
nautical knowledge and adding largely to my circle of friends. I
conceived a warm admiration for the English, for though they have their
faults, they are a brave and generous people, and my wish on all
occasions has been to acknowledge their bravery and generosity. It was
while I was in London that I used to visit a club held every Monday
evening in the