s to take
charge of them." "Willingly," replied I, "and pray acquaint him with our
mortification."

He shortly after left us, and we proceeded through the Gulf with the
convoy. Nothing of any importance transpired during our passage of nine
long, tedious weeks, when we anchored in the Downs, where I got rid of all
our snail-sailing mahogany haystacks. The three days we lay in the Downs I
took up my quarters at the "Hoop and Griffin." Bread and butter, with
delicious oysters, were my orders of the day, but, alas, my former pretty
maid was no longer there. She was married, had children, and I sincerely
hope was happy. On the same floor, the father-in-law to the First Lord of
the Admiralty, with his daughter and niece, had taken up their abode for a
few days on their return journey to London from a tour in Wales. Before I
was acquainted with this information, seeing a carriage at the door and an
old gentleman with two ladies alight from it, I asked the waiter who they
were. He answered he did not know, but that they had arrived yesterday and
that the gentleman appeared much out of spirits, and one of the ladies
very much out of health. The purser had been dining with me, and we were
enjoying our wine, when I said to the waiter, in a half-joking manner,
"Give my compliments to the old gentleman, and request him to hand himself
in, that we may have a look at him." He fulfilled his commission, although
I did not intend he should do so, to the letter, and in walked a stately,
gentlemanly-looking man, about seventy. He gave us a look that appeared to
say, "Surely this is some mistake, I know you not." On perceiving his
embarrassment I advanced towards him, and begged, although there was some
little mistake, that if he were not engaged, he would do me the favour to
take a glass of wine. "I see," said he, "you are officers of the navy,"
and without further hesitation, sat down and became quite cheerful. In the
course of conversation he informed me that he had tried the air of Wales
for the benefit of his daughter, who was married to a captain in the navy,
and that his other daughter was married to Lord Mulgrave, First Lord of
the Admiralty. I told him we had come from the West Indies and were going
to sail for Sheerness in the morning; that if he thought his daughter
would like to go so far on her journey by sea, instead of by land, my
cabin was entirely at his service. He thanked me cordially, but declined
it. After finishing a b