a Lamp for which he had a patent--engaged too in this
tremendous stock account, which is at this very moment, under the
guardian care of Mr. Cochrane Johnstone and Mr. Butt, abruptly closing,
he instantly quits the City, and hastens home to see a person whose
signature he cannot decypher, and when he comes there he finds Mr. De
Berenger to be the writer of the note, and he has all this extraordinary
conversation with him about going on board the Tonnant to instruct the
crew in sharp-shooting, and then when a negative is put upon Mr. De
Berenger's application at least for the present, Mr. De Berenger tells
him he _cannot_ forsooth "_go to Lord Yarmouth or to any other of his
friends in this dress_." Why, I beg to know, cannot Mr. De Berenger go
to Lord Yarmouth or any other nobleman or gentleman in the dress in
which he waits upon Lord Cochrane? if he was dressed as Lord Cochrane
describes, there could be no impropriety; but still more, "_or return to
his lodging, where it would excite suspicion_," _coming out_ of his
lodging in this dress might to be sure excite suspicion, for persons who
saw him might imagine that a gentleman thus dressed was going a little
beyond the rules of the King's Bench, but how could his _return_ excite
suspicion? If he was returning to his lodgings why would he want any
other dress? except that he was afraid to return to his lodgings in that
dress because it would afford the means of tracing and detecting him.
"If I refused to let him join the ship now, he would join it at
Portsmouth, _under present circumstances however, he must use a great
liberty, and request the favor of me to lend him a hat to wear instead
of his military cap. I gave him one which was in a back room with some
things which had not been packed up._" Then we are to suppose that De
Berenger was satisfied; he had got rid of this cap with the gold border
which might excite suspicion, and he was content to go. No says Lord
Cochrane that will not do. "_Having tried it_," that is the hat, "_on,
his uniform appeared under his great coat, I therefore offered him a
black coat that was laying on a chair and which I did not intend to take
with me_." We are, I presume then, to understand that he put on the
black coat, though that is not expressly stated, "he put up his uniform
_in a towel and shortly afterwards went away_." Then he was to go off
entirely, was he? Gentlemen, I am sorry to find that my Lord Cochrane,
filling the high situa