ferred to. This
system of petty tyranny, this "working up" of a whole ship's company,
or a single individual, in order to gratify a vindictive and unforgiving
spirit, has been the cause of a deal of trouble and unhappiness, and has
furnished materials in abundance for "men learned in the law."

Sailors are not stocks and stones. Few of them are so low and degraded
as not to be able to distinguish the right from the wrong. They are
aware of the importance of discipline, and know they must submit to its
restraints, and render prompt obedience to orders from their superiors,
without question; yet few of them are so deeply imbued with the meek
spirit of Christianity as to forego remonstrance to injustice or
resistance to tyranny.

The Packet proved to be a fast-sailing ship. The log often indicated
ten, eleven, and eleven and a half knots. We had a quick but rough
passage across the Atlantic, and frequently took on board a much larger
quantity of salt water than was agreeable to those who had berths in
her bows. In four days after leaving Boston we reached the Banks of
Newfoundland; in eighteen days, we struck soundings off Cape Clear; and
in twenty-one days, let go our anchor in the River Mersey.

Chapter XIV. DISAPPOINTED HOPES

The day succeeding our arrival at Liverpool, having disposed of our
gunpowder, we hauled into King's Dock, and commenced preparations for
receiving the remainder of our cargo. At that period there were only
four floating docks in Liverpool. The town was not in a prosperous
condition. It had not recovered from the shock caused by the abolition
of the slave trade. That inhuman traffic had been carried on to a very
great extent for many years by Liverpool merchants, and, of course,
the law prohibiting the traffic a law wise and humane, in itself, but
injurious to the interests of individuals was resisted in Parliament by
all the commercial wealth of Liverpool and Bristol, the two principal
ports in which the merchants resided who were engaged in the slave
traffic. Even in 1811, many fine ships were lying idle in the docks,
which had been built expressly for that business; and their grated
air-ports, high and solid bulwarks, peculiar hatchways, large and
unsightly poops, all gave evidence of the expensive arrangements and
great importance of the "Guineamen" of those days.

It was expected that our cargo would be completed immediately after our
arrival at Liverpool, and the ship despatched o