rofit may often
tempt the subject to infringe, cannot but be favourite institutions in
such a government. But to return:

Some time before this, Captain Saunders took his passage to England
on board a Swedish ship, and was charged with dispatches from the
commodore; and soon after, in the month of December, Captain Mitchel,
Colonel Cracherode, and Mr Tassel, one of the agent-victuallers, with
his nephew Mr Charles Harriot, embarked on board some of our company's
ships; and I, having obtained, the commodore's leave to return home,
embarked with them.

Whilst we lay here at Macao, we were informed by some of the officers
of our Indiamen, that the Severn and Pearl, the two ships of our
squadron, which had separated from us off Cape Noir, were safely
arrived at Rio Janeiro on the coast of Brazil. I have formerly taken
notice, that at the time of their separation, we apprehended them
to be lost. And there were many reasons which greatly favoured this
suspicion: For we knew that the Severn in particular was extremely
sickly; and this was the more obvious to the rest of the ships, as,
in the preceding part of the voyage, her commander, Captain Legg, had
been remarkable for his exemplary punctuality in keeping his station,
till, for the last ten days before his separation, his crew was so
diminished and enfeebled, that with his utmost efforts it was not
possible for him to maintain it. Whatever was the cause of it, the
Severn was by much the most sickly of the squadron: For before her
departure from St Catharines, she buried more men than any of them,
insomuch that the commodore was obliged to recruit her with a number
of fresh hands; and the mortality still continuing, she was supplied
with men a second time at sea, after our setting sail from St Julians;
and, notwithstanding these different reinforcements, she was at last
reduced to the distressed condition I have already mentioned.

Notwithstanding the favourable disposition of the mandarine governor
of Janson, at his leaving Mr Anson, several days were elapsed before
he had any advice from him; and Mr Anson was privately informed there
were great debates in council upon his affair; partly perhaps owing
to its being so unusual a case, and in part to the influence, as I
suppose, of the French at Canton: For they had a countryman and fast
friend residing on the spot, who spoke the language very well, and
was not unacquainted with the venality of the government, nor with the