e had some difficulty in obtaining the means of transport to
Antigua; and there, finding himself reduced to entire dependence, he was
content, without any pecuniary recompense, to become assistant to his
relative, who had come to the town of St John's. From this unhappy
condition he was rescued, after a short interval. He was possessed of a
knowledge of the French language; a qualification which, together with
his general abilities, recommended him to fill the office of assistant
to the Provost-Marshal of Grenada. This appointment he held for three
years, when, hearing of the death of his mother and sister, he returned
to Britain. On the death of his father, eighteen months after his
arrival, he succeeded to a small patrimony, which he proceeded to invest
in the purchase of an annuity of L80 per annum. With this limited
income, he seems to have planned a permanent settlement in his native
country; but the unexpected embarrassment of the party from whom he had
purchased the annuity, and an attachment of an unfortunate nature,
compelled him to re-embark on the ocean of adventure. He accepted the
office of assistant-secretary on board Admiral Geary's flag-ship, and
made two cruises with the grand fleet. Proposing again to return to
Scotland, he afterwards resigned his appointment; but he was induced, by
the remonstrances of his friends, Dr Currie, and Mr Roscoe, of
Liverpool, to accept a similar situation on board the flag-ship of Sir
Richard Bickerton, who had been appointed to take the chief command of
the naval power in India. In this post, many of the hardships incident
to a seafaring life fell to his share; and being present at the last
indecisive action with "Suffrein," he had likewise to encounter the
perils of war. His present connexion subsisted three years; but Macneill
sickened in the discharge of duties wholly unsuitable for him, and
longed for the comforts of home. His resources were still limited, but
he flattered himself in the expectation that he might earn a subsistence
as a man of letters. He fixed his residence at a farm-house in the
vicinity of Stirling; and, amidst the pursuits of literature, the
composition of verses, and the cultivation of friendship, he contrived,
for a time, to enjoy a considerable share of happiness. But he speedily
discovered the delusion of supposing that an individual, entirely
unknown in the literary world, could at once be able to establish his
reputation, and inspire confidenc