fatisfy thousands, as may now be devoured by a =mall number of individuals. But while a fitherman can break through the strongest meshes of an act of parliament, we may be affured he will learn fo to contrive his own mefhes, that the fmalleft fry will not be able to fwim thro them.

Other methods may, we doubt not, be fuggefted by thofe who fhall attentively confider the evil here hinted at; but we have dwelt ton long on it already, and fhall conclude with obferving, that it is difficult to affirm, whether the atrocity of the evil itself, the facility of curing it, or the fhameful neglect of the cure, be the more fcandalous, or more aftonifhing.

After having, however, gloriously regaled. myfelf with this food, I was wafhing it down with fome good claret, with my wife and her friend in the cabin, when the captain returned from his vifit a little elevated with fome champaign, which, as it coft his Swifs brother little. or nothing, he difpenfed at his table more liberally than our hofpitable English nobleman put about those bottles, which the ingenious Peter Taylor teaches a led captain to avoid, by diftinguifhing by the name of that generous li quor, which all humble companions are taught to poftpone to the flavour of Methuen, or honeft Port.

However, our commander being, as I observed, in great spirits, we spent the rest of this day with much chearfulness, the ladies being a little recovered from their fea-fickness.

Wednesday the 20th. This morning the captain dreft himself in fcarlet, in order to pay a wifit to a Devonshire 'squire, to whom a captain

of a hip is a guest of no ordinary confequence, as he is a ftranger and a gentleman who hath feen a great deal of the world in foreign parts and knows all the news of the times.

The 'fquire, therefore, was to fend his boat for the captain; but a most unfortunate accident happened: for, as the wind was extremely rough, and against the hoy, while this was endeavouring to avail itself of great feamanship, in hawling up against the wind, a fudden fquall carried off fail and yard; or, at least, so disabled them, that they were no longer of any use, and unable to reach the fhip: but the captain, from the deck, faw his hopes of venifon difappointed, and was forced either to stay on board his hip, or to hoilt forth his own long-boat, which he could" not prevail with himfelf to think of, though the 'fmell of the venifon had had twenty times its attraction. He did, indeed, love his hip as his wife, and his boats as children, and never willingly trufted the latter, poor things! to the dangers of the seas.

To fay truth, notwithstanding the ftrict rigour with which he preferved the dignity of his fiation, and the hafty impatience with which he refented any affront to his perfon or orders, difobedience to which he could in no intance bruik in any perfon on board, he was one of the bestnatured fellows alive. He acted the part of father to his failors: he expreffed great tendernefs for any of them when ill, and never fuffer ed any the leaft work of fupererogation to go unrewarded by a glass of gin. He even extended his humanity, if I may fo call it, to animals and even his cats and kittens had large fharest in his affections. An inftance of which we faw

fatisfy thoufands, as may now be devoured by a fmall number of individuals. But while a fiflerman can break through the strongest meshes of an act of parliament, we may be affured he will learn fo to contrive his own meshes, that the fmalleft fry will not be able to fivim thro them..

Other methods may, we doubt not, be fuggefted by thofe who flial attentively confider the evil here hinted at; but we have dwelt too long on it already, and fhall conclude with obferving, that it is difficult to affirm,, whether the atrocity of the evil itself, the facility of cur ing it, or the fhameful neglect of the cure, be the more fcandalous, or more aftonishing..

After having, however, glorioufly regaled myfelf with this food, I was washing it down. with fome good claret, with my wife and her friend in the cabin, when the captain's valet de hambre, head cook, house and hip fleward,, footman in livery and out on't, fecretary and fore-maft-man, all burst into the cabin at once, being, indeed, all but one perfon, and without Taying By your leave,' began to pack half a hoghead of fmall beer in bottles, the neceffary confequence of which must have been, either a total ftop to converfation at that chearful feafon when it is moft agreeable, or the admitting that: polyonymous officer aforefaid to the participation of it. I defired him, therefore, to delay his purpofe a little longer, but he refused to grant my request; nor was he prevailed on to quit the com till he was threatened with having one. bottle to pack more than his number, which hen happened to fland empty within my reach... F

With thefe menaces he retired at laft, but not without muttering fome menaces on his fide, and which, to our great terror, he failed not to put into immediate execution.

Our captain was gone to dinner this day with his Swifs brother; and, though he was a very fober man, was a little elevated with fome champaign, which, as it coft the Swifs little or nothing, he difpenfed at his table more liberally than our hofpitable English nobleman put about thofe bottles, which the ingenious Peter Taylor teaches a led captain to avoid, by diftinguishing by the name of that generous liquor, which all humble companions are taught to postpone to the flavour of Methuen, or honeft Port.

While our two captains were thus regaling themfelves, and celebrating their own heroic exploits, with all the infpiration which the liquor, at leaft, of wit could afford them, the polyonymous officer arrived, and being faluted by the name of honett Tom, was ordered to fit downl and take his glafs before he delivered his mef fage; for every failor is by turns his captain's mate over a cann, except only that captain bahaw who prefides in a man of war, and who, upon earth, has no other mate, unless it be another of the fame bafhaws.

Tom had no fooner fwallowed his draugh than he haflily began his narrative, and faith fully related what had happened on board ou hip; we fay faithfully, though from what hap pened it may be fufpected that Tom chofe to add perhaps, only five or fix immaterial circum Dances, as is always, I believe, the cafe, and ay poffibly have been done by me in relatin

this very ftory, though it happened not many

hours ago.

No fooner was the captain informed of the interruption which had been given to his officer, and indeed to his orders, for he thought no time To convenient as that of his abfence for caufing any confufion in the cabin, then he leapt with fuch hafte from his chair, that he had like to have broke his sword, with which he always begirt himself when he walked out of his flip, and Tometimes when he walked about in it, at the fame time grafping eagerly that other implement 4 called a cockade, which modern foldiers wear on their helmets, with the fame view as the antients did their crefts, to terrify the enemy; he muttered fomething, but fo inarticulately, that the word damn was only intelligible; he then haftily took leave of the Swifs captain, who was too well-bred to prefs his ftay on fuch an occafion, and leapt firft from the fhip to his boat, and then from his boat to his own fhip, with as much fiercenefs in his looks as he had ever expreffed on boarding his defencelefs prey, in the honour able calling of a privateer.

Having regained the middle deck, he paufed a moment, while Tom and others loaded themfelves with bottles, and then defcending into the cabin, exclaimed with a thundering voice, D-n me, • why arn't the bottles ftowed in according to my orders !'

I anfwered him very mildly, that I had prevented his man from doing it, as it was at an inconvenient time to me, and as in his abfence, at leaft, I esteemed the cabin to be my own. • Your bin!' repeated he many times;