not very large, is an excellent port for anchorage, even for large vessels, where plenty of excellent water may be had.

It was here that we learned the dreadful fate of our companion the Indian, which during the above squalls had been driven on the Isle of Bas, near the Ushant rocks, where all on board perished. It was at the same time conjectured that the Prince had also been lost.

This melancholy intelligence operated on every person on board our ship in a way I shall never forget. The same kind of weather which made us attempt to get into Fowey, or any harbour we could reach, had wrecked the Indian. For myself, the negotiations I so lately had had with Col. Skeene, to obtain a passage in his ship, operated in a way which I am wholly unable to describe. I felt how trifling were the circumstances which had saved me from going down with so many fine young and enterprising men. In particular the fate of poor Maclaren was altogether heart-rending. I thought of the scenes of festivity in which we had mutually joined; I retraced their features, and recalled

in imagination the joke and the

so

song, which very lately had cheered us in our adventure.

We afterwards learned, that the Indian did not sail the same night we weighed, but remained at Spithead till the following day. Thus the wind which drove us eastward to Dungeness, in all probability saved the Dowson from certain destruction. Early on the 2d, Colonel Skeene got under weigh from Spithead with the N. N. W. wind, while we, about the same time, weighed from Dungeness. He, therefore, had the advantage of being so far south as Spithead, and, of course, all that distance a-head of us. Till the 6th, he enjoyed the advantages of such a wind, which, on the evening of that day brought us about abreast of the Isle of Wight. The wind then set in from the south-west, and for the following ten days blew hurricanes.

It was here several of our officers were seen, for the first time, to leave the ship, one under one pretence, another under another; but the fact was, that the dangers we had just escaped made them afraid to go again to sea. Among the soldiers, too, a similar spirit prevailed; and we had nothing but daily riot

and mutiny. Some of our officers having actually left us, a few of the soldiers made their escape ashore; and some of them were so very turbulent, that, after remaining in irons for several days, Colonel C. judged it proper to send them about their business.

Fowey or Foy, a borough town in Cornwall, happened to be the birth-place of Captain Dormer, our sailing Captain, and he being an extremely respectable man, we had a ready introduction to the most respectable inhabitants of the neighbourhood.

Soon after we became a little settled, we accordingly treated the Lord of the Manor, the Priest of the Parish, and another Gentleman to dinner, which we contrived to make as comfortable as possible. The merry jest, the toast, and the song, alternated with each other. These men of Foy, however, seemed not well acquainted with the ceremony of drinking particular healths, and in speechmaking, on such occasions, they were uncommonly short-if even they spoke at all. The Lord of the Manor's health being drunk all standing, with cheers, "Thank you," was the reply. When the Priest's health was drunk,

with similar ceremonies, he rose, contrary to custom, with the rest, and sat down without saying a word. The other old gentleman, on the same occasion, actually started on his legs with the whole company; and, on his health being drunk, he lustily cheered in concert with the rest. We made them all very happy; for, in our gun-room, we had singers, spouters, buffoons, &c. &c. who made the villagers often gape with wonder and amazement. These cautious gentlemen were, naturally, very happy to see any of our officers at their houses during the morning; but they seemed extremely circumspect about inviting any of us to dinner.

The spirit of mutiny, which at various times had appeared among our soldiers, became excessively troublesome, now that they found themselves so near land. A curious coincidence of circumstances took place on this occasion. Two of the leaders in these disturbances, who were in irons at the same time, were named Cobbett and Hunt.

We actually found it prudent to send these noisy fellows ashore; and one of them, on going over the ship's side, had the impudence

to call out, that if twelve men of the ship had been of the same mind with himself, we should ere this have all been either under another command, or sent out at a port-hole during the late gales.

One of the weekly assemblies of the Foy villagers now occurred, when a note from the Priest arrived, requesting the honour of the company of such officers as wished to go; and at the same time observing, that, as the meeting might lead to a dance, the favour of our regimental band of music would be acceptable. A very few of the youngest of our officers attended with the band, and continued to dance till morning. Next morning, however, the landlord of the dancing apartment sent a message to those gentlemen who had attended, that their bill of expenses amounted to 1s 3d each, which he wished them to discharge. This little circumstance seemed to mortify several even of those who had not attended at the dance.

Vanity, that passion which few of us are altogether without, prompted our officers to astonish the Foy villagers with what we could do. We accordingly desired our sailing