DIARY OF CAPTAIN LAMSON 235 



sentenced to death, but his life was given 

 him finally by Napoleon. The treatment 

 Americans received on board was horrible. 

 Three masters and five men died, owing to 

 the rough treatment, and no reasons as- 

 signed by those rough villains. On leaving 

 the squadron next day, we fell in with two 

 English frigates who impressed from the 

 Cartel about twenty of our seamen and 

 went, as they said, in pursuit of the French 

 ships. I arrived in England, and four days 

 afterwards I was in Plymouth, quite un- 

 well from what I had suffered on board 

 those ships. After I had recruited, I em- 

 barked on board the ship Acasta of New 

 Bedford, Captain Lewis, and sailed from 

 Plymouth for Boston, and off Grand Bank 

 Captain Lewis pulled up a hogshead of rum. 

 He gave his mate a ten gallon keg and on the 

 same night, he having fifty sailors between 

 decks, they stole it from the mate. The 

 next day a general search was made but it 

 could not be found on board. Two nights 

 afterwards, about midnight, the cry of 



