54 A Visit to Ceuta, [JULY, 



obliged to work in fetters, in repairing the fortifications, cleansing the 

 streets, clearing the port, c. 



The state-prisoners are not allowed any intercourse with the inhabitants 

 of the town, the residence of whom is on the mountain. They are the only 

 portion of the prisoners who really excite compassion, men of noble minds 

 and great families, whole cargoes of whom were quietly shipped off from 

 Barcelona, at the period of Ferdinand's late visit, for no other cause than 

 suspicion of disaffection to the reigning government. The noble devo- 

 tion of the wives of some of these men, who voluntarily share the cap- 

 tivity and sorrow of their husbands, affords an example of affection 

 seldom surpassed. 



The attempt at fraud, of an ingenious rogue now in confinement here, 

 is not one of the least curious pieces of villany that has been devised in 

 a prison. This man profited from the juncture of the Barcelona banish- 

 ments to write to a merchant at Gibraltar (many of whom then in- 

 terfered to protect the property of the exiles from confiscation), requesting 

 him to take charge of a consignment of cocoa and sugar daily expected 

 from the Havannah. He represented himself as unfortunately implicated 

 in the Barcelona conspiracies, under the necessity of throwing himself 

 on the generosity of a British merchant to preserve to him the remainder 

 of his fortune. He stated the cargo to be worth 75,000 dollars, and 

 transmitted the bills of lading, with an order to detain the ship at Gib- 

 raltar, at which port she was to touch on her homeward voyage to Bar- 

 celona. The letter concluded, as a mere secondary and unimportant 

 consequence, by requesting an advance of 12,000 dollars on the bill of 

 lading. This was a demand which no merchant in the world, on receipt 

 of such documents, would have refused ; but from excess of caution it 

 was determined to advance no more than 5,000 dollars, and that not 

 until it was in the power of the person to make inquiries concerning the 

 truth of such vessel and cargo being bound for Gibraltar, which the 

 arrival of another captain from the Havannah confirmed in every 

 particular. 



A person was despatched to the noble prisoner for he was, in fact, 

 a man of rank with the 5,000 dollars, and an apology for the non-pos- 

 sibility of advancing any further sum till the arrival of the vessel. 

 Already was the prisoner, at sight of the messenger, preparing to count 

 the money which the welcome visitor had brought, when, to his great 

 disappointment, he only received the sum above stated. He flew into 

 a passion, vowed vengeance against the trembling messenger, whose 

 position was rather a critical one, from the mystery and stratagem that 

 had been employed to procure this interview with a state-prisoner, 

 which is strictly prohibited. 



Alarmed at his threats, the affrighted messenger in haste and agitation 

 sought to retrace his steps to the port, in order to embark for Gibraltar. 

 Before he could gain the felucca, the alarm was given, the envoy was 

 brought before the governor, and, on what appeared to be the clearest 



and had kept the revenue-officers in pay for years, who at last betrayed the hold where 

 their merchandize was kept, and caused it to be seized. Desperation for the loss of their pro- 

 perty drove them to the mountains, from whence they issued to bury their remorseless 

 blades in the breast of the helpless traveller, whose unpided shrieks resounded to the 

 skies in vain. The government, in order to get rid of them, offered a reward, to every 

 robber who should bring in the head of his companion, and a free pardon to the survivor. 

 Nearly the whole of the banditti were thus exterminated by each other. Those who 

 claimed the promised pardon were sent where they could not make their stories known. 



