Manchester Memoirs, Vol. xlv. (1901), No. 8. 27 



for more than I dare mention. I am happy to say that I found my two dear 

 friends here as well as I could wish. To say, barely, that we were all glad 

 to meet each other, wou'd very poorly express what we felt. The meeting 

 was such as might naturally be expected between People who Love each 

 other as we do. I believe we shall, neither of us, wish to leave the Island 

 again until we can all do so together The truly friendly atten- 

 tion I received from you both while I was under your Roof will be ever 

 remembei'd by me with the greatest pleasure and the warmest gratitude. 



From the above we gather that Captain Cable had 

 made a stolen visit to his friends at Mayfield, and that he 

 returned to the Island by the " Nelly and Betty," a cargo 

 boat plying between Liverpool and Douglas, under the 

 command of Captain Ouayle. During the summer Cable 

 was in the habit of leaving his house in Douglas and 

 retiring into the country, a fact which accounts for the 

 change of address. The next letter is a spirited account 

 of various trivialities : — 



Balla-na-How, June 9th 1797. 

 I hasten to mention a business which we all have much at heart : I 

 mean your Visit, this Summer, to Mona. The Town of Douglas is so full of 

 Irish, & other Strangers that I believe there is scarce a Bed to be procured 

 there. However I have made a sort of Conditional agreement with your old 

 Landlord, Twentyman, who now lives at the Hague : he has three decent 

 Bedrooms and a pretty Parlour, together with tolerable Garretts for Servants. 

 He asks a guinea a week for these, & will either find you in Provisions, or you 

 may find yourselves as you like best. He says the Cook which he has at 

 present is not so good a one as he cou'd wish ; but in every other respect he 

 will accommodate you on the same terms he did last year. Now as you 

 do not want to come from home to see the beauties of Douglas ; and as the 

 Hague has the advantage of good air, is in the neighbourhood of the Sea, 

 and not more than three hundred yards from this said place of Balla-na-How 

 (is it not a most unchristian-like, beastly name ?) I say for all these good reasons 

 you will be infinitely better accommodated there, and much more in your own 

 way, than you cou'd possibly be in Douglas. Besides, my Boat, the famous Mona 

 of Douglas, comes uj) to Banks's Harbour every morning, and Messrs. Arthur, 

 Luther & Co. will be happy to lend you all the services in their power to 

 make a few weeks pass away agreeably. I have promised Twentyman to 

 give him an answer as soon as possible, and in the meantime have agreed to 

 pay him a Guinea for waiting until I have your Letter, as there are people 

 continually coming here and, of course, wanting Lodgings. You will, 

 therefore let me hear from you by return of Post. And if you shou'd agree 

 to come soon, which, by the bye, I wou'd recommend, John Brew is now 



