Ch. IX. SOUTH AMERICA. 415 



for thofe of the lower clafs; and the officers he in 

 the moft genteel manner fiirniihed with money, that 

 they might live in tolerable decency. 



Both the abovementioned gentlemen offcred to join 

 their interefl: in foliciting the admirnity for my p^ipers, 

 which wns the thing I had moil at heart; but I 

 judged that Mr. Brookes, being the commiiTury to 

 v/hom I belonged, it would come btft from him to 

 inclofe my petition, with his recommendation to the 

 duke of Bedford, and the admiralty, that they 

 would be pleafed to order my papers to be ex- 

 amined for their fatisfadion, and then return them 

 to me. The anfwcr was entirely becoming the gene- 

 rofity of that nation among which the chance of 

 war had brought me : this was, that the duke of 

 Bedford, as firft commiffiüner of the admiralty, and 

 the other lords of that board unanimouily, and with 

 pleafure granted the contents of my memorial; 

 nobly adding, that they were not at war with the arts 

 and fciences or their proíeíTors, that the Englifh na- 

 tion cultivated thrm ; and it was the glory of its mini- 

 fters and great men to proteft and encourage them. 

 In the fame generous ftrain ran all the aniwcrs with 

 which the admiralty were pleafed to honour me with, 

 by their fecretary Mr. Corbet j and this condefcen- 

 fion put into my hands an opportunity of foliciting 

 fcveral favours to the great relief of the Spanilli pri- 

 foners who were in Fareham holpital, and the com- 

 mon prifon, be fides fome perfonal favours for myfclf. 

 The worthy Mr. Brookes, foon after my arrival, had 

 offered to procure me a warrant for going over to 

 France in a packet-boat, wliich was to carry over 

 to St. Malo the Louifbourg captives. But 1 could 

 not think of going out or England and leaving my 

 papers behmd me. 



The infurredion in Scotland induced the admi- 

 ralty to iflue orders, that all prifoners who were 

 upon leave in London, ihouJd immediately repair to 



fome 



