President's Address. 9 



An Adventurous Voyage. 



For the moment, however, he was free, but rested not until 

 he had made his escape. Isaac has left two narratives of his 

 flight from Calais. He had arranged with a brother, who had 

 already escaped to England, to send a boat to carry him and his 

 family across the channel, fixing a place of meeting- about two 

 miles east of Calais at midnight on July 31st, 1686, having bribed 

 the mounted guards to allow him to embark. His own party con- 

 sisted of seven persons, viz., himself, his mother, his sister, her 

 husband and his mother and their two children. There were six 

 seamen. The boat was small, and on coming down to it, to their 

 horror they found two farmers, their wives, and six children and 

 their baggage already in possession. The seamen declared that 

 should there be any wind the boat would sink, and the farmers were 

 ordered out, though, as Isaac remarks, " much against stomach." 

 So piteous, however, were their entreaties that a passage was 

 given them, on condition that if the boat should be in danger of 

 sinking they should be thrown into the sea ; to which they 

 answered that " if it was God's will they would submit to it, but 

 hoped that God in his mercy would preserve them all." And he 

 did so. I quote the closing words of the narrative : — " The riding 

 " officers had of me 40 crowns, and so by the grace of God we set 

 " sail, and the seamen rowed sometimes. About two hours after 

 " we left the shore we spyed a sloop, and fearing the Dunkirk cruiser, 

 " they spread a sail over all the passengers' heads, who layd down 

 "■ in the boat, and the fine wind and weather being favourable we 

 " landed at Dover about eight o'clock the same morning (August 

 " 1st), for which mercy I shall ever give thanks to God, it being 

 " a very great deliverance. We were met on the shore by brothers 

 " Ambroise, Jacob, and Stephen, and sisters Susan and Mary, full 

 " of tears of joy in our ej^es, and many more of our friends, who 

 " received us as brethren saved from the great persecution."* 

 We have thus brought Isaac Minet to England. He was shortly 

 afterwards natutalized, and joining the mercantile pnd banking 

 house which his brother had founded at Dover, pursued a success- 

 ful and honourable career ; dying at the ag"e of 85 in the year 

 1745 ; held in high esteem for his religious principles, his business 



*The landing was effected on the Bulwark Rock, where now the South- 

 Eastern Railway Station stands. 



