RESTRICTION OF LICENSE TO SELL SPIRITS. 281 



boiled, to their as well as our own satifaction ; for 

 while they were engaged with the bacon, we were 

 enabled to appropriate to our ourselves the lion's 

 share of the other edibles, which — as our appetites 

 had been sharpened by between sixty and seventy 

 hours' exposure to the bracing sea-breeze, with a 

 spice of hard pulling — we were fully competent to 

 dispose of. 



Not feeling in the mood to cruise around much 

 during the afternoon, the greater part of us remained 

 about the house, wondering, from the sparsity of the 

 landlord's visitors, how he managed to eke out a 

 living ; but, as soon as night approached, we were 

 convinced that he lacked not for customers, who now 

 one after another dropped in to have a look at us, 

 and imbibe the potations he had to dispense. 



One thing is greatly in favor of this colony ; that 

 is, the government has as yet refused to grant a 

 license for the sale of spirits in less quantities than 

 a gallon ; and, as a gallon costs two pounds ster- 

 ling, (equivalent to nine dollars and eighty-eight 

 cents of our monej^,) the ardent is not within the 

 reach of everybody. During the time we remained 

 in the place, I did not see a glass of spirits drank. 

 Malt-liquors, comprising porter, ale, and beer, were 

 however swallowed without regard to quality or 

 quantity. 



Here, as well as everywhere else that I have visited 

 in these colonies, the males and females alike fre- 

 quent the tap-room. They were all very hospitable, 

 and it may be imagined how it sounded to our ears, 

 for a matronly-looking woman, with a child held by 

 the hand, to address us with, " What will you have 

 24* 



