509 



When these and other similar fraudulent 

 practices are mentioned, the general obser- 

 vation is, "Oh, that is a tight hand !" 



Another deception is, when an American 

 merchant expects his creditors from Eng- 

 land, to engage in building a large ship or 

 two, to make it appear that he is at that time 

 in great want of his cash, and he endeavours 

 to get rid of his visitors in that way. 

 The merchant keeps his carriage : he, if 

 possible, gets the Englishman to step into it, 

 jolts him about vv^ith his wife and daughters, 

 and makes his life as pleasant as the country 

 and circumstances will admit. As the per- 

 son sent from England on commercial af- 

 fairs is generally a young man, the good din- 

 ners, agreeable chit-chat of the American 

 ladies, &c. soften his resolution, and give 

 the American merchant an opportunity 

 to have another order from England, 

 by making some small remittances ; and 

 thus he contrives to spend three or four 

 years more in the same manner. 



Both before I went to America, and since 



