FISHES AND FISHING. 179 



at Dover, or wherever he pleased, and evinced such 

 villaiious intentions, as caused them to entertain great 

 fears for their safety ; so that a lady, who with her 

 son formed part of iny family, waved her handker 

 chief, and made signs so effectually to an English 

 cruiser, that the captain sent a boat with an officer 

 on board the trader, the explanation given of the 

 conduct of the skipper, that the lady was allied 

 to some of the first families in Dover, and was then, 

 as it might be called, escaping from a hostile shore ; 

 that she had a brother-in-law commanding a gun 

 brig in the channel ; the captain of the cruiser, who 

 was going into the Dover roads, ordered the trading 

 skipper to land them at Dover, and to refund a rea 

 sonable proportion of the sum he had extorted, to pay 

 the difference it made between their being taken to 

 London, as the scoundrel of a skipper had undertaken 

 to do, and their having to travel thither by land. It 

 was in vain the skipper said he would take them to 

 London ; the captain of the cruiser, who had caused 

 the former to come on board the king's ship, told 

 him plainly he would not trust him, as he looked 

 upon him as little better than a pirate or robber. 



The intention of Bonaparte to inspect different parts 

 of the French coast, was made known by the entry 

 into Calais of about 250 cavalry, on fine horses, well- 

 proportioned men, who, to obtain admission into the 



N 2 



