244 History oj the 



in the same lodging with Grunin, who introduced him to the 

 leading merchants of the place, from whom he speedily received 

 not only more orders for goods of their own make than his 

 brothers could execute, but also such large orders for other articles, 

 that he at once proposed to undertake a general commission 

 business, to which his brothers agreed. This, as well as their own 

 direct business, rapidly increased in extent, and became largely 

 profitable. Nor was this the sum of his good fortune. Lodging 

 also in the same house with him was a young Frenchman, who 

 took so much interest in his progress as to introduce him to the 

 French Consul, who in his turn made him acquainted with several 

 of the chief Spanish houses, with whom he was enabled to do 

 extensive business. The Consul was afterwards still more truly 

 a friend to Mr. Heyworth, for, on the approach of the French 

 army in 1807, he gave him such confidential information of their 

 progress, day by day, as enabled him to remain three weeks after 

 all the other English residents had left ; and having collected and 

 remitted every farthing of debt due to him, (which otherwise would 

 have been confiscated by Napoleon — a matter not accomplished 

 by any other British commercial house at the place), to leave by an 

 American vessel the very day before the French entered. 



The success of the two years in Portugal had convinced his 

 elder brothers that Lawrence had a gift for foreign commerce, and, 

 after some persuasion, they agreed that he and his next brother, 

 James, should establish a commission house at Rio-de-Janerio. A 

 circular was accordingly issued stating their intention, and so high 

 stood the name of the old firm of Heyworth Brothers & Co. that 

 they at once received large consignments from the manufacturers of 

 Lancashire and Yorkshire. Lawrence sailed from Liverpool in the 

 Paris, in the March of 1808, without convoy, and James in the 

 May of 1808 from Hull, with convoy, as supercargo, with a full 

 freight, in the Lascelles. So successful were the brothers in this 

 new field, that in the following year they found it necessary to 

 establish a Liverpool shipping and commission agency ; and at the 

 recommendation of Lawrence, his brother Ormerod resigned the 



