AN AMERICAN FARMER IN ENGLAND. 



was very light (a trick, certainly, not confined to their trade) ; 

 that a space in which one could not stand erect, or a berth like a 

 coffin, was very roomy, and so forth. 



Finally we were taken in by the perfect impudence and utter 

 simplicity in falsehood of one of them, an underling of " a respec- 

 table house" advertised passenger agents of the ship which, 

 on the lie being represented to it, thought proper to express its 

 " regret " at the young man's error, but could not be made to see 

 that it was proper for it to do any thing more the error not 

 having been discovered in time for us to conveniently make other 

 arrangements. 



We had engaged a " family room " exclusively for ourselves, 

 in the large and neatly-fitted cabin of a new, clean, first-class 

 packet. "We thought the price asked for it very low, and to se- 

 cure it beyond a doubt, had paid half the money down at the 

 agent's desk, and taken a receipt, put some of our baggage in it, 

 locked the door, and taken the key. The ship was hauling out 

 from her pier when we went on board with our trunks, and found 

 that the spacious second cabin had been stowed half full of cot- 

 ton, and the remaining space lumbered up with ship stores, spare 

 sails, etc. The adjoining rooms were evidently occupied by steer- 

 age passengers, and the steward was trying keys to let them into 

 ours. The mate cursed us for taking the key, and the captain 

 declared that no one had been authorized to make such arrange- 

 ments as had been entered into with us, and that he should put 

 whom he pleased into the room. 



We held on to the key, and appealed first to the agents and 

 then to the owners. Finally we agreed to take a single room- 

 mate, a young man whom they introduced to us, and whose ap- 

 pearance promised agreeably, and with this compromise were 

 allowed to retain possession. The distinction between second 

 cabin and steerage proved to be an imagination of the agents 



