168 THE ALLIED SOVEREIGNS 



and, living two miles on the London Road, had never any 

 lack of customers. My wife's relatives and friends from 

 Dorsetshire — my own from London — my married sister 

 and her husband's family, my co-partners from Northamp- 

 ton and Salisbury, with their wives — both admirable and 

 amiable specimens of their sex ; my naval acquaintances — 

 among whom was the lieutenant officer of my watch — 

 and last, not least, my old friend the sixth mate, who, as 

 I have before stated, was unfortunately killed on his next 

 voyage — all made my house their home. One of my own 

 spare coaches, with four good horses, was at the door 

 every morning to take us to the grand point of attraction. 



The great wish of all was to see and shake hands with 

 their Imperial and Royal ^Majesties, with the veteran 

 Blucher, and the Hetman PlatofF. The two former Avere 

 lodged, one at the Governor's, the other at the Commis- 

 sioner's House in the Dockyard : the latter at hotels ; and 

 one and all, young and old, rich and poor, were smitten 

 with the same mania — that of following in crowds the 

 footsteps of those august personages. So high and so far 

 did this feeling obtain, that the epoch was ever after 

 called " the insanity week." 



The first day a review of the fleet at Spithead took 

 place ; and never before then was that anchorage so 

 crowded — the Avhole space between the harbour and the 

 island was covered with vessels of every description, 

 from the Royal Yacht, with her cargo of illustrious 

 visitors, Sovereigns and Princes, do\vn to the poor bum- 

 boat- woman's humble craft laden with her youthful 

 family. I had taken care to engage for my party the 

 pilot boat of the man who had so kindly, but a few years 



